5th wheel rail mounting

[pcatanza]

I purchased a no drill custom fit 5th wheel rail kit for my 2000 F250.
It has big steel plates that mount outside the frame rails using existing frame holes.
Two of my friends tell me that all of that steel is not necessary.
They have their 5th wheel rails mounted using only the bed bolt holes and grade 8 bolts.
For over 6 years they have pulled their tripple slide 35 ft heavy 5th wheels and have never had a problem.
Their hitches were installed by a local RV/Truck shop that does this type of mounting all the time.
Has anyone seen this type of mounting.
It has worked for my friends, but I am wondering why this isn't done all of the time.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by pcatanza

I purchased a no drill custom fit 5th wheel rail kit for my 2000 F250.

Good. Those are worth the money. Relatively easy install without having to drill 4 holes in the side of the frame. And drilling those holes is a really-tough job that requires very sharp drillbits and an good drill motor.

They have their 5th wheel rails mounted using only the bed bolt holes and grade 8 bolts.

That can work if you can find a hitch frame designed to use the bedrails bolted into those holes. But most hitch frames won't work. They would have to be custom frames designed to fit exactly when the bedrails are bolted down using the same bolt holes as the factory bed retaining holes. And on mine the kingpin would be too far forward if the bedrails were bolted into the bed-mounting holes, plus the bedrails would be about an inch too far apart for the hitch frame to fit into the bedrails.

Be happy with what you bought. Next time I have to install a 5er hitch, that's what I'll buy.

[bryrylan]

Id feel alot safer with the set up you have.

[first_ford]

The bed sheetmatal is not strong enough to hold the rails for any length of time. at some point the metal will fatigue and the hitch will fail catastrophically. The hitch needs to be securely fastened to the frame.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by first_ford

The hitch needs to be securely fastened to the frame.

True. But the hitch will be securely fastened to the frame if you use the same threaded holes that hold the bed onto the frame. But not many hitches are designed to use those holes.

[PerryB]

I disagree with the bed mounting bolt locations being all that secure. The bed bolts just pass through sheet metal formers. "All that steel" is necessary in my opinion. Somebody may have gotten away with the bed bolt mounting for a long time, but they probably never had to do any serious evasive/panic maneuvering either. The system you have is an excellent one and I recommend it highly.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by PerryB

"All that steel" is necessary in my opinion.

No, not all the steel in the Hidden Hitch rail mounting kit is necessary. Comvenient, but not necessary. You could replace those two huge heavy iron mounting brackets with 4 simple ells about 1/2" thick and have just as good a mounting. But those 4 ells require you to drill at least two holes in the frame, probably 4, whereas the Hidden Hitch mounting brackets bolt into existing holes in the frame.

[PerryB]

OK, let me rephrase my response so as to remove any confusion as to what I meant. Mounting the rails to to the bed bolts only,without some form of substantial frame connector, is inadequate in my opinion. I endorsed the pre-formed brackets because they are ultra simple to install. That having been said, they can (and probably will) hamper the installation of air bags. I have the "L" brackets on mine because I have airbags, outside the frame. The L brackets are not hard to install, but thet do require removing the rear wheels and drilling the frame.