Travel Forum / Travel Types / RV Travel / August 2006

I have a Dodge Dually and mines mounted thru the bed and welded to the frame
under the bed.  The mounting brackets are little different with which ever
truck you have and the hitch.  I don'lt know of any that bolt to the frame.

This site has some info on it.

http://www.etrailer.com/fifth-wheel.aspx

IIRC  there was considerable discussion about this not too long ago.
Perhaps a google of this group will turn up some info.

Lou
"I was gratified to be able to answer promptly, and I did.
  I said  I didn't know."        --Mark Twain

You want to go heavy duty on this.  My truck has two strong rails
mounted sideways in the center of the bed, and the hitch is
pinned to that so it can be removed.

I think on a long bed, the pin should be centered EXACTLY over
the axle.  An inch or two off and handling will be affected. This
is one of those things you ought to get right.

Side to side centering is more important than front to back. I've
known people who had to move it back a little to clear a tool
box, and it turned out okay.  But center it both ways if you can.

But don't take my word for it.  Go look at one that's been done
right.  Don't wing it.

Bob

http://www.arcatapet.net/bobgiddings

The fifth wheel will come with mounting instructions.  I believe that
they want you to mount it a couple of inches forward of the rear axle,
which makes sense to me.  However, I am not sure that the fore and aft
placement is critical.   If you assume 2000 pounds pin weight and a 130
inch truck wheelbase, moving the hitch 1 inch will change the weight on
the front wheels by only about 15 pounds, totally insignificant.  But it
is good to follow instructions, and there may be other factors involved
that cause the hitch makers to recommend that placement.

I paid a local hitch shop to mount mine.  The hitch mounting rails are
bolted to L-brackets under the bed, which bolt to the web of the truck
frame.  You don't want to bolt to the flanges of the truck frame,
drilling holes in the flanges will weaken the frame.  I would not
recommend welding to the frame either, the auto makers use pretty exotic
steels, not intended to be welded for the most part.  I imagine that you
have seen the stickers on the big 18 wheeler truck frames that
specifically warn not to drill the flanges or weld to the frame.

The suggestion to look at a hitch installation on a similar truck is a
good one, especially if you can find one with the same brand, model, and
year.

The Reese hitch has a good reputation.  Be sure to get a hitch that will
flex in both axes, I have seen cheap ones that have no side to side
(roll) motion, sounds like trouble when moving over other than flat
terrain.  Since you have a long bed truck, you will not need the slider
hitch.

Richard

Just drill some holes in the bed and use some big screws to get a good
bite.

Don't drill any holes in the frame.

Oh yeah, get someone who has a clue install it for you.

Cheers, Joe

"Slacker Smith" <slacker@aaahawk.com> wrote in message news:2ppIg.2286

This is what I think, even if you are pretty good with tools and have the
equipment.  Some jobs need to be done exactly right.  This is one. It is not
a suitable do it yourself project.  Each truck and hitch has its proper and
sometimes peculiar way for each other. Some require special work-arounds due
to frame spacing etc.  There are shops that do this all the time and know
what they are doing, and it is money well spent.  I would chose a big shop
that does lots and lots of these for all types and knows the proper
work-arounds, not some little place that does one every so often.  You
cannot have any part of the installation with "play" in it either or
something will "work" and then break.  A job for the pros!

Normal placement for the hitch is just forward of the rear axle by about 2".
This ensures the weight is between the axles but is far enough back to let
you turn it while backing.

We like our hitch with the big  bar that snaps across behind the pin and
then is itself pinned in place for extra security.  No way that will let go
or could be improperly secured by mistake.  Some hitches have sort of
grabber claws that people seem to goof up at times and the trailer comes out
and drops in the truck bed for big damage.  We have a Hijacker, but there
are other brands with a bar like that AFAIK.

Some hitches are all one piece and are too heavy for when you want to take
it out and use the truck for hauling plywood or something.  Ours and some
other types comes in two pieces and each piece can be lifted by a regular
human.  We leave the hitch rails in the bed and put other wood in the bed to
level up the "floor" when carrying say, a sheet of gyprock.  Some people
require the bed to be as original when not RVing and it seems there are some
hitches that have this feature too.  Personally, I would not like that, as I
would worry about getting all those bolts etc back in properly.  Any slack
would soon wear away something vital.

Regards,
Barry

I consider myself fairly handy but I let my RV guy install our hitch in the
last two trucks.  It took me nearly two hours to get the rails out of our
last truck so he could install it in the new one.  Difficult - no.  Just
close work in farily tight quarters.

Ours has two heavy L-brackets (on each side) that attach to the sides of the
frame and extend up to the bottom of the bed.   Holes are drilled in the
floor of the bed to match holes in these L-brackets and each of the bed
rails.  The end of each rail is also fastened with an additional bolt that
passes through the bed rail, a hole in the bed floor and a heavy doubler
below the bed floor.

If you get the rails out of alighment during installation it can be
difficult to remove and reinstall the hitch into the rails.  My RV guy
charged $225 to reinstall the hitch, the electrical plug and the brake
control.  Money well spent because I want all done correctly..

RonB

If you are going to install your own hitch make sure you inspect the
frame rails before you start drilling.  There's so much crap on the
frames of "modern" trucks that it is hard to find a clean spot to put
the reinforcing brackets on.  Particularly on the left frame rail it
is difficult to find exactly the right spot to mount the braces.  

Installing a hitch is not difficult if you have basic mechanical
aptitude.  You need a sharp drill bit, some ramps and a half a day.  

FWIW, my OPINION is that the pin centre should be approximately 4" in
front of the centre of the rear axle but never directly over the axle
or worse behind it.  The mounting instructions with the hitch will
give you the mfrs opinion as to the ideal location for their hitch.
Just remember that all they did was design the hitch and hold the
liability for manufacturing defects so their advice will not be nearly
as useful as what you will receive here on r.o.rv-t

.