Recommended 5th Wheel Hitch for 2012 GMC Sierra 2500HD 4x4 with 6-1/2-ft Bed

Updated 02/24/2017 | Published 02/23/2017

Products Featured in This Question

Demco Autoslide 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch w/ Slider - Single Jaw - Above Bed - 18,000 lbs

(711)

$1795.00

B&W Custom Installation Kit w/ Base Rails for 5th Wheel Trailer Hitches

(90)

$260.00

B&W Patriot 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch w/ Slider - Dual Jaw - 18,000 lbs

(716)

$899.00

Curt 5th Wheel/Gooseneck Custom Wiring Harness w/ 7-Pole Connector - 10' Long

(232)

$137.95

Demco Premier Series Above-Bed Base Rails and Custom Installation Kit for 5th Wheel Hitches

(12)

$430.07

Stromberg Carlson 4000 Series 5th Wheel Louvered Tailgate with Lock for GM Trucks

(897)

$457.87

Question:

I recently purchased a 2013 Open Range 337rls 5er. Dry wt is 8850 lbs and Gross Trailer weight is just over 12K lbs which the misses and I wont even come close to when traveling. Requesting assistance with which hitch is the right one, slider or fixed? Would like to know the advantages of each style and which models would you recommend. I will say that when I looked at the DEMCO Highjacker 18K Auto slider, it was very impressive. I believe they also make a 13K model if that would be sufficient for my needs.

asked by: Ken

Helpful Expert Reply:

Sliding 5th wheel hitches are recommended for towing with a short-bed pickup like your 2012 GMC Sierra 2500 HD Series with 6-1/2-foot bed. Sliding hitches from B&W and Demco are the ones I most often recommend because of their build quality (both are made here in the USA). Their products cost more because they are worth more. They are beautifully made products that inspire confidence, potential sticker shock notwithstanding.

Although you state your trailer will not ever be loaded up to its maximum 12K gross weight, there is still value is selecting a hitch rated for more trailer weight than you require since this provides both safety margin and the probability of a longer working lifespan before maintenance is needed. Since you cannot add on safety margin after the fact I suggest choosing a hitch that is rated for more than your trailer's GTW rating (even though you will not necessarily need all that capacity right now). If in the future a new trailer enters your world it will be nice not to have to worry about also changing out hitches.

Demco's 18K Hijacker Autoslide hitch # DM8550034 offers a generous 14-inches of slider travel. It installs using above-bed base rail kit # DM8552011-71. For convenience, here is the winner. No getting out of the truck to release a slider before making your low-speed turning maneuvers.

The B&W option is also an 18K slider, part # BWRVK3270, that uses base rail kit # BWRVK2506. Key differences are that this B&W is a manual slider and that it offers 12-inches of travel rather than the automatic Demco's 14-inches.

For either option you can use wiring harness kit # C56000.

Since I see from your photo (thank you) that you still have your OEM tailgate on the truck, you might want to consider a 5th wheel tailgate to avoid losing turning clearance. All such options are shown on the linked page. Stromberg Carlson's 4000 Series plastic composite tailgate # VGM-07-4000 weighs only about 30-lbs. Installation is shown in the linked video.