Is A Slider Necessary In A 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500 W/A 6-1/2 FT Bed

Question:

As the subject line says i have a 2020 Silverado 2500HD short bed with the factory puck system. I am getting ready to purchase a 2021 Grand Design Reflections 340RDS. The camper has an extended pin box and the corners on the camper are much narrower than the width of the trailer. Im wondering if I can use a non slider hitch without any problems with the factory puck system or will it be necessary to have the slider hitch? One other question, to my understanding the slider hitch is only necessary when trying to park the camper in tight places where the extra turning is needed and not necessary for travelling down the road and making normal turns from one road crossing into another? Is that assumption correct? Thank you for your help. Sincerely,

asked by: Tommy S

Helpful Expert Reply:

Your assumption is correct. The slide feature on a hitch is for making tight turns. We always recommend a slider like the B&W Companion Item # BWRVK3775 for short bed trucks. What I would be concerned about is, not so much the normal turns you would make, but if you were on a 2 lane rd, came to a T, and had to make a sharp right or left turn. It would be the corner of the nose that crushes the back edge of the cab on your 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 2500.

I actually tested this with a slider in the back of another employees Ram 2500. When turning at an angle where the back corner of the cab on the truck was lined up with the corner on the camper, there was only about 2-3" of space between the two vehicles. This was with the slider hitch slid back to the rear position. For this reason I would recommend going with the slider. Would you rather be sure or potentially crush your new truck. I can only recommend by my experience. The decision is ultimately yours.

expert reply by: Shane H