Sliding Fifth Wheel Hitch

Several people have asked what kind of fifth wheel hitch we use. In my opinion, the ONLY hitch I would ever recommend is the Pullrite SuperGlide. Our truck is a GMC Sierra 3/4-ton with a King Cab (for the dogs) -- consequently the truck bed is short. The distance from the rear axle to the cab is just three feet; our Cougar fifth wheel is 8 feet wide, half that being 48 inches, which obviously wouldn't fit into a 36-inch space in the event of a 90-degree turn.

According to Pullrite.com, "SuperGlide is the only true solution for safe fifth wheel towing with short bed trucks. SuperGlide automatically moves the trailer away from the cab while making turns - allowing up to 90° turning without stopping, slowing down or even thinking about the space between the truck & trailer - and then automatically returns the hitch and trailer to the safe towing position over the truck axle when the turn is completed."

Well, it works! Exceptionally well. Yes, it was expensive, but definitely worth the cost. Initially I had considered one of the manually-operated sliding hitches, primarily because of the lower price. On-line research, however, soon convinced me that the "automatic" feature of the SuperGlide, and the peace of mind, was clearly worth the money

One posting on an RV forum from an experienced, "almost" full-timer gave a perfect illustration... He wrote that he had been using a manual sliding hitch for YEARS without problem. It was routine, he wrote, to pull into a campground, get out, pull the pin on the hitch, get back in, make a short, sharp acceleration to move the hitch back, and then continue... The problem arose on a trip with the grandchildren: he was driving in to a gas station when someone came from the other direction and abruptly parked at the pump he was heading for. More than a little annoyed, the RVer quickly backed up, turning almost 90 degrees, and suddenly there was a horrible grinding, crashing noise, and breaking glass!!! The trailer had smashed into the back of the cab, crushing it and showering his grandchildren with shards of glass (fortunately, neither was hurt, although everyone was badly shaken...).

That incident alone, especially from an experienced RVer, convinced me that "automatic" is the ONLY way to go. So, I went to Camping World and bought the SuperGlide and had them install it. Now, we have no worries about damaging the truck or our trailer when making turns, even sharp ones. As the RVer said, "it takes only one time..."