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Thread: Short Bed Hitch Blues
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11-04-2014, 01:01 PM #1Virginia CamperGuest
Short Bed Hitch Blues
Hello Everyone,
I started a thread in September called “Proper 5th Wheel Hitch”. It was my first post and was happy to get all the responses back. Thank you for those who responded. Basically, my wife and I are ordering a Solitude 369RL next month for a spring arrival. I have a 2014 F350, CC, 4x4, 6.7 diesel, short bed with a 5th wheel prep package. I desperately wanted to put the B&W Companion OEM hitch in my truck because it breaks into two pieces that weigh about 71lbs per piece. It would make my bed clean when not towing and wouldn’t break my back pulling the hitch out. As you can imagine, I got a lot of folks suggesting I buy a slider…better to have one and not need one than, need one and not have it. Anyway, towards the end of the thread, there was a gentleman who said he uses a sidewinder with his Companion and it works great. My prayers were answered. I called eTrailer.com and they confirmed that I could use a sidewinder with the Companion. Yay!!!
Then I read today on the forum that a guy from Grand Design (Ryan) told someone that with a short bed truck the Solitude will allow a 77 degree turn. Life is getting better. So I called Ryan today and yes, he confirmed that the turn could be 75 – 77 degree turn. So then I decided to ask the what I thought was the big question…Why don’t you folks consider putting a sidewinder on the RV to make it easy for short bed trucks to tow? …this would really help a lot of folks out. His answer did NOT make me very happy and it will NOT make some of you very happy either. In all fairness to Ryan (and Grand Design) it is not their fault. He said, “if you use a sidewinder, Lippert voids the warranty on your frame”…Well, that sucks!...once again, not Ryan’s fault. So I don’t want to panic anyone who has a sidewinder, just wanted to share that with you if you did not know.
To make a long story longer, I have decided to roll the dice and put the Companion in my truck and keep the turns down to 60 – 70 degrees. To be honest with you all, we keep our trailer in a place where I don’t get close to this amount of turn backing up. When we go on the road (once a year) we go to a place where the site is a pull through. We should be safe…famous last words, right?
Is anyone else out there rolling the dice with me?
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