Looking at making a change to a 5th wheel from bumper pull.When a f250 has factory 5th wheel prep can you buy any hitch or do you have to buy something from the dealer?If the truck is on the lot and not 5th wheel prepped can the dealer do it for about the same money as FMC would charge from the factory?Do people remove their hitches generally or just leave them in the truck all the time?Can you have a drop in tool box, like a Kobalt from Lowes behind the cab with a 6.5 foot bed or would you need a 8 foot bed for that?Sorry for the rookie questions but I know nothing about 5th wheelers and the FMC dealers know less than I do. Thanks

riven1950 wrote:Looking at making a change to a 5th wheel from bumper pull.When a f250 has factory 5th wheel prep can you buy any hitch or do you have to buy something from the dealer?You can purchase any hitch you want, but a hitch place will probably be able to install it correctly since that's what they do and the dealer MIGHT know what they are doing.If the truck is on the lot and not 5th wheel prepped can the dealer do it for about the same money as FMC would charge from the factory?Again, the dealer might know what they are doing or they might not. I would trust a hitch place more than the dealership.Do people remove their hitches generally or just leave them in the truck all the time? A lot has to do with the weight of the hitch and if you have any place to store it while it's not in the truck. We always left ours in until the end of the season, then removed. We now have an Anderson and we remove it every time we come home.Can you have a drop in tool box, like a Kobalt from Lowes behind the cab with a 6.5 foot bed or would you need a 8 foot bed for that? You will not want a tool box in the back with a fifth wheel attached. Yes, an 8 foot bed might be long enough, but you are also really taking up your payload with the toolbox and it's contents.Sorry for the rookie questions but I know nothing about 5th wheelers and the FMC dealers know less than I do. Thanks

No dumb questions.1. We had the dealer install our hitch, but I think others do not.2. Our truck is not used daily so we do not remove the hitch if we are planning on camping alot. DH does keep a lock on it. If we have no camping plans, it is not really that heavy, so he removes it and puts the bed liner in. (I have a funny story about me, the truck, and the bedliner.)3. I do not know about a tool box.Advice:1. When unhitching, do not let anyone distract you, MAKE CERTAIN you put the front legs down (wrong terminology) on the 5th wheel, chock the wheels, and follow the appropriate order.2. When hitching do a pull test.Many on here will tell you how easy it is to drop the 5th wheel on the truck. We love the fifth wheel. DH who can back anything found backing it a little more difficult at first, but pulling it is great.Enjoy!!

As far as to tool box... yes you can you just have to make sure of your clearances. Good Luck and Happy Camping !!

The FW prep kit can be installed by you or a Ford dealer. It is more expensive than getting it oem. Oem also includes the inbed plug in.Get the B&W 3300 FW hitch!!!!! It is easy to install, your daughter could do it! It is a great hitch! The head weighs just 75 lbs, and the base 78 lbs. Easy in/out, easy hookup/disconnect. Jerry

Merrykalia gave you good answers but I would add you can put a tool box in a short bed with no issues if it does not stick up enough to contact the 5er when the overhang swings up near the cab. There are 3 problem as I see it with things in the bed along with the hitch. 1)as mentioned the weight reduces your truck carrying capacity, it also may not matter if the 5er is light enough. 2) Anything that is not held down will fly out. Even heavy items can be lifted and sail out the back of the truck due to the vortex created by the 5er overhang. 3) Things put behind the hitch must not be higher than the swing of the hitch's lowest portion. Crushing a fuel can against the side of the truck can be a disaster. Main piece of info for a new 5er buyer to understand is that you are carrying the pin weight in the truck bed, so do not exceed the load rating of the truck. You must include the passengers, fuel, and gear in the truck and bed when calculating the load you are carrying.

Dumb 5th wheel questions of the day | Good Sam Community

Reader1
Explorer
Sep 30, 2018
No dumb questions.
1. We had the dealer install our hitch, but I think others do not.
2. Our truck is not used daily so we do not remove the hitch if we are planning on camping alot. DH does keep a lock on it. If we have no camping plans, it is not really that heavy, so he removes it and puts the bed liner in. (I have a funny story about me, the truck, and the bedliner.)
3. I do not know about a tool box.
Advice:
1. When unhitching, do not let anyone distract you, MAKE CERTAIN you put the front legs down (wrong terminology) on the 5th wheel, chock the wheels, and follow the appropriate order.
2. When hitching do a pull test.
Many on here will tell you how easy it is to drop the 5th wheel on the truck. We love the fifth wheel. DH who can back anything found backing it a little more difficult at first, but pulling it is great.
Enjoy!!
Merrykalia
Explorer
Sep 30, 2018
riven1950 wrote:
Looking at making a change to a 5th wheel from bumper pull.

When a f250 has factory 5th wheel prep can you buy any hitch or do you have to buy something from the dealer?
You can purchase any hitch you want, but a hitch place will probably be able to install it correctly since that's what they do and the dealer MIGHT know what they are doing.

If the truck is on the lot and not 5th wheel prepped can the dealer do it for about the same money as FMC would charge from the factory?Again, the dealer might know what they are doing or they might not. I would trust a hitch place more than the dealership.

Do people remove their hitches generally or just leave them in the truck all the time? A lot has to do with the weight of the hitch and if you have any place to store it while it's not in the truck. We always left ours in until the end of the season, then removed. We now have an Anderson and we remove it every time we come home.

Can you have a drop in tool box, like a Kobalt from Lowes behind the cab with a 6.5 foot bed or would you need a 8 foot bed for that? You will not want a tool box in the back with a fifth wheel attached. Yes, an 8 foot bed might be long enough, but you are also really taking up your payload with the toolbox and it's contents.

Sorry for the rookie questions but I know nothing about 5th wheelers and the FMC dealers know less than I do.

Thanks

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