Add fifth wheel hitch bed rails to my option wish list - Diesel Forum

CaptSkup · 02-24-2007, 09:18 PM

Considering that many of the people who will buy the F-450 pickup are forking out so much for this truck because they intend to tow a large fifth wheel trailer(that would be me), I thought wouldn't it be great if Ford would offer from the factory rails mounted in the bed to accept a fiver hitch as an option. Reason I say this is would it ever make it so much easier for me to get the truck ready for vacation towing. I have a fear of taking my new beautiful truck to a hitch shop and have the hitch installed(though if I had the time, pretty sure I could do it myself). I stopped by a local dealer that has a F450 on display, I looked through the wheel well at what it would take to mount the rails. No holes in frame rail visible and I will not have the mounts welded, so that means drilling will be needed. More than once I have seen fiver hitches only bolted to the bed's sheet metal with no attachment to the frame.

GShelton · 02-24-2007, 09:46 PM

There has to be holes there somewhere. The B&W bolts on.

Cram · 02-24-2007, 11:02 PM

CaptSkup,
I just installed a goosneck hitch in my F450 last weekend. I bought a hitch for an F350 2007-2006 in hopes that it would fit. It fit very well. I think the only difference between the frames at the rear end is the F450 may have a little thicker steel. I did have to fabricate my own clamp/spacer to lower the exhaust system. The exhaust hangers, I believe, are different on the F450. You probably will not have to lower the exhuast on a fifth wheel installation. I did end up drilling 3 out of the five holes I needed. I pulled 23,500 pounds with it so I must have done OK. I used colbalt based drill bits to drill up to 1/2" with then used a 3/4" high speed steel after that. You probably already know this, but colbalt based bits drill through mild steel alot quicker than high speed steel.
Thanks,
Marc

CaptSkup · 02-25-2007, 09:23 AM

Thanks Marc, Appreciate your reply. I did wonder if the 350 hitch parts would fit the 450. Did you have to remove wheels to gain access to the frame rails? I want to use all the bolt holes possible on the hitch rails, sometimes I see that the installer only used 2-4 per side to attach the rails to the truck's frame but with this much wight being pulled. I have never done this type of install but should be able to figure it out. My greatest fear is proper layout, you know, measure a donzen times and drill once. Getting that hitch point centered two inches forward of the center point of the differential.

Tinymoore · 02-25-2007, 10:31 AM

Take 3 trailers in texas has a fifth wheel hitch made for ford products that reguires no drilling or welding, using one for three years and love it.

jhughd · 02-25-2007, 03:08 PM

What brand of hitch is it Tiny65?

JD

RRose · 02-25-2007, 03:22 PM

it is kinda amazing that ford doesn't offer this as an option..... when they are fired up about this being the ultimate tow rig.

Tinymoore · 02-25-2007, 10:12 PM

Go to this webb site www.take3trailers.com and take a look.

RRose · 02-25-2007, 11:17 PM

thanks for posting that Tiny.... that is a interesting product. I can't believe they are claiming 32K on that 5er hitch..... just bolted down with the bed bolts. Hopefully their product is better than their website.

Cram · 02-26-2007, 12:52 AM

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks Marc, Appreciate your reply. I did wonder if the 350 hitch parts would fit the 450. Did you have to remove wheels to gain access to the frame rails?

[/ QUOTE ]

I did not have to remove the wheels. I did everything from underneath. I have an angle drill though, and without it I would have had to remove the wheels. I did remove the spare tire and spare tire exhaust shield. I followed the 2006 F350 directions to the tee when cutting the 4" hole in the bed of the truck for the gooseneck. I believe the F350 frame may have had some additional holes that the F450 did not. The gooseneck was ment to be mounted with 4 3/4" bolts to the frame of the truck. There were only two 3/4" holes of the four I needed. I ended up drilling 3 additional holes. I added an additional 1/2" bolt near the passenger side shock just because it looked like it could move around in that area. If you have to lower the exhaust is where the real pain in the butt comes in. I actually had to take a crowbar under the truck and bend one set of the exhaust hangers and build a frame connector/spacer for the rear set by the end of the tail pipe.

I don't know if you saw my post on the oil leak from the front main seal, but it seemed to fix itself. And yes it leaked about 1/2 quart of oil before it stopped; I don't believe it was oil residue. I am going to drive it about 500 more miles before I proclaim my truck self healing [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img] on the "6.4 oil leak post".

Good luck on the fifth wheel install. I had a goosneck hitch installed by Big Tex Trailers on a 6.0 liter and personally I think I did a better job, of course it took me about 4 times longer.

Thanks,
Marc

SmokeyWren · 03-01-2007, 08:11 PM

[ QUOTE ]
I thought wouldn't it be great if Ford would offer from the factory rails mounted in the bed to accept a fiver hitch as an option.

[/ QUOTE ]

Which one should they offer?

The PullRite mounting kit for a Superglide 5er hitch?

The mounting kit for a B&W TurnOverBall Companion hitch?

Or the common Reese/Drawtite bedrails?

[ QUOTE ]
No holes in frame rail visible and I will not have the mounts welded, so that means drilling will be needed.

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, do a bit more research.

If I were installing mine today, I'd do it the "Dick Cutting" way. Buy the Reese/Drawtite bedrail install kit with the Hidden Hitch mounting brackets. That setup costs about twice as much as the ordinary Reese install kit, but no drilling into the frame is required. The Hiden Hitch brackets use holes that are already in the frame of F-350 DRW pickups - and I assume F-450 pickups - except the instructions admit you have to slightly enlarge one hole that's already there. The Hidden Hitch brackets cost about $100 in addition to the normal Reese bedrail kit which costs another $100. Or the combo costs about $180 from eTrailer.com

Part # 50043-6008 = Combo Hidden Hitch 5th Wheel Mounting Brackets with Reese/Drawtite bedrail install kit

One source is: http://www.etrailer.com/mm5/merchant.mvc...egory_Code=5WHI

Then with that install kit, you can choose several different Reese or Drawtite 5er hitches, including sliders. As a minimum, you want the 16k Reese classic hitch (now called the Select Series), but if your 5er grosses more than 16k then you'll need the 18k or more more hitch. Here's my 16K: http://www.etrailer.com/mm5/merchant.mvc...tegory_Code=5WH

[ QUOTE ]
More than once I have seen fiver hitches only bolted to the bed's sheet metal with no attachment to the frame.

[/ QUOTE ]

I've never met anyone that stupid. Must be a regional thing. Limited to Maryland and the DC area, I hope. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img]

phale · 03-01-2007, 08:39 PM

[ QUOTE ]
More than once I have seen fiver hitches only bolted to the bed's sheet metal with no attachment to the frame.

[/ QUOTE ]

I used to install gooseneck hitches and fifth wheels, and I had more than a few people who said that they just wanted something bolted to the bed and not to the frame. Some of them said they had done it that way before and it worked just fine. My response was always, that it will probably pull the weight just fine, but if you had a wreck you would have a 10,000 pound gooseneck for a hood ornament. I absolutely refuse to install a hitch of any kind without bolting to the frame.

CaptSkup · 03-01-2007, 08:48 PM

I would be happy with what I think is the standard Reese bedrails. I am buying a hitch with a heavier duty rating than, in the 26-32k rating. Would like to find one that does not require drilling but that should be no problem, I have a nice 90degree 1/2"chuck drill.

Tinymoore · 03-01-2007, 10:59 PM

I have one of these hitches in my 2004 Ford F 250 and I have almost 100,000 miles towing without one problem, have been to Alaska,BC. New Foundland,Labordor,Nova Scotia and across the US a couple of times. If you look at how your bed is bolted, you will find it bolts to the frame of your truck. Love it and it also goes goose neck in about 3 minutes.