5th Wheel Hitch and Rail Kit Recommendation for a 2004 Chevy Silverado 2500HD Short Bed

Updated 04/04/2013 | Published 04/02/2013

Question:

I have a 04 chevy 2500 HD crew cab short bed 4x4 and need advice on a hitch. My trailer is a 38foot with 15,000lb dry weight, I will only be pulling it occasionally from one job site to another. What would be the correct hitch for this set-up? Would a slider work or do I need a revolution type?

asked by: Chris

Helpful Expert Reply:

As long as the bed in your truck is longer than 6 feet you could get away with using a slider hitch. If your bed is shorter than 6 feet you will need to go with a Sidewinder to give you the necessary clearance to make tight turns.

I did some searching and found that the short bed 04 Silverado 2500HDs have 6-1/2 foot beds so you should be fine to use a slider.

For a slider hitch with more than enough capacity for your trailer that ha a 15k dry weight I would recommend the Pro Series 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch w/ Square Tube Slider # PS30121. This hitch has a 20k capacity and should be able to handle the weight of your trailer plus 5,000 lbs of cargo weight.

For an installation kit you would want the Reese Quick-Install Custom Base Rails and Installation Kit # RP50064-58. This is a custom install kit that would install in about half the time as a universal installation kit and would minimize drilling.

I attached an installation video of these products on an 04 2500HD Silverado for you to check out also.

expert reply by: Jameson C