How we made this guide: picks and specs come from our catalog and fitment data, owner quotes come from verified reviews and every guide is checked and edited by Trevor Hall.
Not always: a short bed truck needs a sliding fifth wheel hitch only when the trailer's front corner can reach the back of the cab in a tight turn, and that depends on the trailer's pin position, width and corner shape as much as on the bed. We list seven B&W Companion slider parts: five complete hitches from $1,599 for the single-point slider to $1,699 for the puck-mount versions, plus two base-only units from $1,200.
If you have room, a fixed hitch is enough and costs less. Below is how to tell which one you are, and what each listed part does.
Quick answer
Every slider we list is B&W Companion. Every complete slider is rated 20,000 lb gross trailer weight with 5,000 lb pin weight, and the base-only units are rated 20,000 lb GTW. The listings with a spec block give 12 inches of slide travel. Your truck's own fifth wheel rating comes from the owner's manual, and it can be lower than the hitch rating.
What a sliding fifth wheel hitch does
A fifth wheel hitch sits over the rear axle in the bed and grips the trailer's king pin. On a fixed hitch the head stays in one spot. On a slider the head rides on a base that moves back and forth. Tow in the forward position on the road, then unlock the base and move it rearward for a tight turn or a tight backing job, so the front corner of the trailer swings farther from the back of your cab.
The listed Companion sliders give the base type as sliding with 12 inches of travel, and the coupler closes with a cam-action latching handle. Each one pairs that base with the RVC3006 coupler head, which has 1 inch thick machined wrap-around jaws and fully articulates front to back and side to side. A shock absorber and polyurethane bushings handle vibration, and the puck-mount versions drop into the truck's factory prep with no rails.
Why a short bed truck is the usual reason
On a long bed the hitch sits well ahead of the tailgate and well behind the cab. On a short bed the hitch sits closer to the cab, so in a sharp turn the front corner of the trailer has less room before it reaches the back of the cab. A slider answers that by letting you move the hitch rearward only when you need the room.
B&W's own Companion pages say that many people towing fifth wheel trailers with short bed trucks use the Companion successfully, and that cab clearance depends on several factors. Two of them are the trailer's front shape and width. Rounded front corners give more clearance than square ones, and a narrower trailer turns more tightly. B&W adds that the Companion also comes as a slider to help with tight corners on a short bed truck: flip the lever and it slides back 12 inches, flip it again and it locks in place as you back up.
B&W also limits how the slide is used. Its pages say the 12 inches of rearward travel is for maneuvering at maneuvering speed. It is not for highway towing, and B&W says towing slid back puts the trailer's pin weight behind the rear axle, which may cause unsafe driving characteristics. Treat the slide as a parking-lot and campsite tool.
How do I know if I need a sliding 5th wheel hitch?
Work through this list.
- Get the distance from the king pin to the front corner of your trailer. Your trailer maker's figure or a tape measure on the trailer gives it. The farther the corner sits ahead of the pin, the more room it needs to swing.
- Check the corners. Square front corners need more room than rounded ones, per B&W.
- Check where the king pin sits. B&W asks if the pin is flush with the trailer's front or set back from it. The more trailer ahead of the pin, the more room the turn needs. B&W notes some trailer makers build extended king pin boxes for short bed trucks.
- Measure from the hitch position in your bed to the back of the cab. Follow B&W's turning clearance video for how to compare that with the trailer.
- Think about where you tow. Frequent tight campsites, fuel stops and backing into narrow spots favor a slider. Wide open highway use with few tight turns favors a fixed hitch.
If the numbers leave you in doubt, ask the trailer maker for its turning figure before you buy.
Can I haul a fifth wheel with a short bed?
Yes in many cases. B&W says many short bed owners tow fifth wheels successfully with its Companion, and a slider adds room for the tight turns where the trailer's nose would reach the cab. The truck still has to be rated for the trailer. Our listings spell this out: what you can tow is the lowest of the hitch rating, the truck's own fifth wheel rating in its owner's manual and, on a rail-mounted hitch, the rails underneath it. The door sticker gives the payload to check pin weight against.
The sliders we list
All of these are B&W Companion parts. Our slider listings carry almost no reviews of their own: the two base-only units show the same one-line five-star review and the complete slider hitches have none. The 33 Companion reviews filed on our fixed 25K Ram listing (a featured selection) do include four slider owners. Three short bed owners say they went with or recommend the slider (two say it works great) while one three-star review says the handle would not latch to slide.
| Part | What it is | Fit as listed | From | Reviews on file |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Companion 20K slider, Ram pucks (RVK3670) | Complete hitch with sliding base, 20,000 lb GTW, 5,000 lb pin | Ram 2500 and 3500 that left the factory with the four-puck fifth wheel prep | $1,699 | None |
| Companion 20K slider, Ford pucks (RVK3370) | Complete hitch with sliding base, 20,000 lb GTW, 5,000 lb pin | Ford Super Duty with the factory prep package (4 bed pucks) | $1,699 | None |
| Companion 20K slider, 2016 to 2019 GM pucks (RVK3770) | Complete hitch with sliding base, 20,000 lb GTW, 5,000 lb pin | Silverado HD and Sierra HD, 2016 to 2019, factory prep package | $1,699 | None |
| Companion 20K slider, 2020 to 2026 GM pucks (RVK3775) | Complete hitch with sliding base, 20,000 lb GTW, 5,000 lb pin | Silverado HD and Sierra HD, 2020 to 2026, factory prep package | $1,699 | None |
| Companion single-point slider (RVK3405) | Complete slider hitch, 20,000 lb GTW, 5,000 lb pin | No vehicle list. Needs a B&W Turnoverball under-bed kit fitted first, and mounts in its single 4 inch bed opening | $1,599 | None |
| Slider base only for RVK3670 (RVB3670) | Sliding base without the coupler head, 20,000 lb GTW | Ram 2500 and 3500 pucks | $1,200 | 1 (5 stars, same text on both base listings) |
| Slider base only for RVK3370 (RVB3370) | Sliding base without the coupler head, 20,000 lb GTW | Ford Super Duty pucks | $1,200 | 1 (5 stars, same text on both base listings) |
The Ram, Ford, 2020 to 2026 GM and single-point listings all give the base type as sliding with 12 inches of travel. The 2016 to 2019 GM listing has no spec block on file, so confirm its travel on that listing. B&W's Companion page says the slide works by a lever, so it is a manual slide. We list no automatic or hydraulic slider. The puck-mount listings do not say how their slide is worked, so that is not on file for them. The cam-action latching handle in the specs is the coupler's jaw handle (the fixed RVK3600 lists the same one), not the slide control.
No slider here goes above 20,000 lb GTW, so a trailer that needs 25,000 lb has no slider option in our range. B&W lists separate GM sliders for 2016 to 2019 and 2020 to 2026, so pick by model year.
The base-only units are not a complete hitch. They have no coupler head, cannot hold a king pin and cannot tow on their own. The complete hitch is the base plus the RVC3006 coupler head.
Slider for Ram pucks
From $1,699 · For a Ram 2500 or 3500 with the factory prep package that left four pucks in the bed.
Slider for Ford pucks
From $1,699 · For a Super Duty with the factory fifth wheel prep package.
Slider for 2020 to 2026 GM
From $1,699 · Drops onto the GM factory prep package bed pucks for those years.
The single-point slider and the base-only units
The single-point slider (RVK3405) is the least expensive complete slider we list, from $1,599. Instead of factory pucks it mounts at one point: a post under its base drops into the 4 inch bed opening of a B&W Turnoverball gooseneck system, so that vehicle-specific under-bed kit, sold separately, must be fitted before this hitch can go in. If your truck has the Turnoverball setup and you want to tow a fifth wheel, this is the one that uses it. See gooseneck vs fifth wheel if you are still choosing between hitch styles.
One B&W warning matters here: never pair this Turnoverball-mounted slider with a wedge-type pin box coupler, because B&W says the forces at that single mounting point can damage the hitch and cause it to fail. B&W also strongly discourages any replacement pin box that moves the pivot point away from the Companion's jaws. Our listing gives its shipping weight as about 305 lb, and the coupler lifts off the base by its saddle handles with no tools.
Single-point slider
From $1,599 · For trucks that already have a B&W Turnoverball under-bed system.
The base-only units, from $1,200, are for an owner who already has the coupler head and wants the sliding base under it. The same one-line five-star review, from a short bed owner, shows on both base listings.
“Fit my short bed truck and very sturdy”
B&W Companion Fifth Wheel Slider Base, Base Only for RVK3670, 20,000 lb GTW, Powder Coat (RVB3670) owner · 5 out of 5 stars
That is one owner's truck, so match the part number to yours and check the listing.
When a fixed hitch is enough
A slider adds cost and a moving part. How much cost: the same 20K Companion without the slide is listed from $1,199 for Ford pucks and $1,099 as a single-point hitch, so the slide adds about $500 on those trucks.
The fixed Companion 25K for Ram pucks (RVK3600) carries a 25,000 lb GTW rating and a 6,250 lb pin rating, from $1,399. Its base type is fixed. Its listing shows 33 reviews on file with a 4.8 average, but they are a featured, pooled Companion selection: at least four come from slider owners and one from a Turnoverball owner, so read them as Companion feedback, not as proof about the fixed base.
Fixed 25K for Ram pucks
From $1,399 · For a Ram with the factory prep package and a trailer that needs the higher rating, or a bed with room to turn.
A fixed hitch is a sensible choice when your trailer has rounded front corners, an extended king pin box built for short bed trucks or a long bed with plenty of room. It is also the answer when you need the 25K rating, because no slider in our range carries it. For the whole range, the full list of picks compares them by truck and rating.
Which one for you
- Short bed Ram, Ford or GM with the factory prep package, tight turns often: the puck-mount slider for your truck and model year.
- Truck with a B&W Turnoverball system already installed: the single-point slider.
- You own the coupler head already: the base-only unit that matches your truck.
- Trailer over 20,000 lb gross weight: a fixed 25K Companion for your truck's pucks (Ram RVK3600, Ford RVK3305 or GM RVK3705 and RVK3715 by model year), and a check of your truck's own rating.
- Plenty of room behind the cab and mostly open roads: a fixed hitch.
Whatever you choose, the fifth wheel install guide covers what the job involves, and types of trailer hitches explains where a fifth wheel sits among the options. Browse the fifth wheel hitch collection or the full B&W trailer hitch range to check your truck's fit.
Frequently asked questions
How far does the slide move?
The listings with a spec block give 12 inches of travel. B&W says to use the rearward position only for maneuvering at low speed.
How do you slide the hitch back and forward again?
On B&W's Companion slider you flip the lever and the hitch slides back 12 inches for the turn. When you are ready to tow, flip the lever again and the slider locks in place as you back up. B&W says towing slid back puts the trailer's pin weight behind the rear axle, which may cause unsafe driving characteristics.
Do you list an automatic sliding fifth wheel hitch?
No. We list no automatic or hydraulic slider. B&W's Companion page says its slider works by a lever, and the puck-mount listings do not say how their slide is worked.
Are all fifth wheel hitches the same?
No. In our range they differ by mount (factory bed pucks matched to the truck brand and year, a single point in a B&W Turnoverball system, or bed rails), by rating (16,000 to 25,000 lb GTW) and by base (fixed or sliding). Match the mount to your truck first, then the rating to your trailer.
Can a slider tow as much as a fixed hitch?
Not in our range. The sliders we list top out at 20,000 lb GTW and 5,000 lb pin. The fixed Ram hitch goes to 25,000 lb GTW and 6,250 lb pin.
Find the fifth wheel hitch for your truck
Related guides
- Best Fifth Wheel Hitches: B&W Companion, Slider and Patriot Picks by Truck and Rating
- How to Install a Fifth Wheel Hitch: Factory Puck Systems, Rails and What the Job Involves
- Gooseneck vs Fifth Wheel Hitch: Which Is Better for Your Truck and Trailer?
- Types of Trailer Hitches: Receiver, Gooseneck, Fifth Wheel and Weight Distribution