So we just bought a 2007 WW LE3505 and haven't towed it yet with our truck, a crew cab short bed Chevy. I have seen this similar set up many times at the dunes. I just finished putting in a manual slidng hitch and was wonder how often other's out there actually have to slide the hitch back? Is this going to be a giant head ache or is it just a matter of being careful and swinging it wide on 90 degree turns, such as in a residential area?

Thanks for any info, opinons and ideas...

I have a short bed crew cab and a manual slide and I think I have used it twice.... Once, the first time I brought the trailer home and was trying to park it at my house. (Wasnt use to it, now I realize i dont have to slide it) and the second time, I had detached so someone else could park their trailer in front of mine, I had to reattach at a 90 angle. I hardly use it and I was wondering if I should had even spent that mush on a slider but you never know when you'll need it.

You wont need it in residential areas. Just take wide, slow turns and keep ur eye on the front cap and the corner of the cabin. You can actually take really wide turns before is comes too close....my concern is take the corner too close and knocking down a traffic light or a stop sign and gouging the fiberglass.

Good question. Looking at buying a t/h and thats one of the concerns on wether we go 5er or pull. I have a 2500d-max crew cab on a short bed.

I am on my third Chevy 2500HD crew cab short bed truck, and I pull a 30' 5th wheel trailer 2-3 days a week, as well as a 34 ft 5th wheel toy hauler. In 7 years I have never once slide my hitch back. Only problem I ever had was from a cross-bed tool box on my '04 that stuck up over the bed about three inches. Going out a particular steep driveway while turning caused the front corner of the trailer to catch the lid of the tool box and shove it through my back window.
I have to turn around in the cul-de-sac at the end of my street every time I come home, with either trailer, to get the right angle to back in to my yard. It has never been close, but I did stop in the middle and get out to check clearances the first few times just to make sure! Keep a watch on it, and know your limits and you'll be fine.
OH! Check the weight of that trailer, fully loaded, to make sure you are not over weight. These trucks handle their loads well, up to their rated limits, but go over it and you're asking for trouble!
Good Luck!

have the same setup you have.I havent used the slide option yet in 3 yrs

My Truck and Trailer are in my sig.

I've used it twice. Once to try it out and the other. . . I can't remember - Don't think I've ever NEEDED it.

I bought the larger fuel tank so I wouldn't have to stop in tight areas. . . only truck-stops for me.

Watch your back window. Don't want to pop it out.

We have not used our slider yet and we have had the WW for 3 seasons.

Same setup and have never used it in two years.

I have used the slider on my truck once and wish I would have used it one other time. I have the dent in the back of the cab to prove it. It is better to have it than not have it.

Thank you all for your views and opnions. Feeling much more confident that this set up will work out ok. I had no idea that the slider is rarely if ever used. Thanks again.

Same exact setup. 07 3505 and crew cab short bed and I've never had to use the slider and I turn a pretty mean corner to park it in storage. I just watch it pretty closely each time.

Andy

I use my slider only when I back into the driveway.I pull out of the driveway with the slider in the tow mode,but to play it safe I slide it back when backing in the driveway.Cheapier than a back window.Like everyone else said,just take your time and pay attention to that corner.

I have a s/b and a ww3705 with a standard hitch and have never had any issues and I always have to back into a spot at Little sahara and have never had an issue but the front ap on the camper has the indentions to increase the turning radius

Don't want to be a thread hog but i wanted to ask all of you guys that have commented on pulling the large 5th wheels with the 2500HD shortbed trucks....have you ever been worried about being over weight....i really want to buy an LE3505 that has the extra 2 feet on the back of it...so it's a 3705 i guess you could say....but that thing is 16000 lbs GVWR....our trucks are o0nly rated for 22000 CGVWR and the truck weighs 9200 according to the sticker on the door???? I see guys doing it all the time but is it really safe and LEGAL or what is the deal? I know the truck will do it...How does it actually perform....

I've probably towed my LE3505 with my 2500HD short bed for over 200 hours the year and a half I've owned it and never have I felt unsafe going down the road. Between the windy roads of the 101 in Northern California to the bad winds you get on the way home from Glamis. It does pull like a freight train though. The people that say they can barely feel the trailer are fibbing a little I think. I've done my fair share to make it as safe as possible. I've put Toyo A/T E rated tires all the way around the truck. I've added air bags to the rear end that I run about 80psi in on most trips and I never go any faster then 61-62 mph. I keep an eye on the transmission temp and exhaust temp and make sure I change the fluids and filters frequently and its never failed me (knock on wood). I can't do 85 up Cajon Pass or the Grapevine that some claim, but the truck gets the job done with the little amount of money I've put into it.



Andy

I think I saw a thread on here a couple years back about a guy who got in a accident and was over loaded. Didn't turn out good, as I remember... If you could control ALL situations then being over loaded would be no biggie, but if some bozo pulls in front of you, then stops, and you plow into him and you are not legal, the other guys lawyer might just have a field day with you and yours in a court of law. Thankfully "worst case scenarios" hardly ever happen, but you just never know. I asked my insurance guy about this once and he just shook his head and said "You don't wanna go there!"

we have a had a Dmax 2500 for 5yrs towing our 3905 WW fully loaded plenty of times... we tow at least twice a month from Riverside to Glamis, then in summer to havasu etc...

We DO have an auto slide... sorry, but better to never have to worry about it, then worry about it all the time... its neat to see that when you turn it just glides on back, and then comes back forward... its a nice security...

We do only have the LE... which is the lightest of the fleet... and no slide outs... so I can vouch that we have had many near accidents and the truck downshifted and did all it was supposed to do to come to a safe stop... NOT TAILGATING is very important!!

Never be in a rush to go anywhere... you'll get there... just be patient.

Honestly I never hear my truck struggle like we did with our old tahoe and small trailer... so maybe were lucky? Or just safe drivers... but hey the set up has been excellent for us...

we also have the larger aux. tank and airbags...

This truck & trailer combo can be legal in every capacity. Fill it all up and it can be grossly over limits as the rest of them. Know your vehicles limits, and load accordingly. If you have to bring more stuff, buy a bigger rig!!!!

Thanks Guys...for all the info. Sorry to steal the thread again. I understand that guys are DOING this and ARE overweight but I guess I wanted to know if anyone has actually done the math correctly and seen if they are within limits or exactly how OVER they are.

My one bad experience showed me that I need to slide every trip. When I get the trailer from storage I'm slid back. I slide forward when leaving for the freeway. Once I get to the dunes I slide back. One time I was backing it up into my storage spot and wasn't slid back and I now have a nice llittle dent on my cab. I was lucky it wasn't worse. For me it's worth the 28 seconds to slide it and have the piece of mind that I won't loose my mind and turn too sharp. Looks like I'm one of the few.

Another thing is that the newer Weekend Warriors have the kingpin extended further out which pushes the trailer further away from the cab. Brian, yours goes fairly straight down so I could see why you would need a slide.

I've got a Ford shortbed with a Reese sliding hitch. I only use it to get it into and out of my backyard, or if I have to jack knife it to get into some campsites.

I thought I would need to use it a lot more than I do, I was surprised how sharp you can turn without sliding.

Good point. Mine is extended pretty far and the '07 model WW's have a little indention on the corners.



Andy

The trailer weights are full of water and all the gear I have never had mine full of water and fuel and toys only about 20 to 30 gallons of fuel vice the 50 its suppose to hold and I never put water in here I am loaded with the toys though. I have had some close calls but I never go too fast fuels mileage sucks anyway so I say why make it worse, and be cautious the engine braking system on my truck is awesome and I have added airbags to the rear I only inflate to 60psi still playing with them but I feel really safe when I tow the winds here in oklahom are brutal almost always 15 to 30 mph