“A trained parts person should know the advantages and disadvantages to every option of hitches on the market and be able to explain those pros and con clearly and accurately. If all options are presented and all aspects made clear, the consumer will not make the wrong choice for them.”
Customers come to RV parts departments looking for more than just parts. Many of them come seeking professional and expert advice. They know they need help but they are afraid to trust the people who are there to rescue them.
The job of the parts specialist is to provide accurate, timely and specific information that solves the problem the customer has. Never is this any more important then when a customer comes into the store looking to purchase a fifth wheel hitch, especially if they do not have a standard 8-foot foot bed truck.
The proliferation of shorter box pickup trucks with larger cabin areas has become a challenge for the RV parts professional. Twenty years ago, if a person wanted to pull a fifth wheel trailer, they would purchase a truck that not only had a full-size bed, but usually had dual wheels. This was before the explosion of extended cab, club cab and double cab pickups and the need for shorter beds on such truck to allow customers to still park these vehicles in their garage.
It started with shortening the beds from 8 foot to 6-foot, 6-inches and proceeded to vehicles that now have only 5-foot beds. These trucks could be ordered with diesel engines and even dual wheels if the customer desires, so they are more than powerful enough to handle larger trailers. But a short-bed truck and a large fifth wheel with a straight pin-box do not mate very well. One sharp turn and the rear cab of the truck is in jeopardy.
With the growth of these types of tow vehicles has come an expanding market of hitches and pin-box extensions to attempt to satisfy this need. A thorough knowledge of these options, including all the pros and cons for each, is required to give the customer the chance to make a qualified decision.
While pin-box extension may be the answer for some people, I am not totally convinced. A fifth wheel is generally 8 foot wide and no matter how far out the pin-box is extended, at a 90-degree angle to the tow vehicle, I see no way to fit that 8 foot width within a 6-foot, 6-inch long bed.
Due to this trouble, I will be only covering the options available in hitches. Here are some of the advantages and disadvantages to the different options available to customers in fifth wheel hitch technology.
Stationary Hitches
Stationary hitches are designed to be mounted over the axles of full-size bed trucks and provide plenty of clearance for turning. These types of hitches have been around for decades and come in a large array of qualities and features. The major advantage to these types of hitches is price. No matter at what quality level the customer is comfortable with, a stationary fifth wheel will be the most economical choice to be had.
The disadvantage of this hitch only appears when it is installed in the bed of a shorter box truck. As mentioned previously, putting a hitch centered in a 6-foot bed truck only leaves 3 feet in front of the pin to the back of the cab. At a 90-degree angle (and even at considerably less angles) the driver is attempting to fit half of the width of the trailer (8 foot wide with the pin in the middle leaves 4 feet on each side) into that area. My math skills make it very easy to see, 4 feet does not fit in 3 feet.
A different solution to the problem must be found and as a part professional it is your responsibility to explain this issue. Do not be afraid to use piece of paper and draw it out. The visual will speak for itself.
Manual-Sliding Hitches
The first solution to this problem was introduced over a decade ago. It was a standard, stationary hitch that was installed on some type of rail system that would allow the hitch to “slide” back when more clearance is needed. It also allowed the hitch to be placed in the optimum towing area (directly over the axles) when the customer was driving down the road. The slide mechanism is generally operated by a lever or handle that frees the hitch to move either forward or backward for turning or towing. This type of hitch is a huge step above the standard version when dealing with shorter truck beds.
The philosophy behind the manual-slide option is that when towing a fifth wheel trailer in the forward direction and at highway speeds, the tow vehicle does not turn sharp enough to place the back of the cab in danger. When a customer begins to back up (the time when the sharpest angles occur) the driver simply steps out of the cab and releases the lever.
Once the lever is released, the driver then returns to the cab, holds the hand-operated option on his/her electronic brake control, thus setting the brakes on the trailer, and pulls the truck forward as the hitch slides back up 7-9 inches. This movement provides much needed clearance area. Some quick math will illustrated even with the added clearance, a full 90-degree turn cannot be accomplished, but most angles required can be done without any danger for collision.
The major disadvantage to this upgrade is that it requires the driver to get out and operate the lever. There are times when this is just not convenient. Weather or traffic can place the driver in a situation where getting out of the driver’s seat may not be desirable or even possible.
When this happens, human nature (at least male human nature) may convince the driver to attempt his maneuvering without moving the hitch back into the clearance position. This can place the vehicle back in the same danger as having a stationary hitch.
I have personal experience with this issue. I used to have a 1999 Dodge extended cab, short-box pickup and a 30-foot fifth wheel. I installed the top brand, manual slide hitch in my truck because I did not want to risk damage to my vehicle.
After successfully towing the trailer for over a year, while on a weeklong vacation, I found myself in a unique situation. I was pulling off a very busy road into a gas station and, due to congestion, had to back up and turn more sharply. Feeling rushed by the traffic, I chose not to operate the sliding mechanism.
As you can imagine, I shattered my rear window and sprayed glass shards all over my children strapped in their car seats. Not a great way to start my vacation, for sure. I had the capability to provide clearance between the trailer and my truck; I just did not have the time to use it.
Electrically-sliding Hitches
The requirement of manually operating the sliding mechanism and the inconvenience of having to physically get out of the truck lead innovative manufacturers to the next step. Companies began to place electric motors on the sliding mechanisms with remote switches mounted inside the tow vehicle. This removed the major disadvantage of these hitches and allowed drivers to simply push a button and create more clearance room for turning. This made the rail mounted hitches a much better option for tow vehicles. Unfortunately, this did not completely solve the problem.
Once again, the biggest disadvantage of an electrically sliding hitch is the driver must activate the hitch to provide the extra room for maneuvering. Also, because both manual and electrical sliding hitches are mounted on standard rail systems, the distance they can slide back is limited to less than 9 inches. This does not provide adequate room for total maneuverability and caution must still be taken when backing up the fifth wheel into a tight spot.
If this issue was going to be addressed it was going to take a whole new hitching and mounting system that would allow the hitch to slide much farther back, yet still not put too much pressure on the tow vehicle.
Auto Sliding Hitches
The answer to the problem seems fairly clear. What is needed is a fifth wheel hitch that adjusts automatically and can maneuver back far enough to provide total turning radius. These hitches were developed by several companies using various mechanisms with rails, tracks and cables.
The idea of these hitches is that the more angle the trailer turns away from the tow vehicle, the farther back the hitch slides to provide room for the turn. The key to this is system is finding a way to ‘tie’ the kingpin of the trailer to the head of the hitch so the hitch can detect what angle the trailer is to the truck. Once this is solved, whether it is by tracks or cables, the hitch head can then slide backward.
These types of hitches seem to address all the problems of turning radius faced by RVers who want to tow large trailers with short box pickups. They allow full turning just like a full sized bed in a short wheel based truck. They do not require the driver of the tow vehicle to perform any actions or even to have the time to do so. They even have hitches that have enough backward movement to allow customers with the shortest box trucks (5 foot) to tow fifth wheels, which would be completely impossible with a standard stationary hitch. But as we all know, there are no perfect answers.
The major disadvantage of this type of hitch is the cost associated with purchasing one. They are made of large amounts of steel and require different mounting hardware to support the hitch while in motion. They also have intricate operation systems and technology like this is not cheap. Still, RVers have shown over and over again they are more than willing to pay for convenience.
Some other disadvantages are these hitches are heavy, bulky and take up a much greater portion of the bed of the tow vehicle. A plate is usually attached to the trailer making it more difficult to be towed by other vehicles (this can be presented as a theft protection advantage sometimes). They also do not allow for carrying as much cargo in the bed while transporting due to the movement involved. The convenience of not having to worry about turning is offset by these disadvantages.
Education is Key
RV customers will come to your parts department looking for professional advice on towing their fifth wheels with shorter box trucks. They want to drive trucks that seat more people, more comfortably but still fit easily in their garage. This leads to shorter and shorter beds on those trucks. The job of a RV parts specialist is to provide the options and let the customer choose which hitch is best for them.
A trained parts person should know the advantages and disadvantages to every option of hitches on the market and be able to explain those pros and con clearly and accurately. If all options are presented and all aspects made clear, the consumer will not make the wrong choice for them.
Some parts employees are nervous about giving options because they don’t want to seem pushy and trying to make a sale. If you give honest, straightforward advice then the customer will make the right choice. Do not be afraid to be right!
Gaylon Hughes is the president of the RV Parts Academy, a Boise, Idaho-based consulting firm to RV dealership parts departments and other aftermarket retailers. Hughes can be reached by e-mail at i