Are they really that much of an inconvenience…

[Mark Francois]

Since I’ve got a short bed 15’ f250 I’ve decide (finally) on a demco autoslider. So now I have to decide if I want to go with the traditional above bed rails for $360, demco below bed rails for $560, or reese’s factory style below bed system that mimics the factory ford hitch system for $750. Is the reese system worth the money and are the above bed rails really that big of an inconvenience?

 

[billnourse]

I had above bed rails on my last pickup and they were a pain sometimes. Hard to slide anything into the bed with them, but overall not too much of an issue. I currently have the Curt goose neck hitch and use an Andersen Ultimate hitch. I have enough turning radius that I really don't need a slider with a short bed Chev. and there is a lot of weight savings. I had a slider in my 2002 Chev. short bed and never used in in 20 years. Of the above choices you outlined, I would go with the Reese and have both 5th wheel pucks and the gooseneck hitch.

 

[Gronk]

Short answer is NO. If you need a flat surface or something similar, a 2x4 will be the same height as the rails.