What Kind of 5th Wheel Hitch Will Fit a 2005 Chevy Silverado with a 5 Foot, 9 Inch Bed

Expert Reply:

For your 2005 Chevy Silverado with a 5 foot, 9 inch bed, you will most likely need a sidewinder. This means you will have to do a little measuring. It is a simple formula, but your measurements have to be accurate.

(A + B) - C = Clearance

A = Distance from center of fifth wheel hitch jaw to truck cab (in this case only, this should be 1-1/2 inches closer to the cab than the center of the axle)
B = Length of Sidewinder arm (16K = 22 inches, 19K = 22 inches, 19.5K = 22 inches)
C = Width of trailer divided by 2 (to get half)

For example: With the 16K arm, if the distance from the center of the hitch to the cab is 36 inches, 36 inches + 22 inches = 58 inches. If your fifth wheel trailer is 102" inches wide, take half (51 inches), then plug in: 58 inches - 51 inches = 7 inches of clearance. You will need at least 4 inches of clearance to avoid the trailer coming into contact with your truck when turning.

I have included a link below to our Sidewinders, and a link to an article on Sidewinder information.

It is possible that you could use a slider type 5th wheel hitch if you use the above formula and have at least 4 inches of clearance. But if this does work, you will still have to get out of the vehicle to adjust the slider in various turning situations. With the sidewinder, you will not have to exit the vehicle to adjust anything.

expert reply by: Michael H