Reese Sidewinder Pivoting Pin Box to Increase 5th Wheel Turning Clearance in Short Bed F-250

Question:

I just bought a 2017 F250 shortbed with the factory puck system in it. I know traditionally the slider 5th wheel hitches are best for towing my camper. However the weight is very high on them and taking them in and out is a pain. Would there be enough cab clearance for making fairly tight turns with the goosebox or would I be better going with maybe the Anderson Ultimate hitch or just using the traditional slider?

asked by: Lance M

Expert Reply:

You are correct that a short-bed truck like your 2017 Ford F-250 (with 6-3/4-foot bed and factory rail kit) typically requires a sliding type hitch in order to have enough turning clearance to avoid the 5th wheel trailer's overhang from suddenly 'making friends' with the rear window in your cab. The slider hitches specified for your truck are shown on the page I linked for you.

You are also indeed right that the weight of 5th wheel hitches can make them a pain to remove from the truck bed when you need room for cargo. The innovative Demco 18K Hijacker Auto-Sliding hitch # DM8550024, a superb USA-made hitch with a generous 14-inches of slider travel, weighs about 280-lbs. The 20K Pro Series slider # PS30121 weighs half that, just about 146-lbs, but requires adapter # RP30156 in order to install in your factory rails.

All hitches can be removed in sections, meaning you can first remove just the head unit from the base to minimize the weight that must be handled at one time. You can still be looking at a pretty heavy load to lift and move around.

The other 5th wheeling option for short-bed trucks is a Sidewinder replacement pin box that bolts up in place of the fixed pin box on the trailer. Sidewinders are made to replace certain specific (popular) OEM pin boxes and they provide a full 22-inches of additional turning clearance by changing the trailer pivot point from the king pin to the turret at the rear of the Sidewinder. These Sidewinders are meant to be used with fixed (non-sliding) hitches but they can still be used with a slider so long as the hitch always remains in the forward locked position. You can refer to the linked article for a table that lists the standard and cushioned Sidewinders we offer from Reese.

For instance, to replace the popular Lippert 1621 or 1621HD pin boxes we offer 16K Sidewinder # RP34FR and the cushioned 16K model # RP61422.

Reese Goosebox pin box replacements are similar in appearance but these do not couple to a 5th wheel hitch and they do not extend the truck/trailer pivot point as a Sidewinder does. The benefit of a Goosebox for a gooseneck hitch application is that it is the only such adapter that does not add stress on the trailer frame.