I have a 2009 silverado 4x4 crew cab with a 58 bed and the heavy duty tow package. I have gotten conflicting info on what kind of hitches will work. can you help?
Expert Reply:
With a bed that is shorter than 5 feet such as yours, the only possible way you could tow a fifth wheel trailer would be to use a non-sliding fifth wheel hitch along with a Sidewinder. The Sidewinder would relocate the pivot point from where the king pin locks into the hitch jaws to a point 22 inches further back at the pin box. Due to the small size of the bed, you still might not have enough clearance to prevent the front of the trailer loft from striking the rear of the truck cab. Here's a formula that you can use to determine if the Sidewinder will provide you with enough clearance to safely tow a fifth wheel trailer.
(A + B) - C = Clearance
A = Distance from center of fifth wheel hitch jaw to truck cab
B = Length of Sidewinder arm (16K = 22", 19K = 22", 19.5K = 22")
C = Width of trailer divided by 2 (to get half)
For A, measure from the rear of the cab to the center point of the rear axle. If plugging the numbers into the formula gives you a positive result, you will have enough clearance. However if the result is a negative number, your trailer will hit the rear of the truck cab when attempting to negotiate a 90 degree turn.
Fifth Wheel hitches are rated by their weight capacity. You will want to choose a Fifth Wheel hitch whose capacity is equal to or greater than the weight of your trailer as it is typically loaded.
expert reply by: Mike L
