Best Fifth Wheel Towing Setup Recommendation for a 2006 GMC Sierra 2500 Short Bed

Question:

I have a 2006 GMC 2500HD W/6.6 box. I will be pulling a 5th Wheel as follows: Hitch Wt: 1,630 Ship Weight: 9363 GVWR: 13,630 Looking at Reese 15k or 16k I see there are several models of each ... I am 76 years old and want the one that is the easiest and most stable for what I am towing. What do you recommend?

asked by: Henry

Expert Reply:

Since you have a short bed truck you would need to either go with a slider hitch or a Sidewinder pin box replacement so that you have enough clearance to make tight turns. Since you said you want the simplest solution your best option would be the Sidewinder since it would not require you to get out of your truck and activate the slider every time you get to a parking lot.

You will need to remove the pin box of the trailer and replace it with a Sidewinder pin box. Sidewinders are pin box specific so you will first need to know what pin box you have now in order to pick out the correct one.

There should be a sticker or a stamping on the OEM pin box of the trailer that will list the pin box number that is on the trailer.

Once you figure out which pin box you have you can check the FAQ I attached that has a chart that shows the correct Sidewinder to get based on which pin box you have.

For a fifth wheel rail kit you would want a custom install kit like the part # RP50064-58 as it will install in about half the time as a universal kit and will minimize drilling.

For an easy to use fifth wheel hitch that would work well with everything I have mentioned so far you would want the 16k Reese Slider hitch part # RP30047. I attached a review video for this hitch for you to check out as well.