Ford fifth wheel prep package - how to tell if I have it?

SoCalDesertRider wrote:

bucky wrote:
The four bolts you see hold the bed to the frame.

And we have another winner! :)

Yep, those are just the standard bed mounting bolts that all Ford Superduty body trucks have in those positions. :)

But..... there are eight bolts and these four are right where a hitch would go.coincidence?

Big fat beefy springs in there too.

As far as how to make the pic smaller, if you edit your post, you will see the code for the picture. Just add 'width=640' to the end of the picture code and the pic will be re-sized to fit our screens without scrolling.

If you took the picture on your phone, you can probably flip it right side up by selecting the picture and selecting 'rotate pic' and keep selecting until it rotates 180* one direction or the other, then re-post the flipped pic to your picture hosting site and it will correct itself on the forum post. Alot of work to go through, so just mentioning it for future reference!

bucky wrote:
The four bolts you see hold the bed to the frame.

And we have another winner! :)

Yep, those are just the standard bed mounting bolts that all Ford Superduty body trucks have in those positions. :)

robdnorm wrote:
In 2005 they did not offer the factory fifth wheel set up like you see on new models. I have a 2011 and I think that only started in 2012. The key to look for if you plan to tow is making sure you have the factory over load spring installed if you plan to pull anything real heavy.

Ding ding ding ding! We have a winner! :)

x2, Ford did not make a gooseneck/5th wheel hitch prep package in 2005 model year.

Got the first year F350 drw hat it came out and it was with the 2011. Got mine is oct.2010... Enjoy your tv and there will be several diffrent brands that are better than the other's. The choice is up to you and the money you want to spend. My advice is to get the largest capacity and think I MIGHT GO BIGGER LATER!! They will transfer to another tv with a new mounting kit. Nuff said... by me.

Could the bolts be left in there from a prior owner having left them from the installation of a set of universal rails? When I traded I had them removed and it left the four holes in the bed from the universal rails. Just a thought...

What did you buy?

robdnorm wrote:
In 2005 they did not offer the factory fifth wheel set up like you see on new models. I have a 2011 and I think that only started in 2012. The key to look for if you plan to tow is making sure you have the factory over load spring installed if you plan to pull anything real heavy.

Yeah robdnorm, I was going to say that in 2005 the tow command was the big deal. But I do have removable bolts in the right places where no holes should have to be drilled.
I am going to see if I can find the window sticker where I bought it new to see if it has the right rear-end, or crawl under and look.
I was not interested in goose-necks back then, just pulling a BP horse trailer. Hindsight now I wish I had that. But I do have enough truck to haul the 5er I am getting. Just not looking forward to paying another $50k for a truck that has that already. Make use of what I got. First sign of impending engine trouble may have me looking though. Been ok so far. Turbo, EGR, Ignition Module replaced already. Its mostly from lack of use, just got 43k miles.

tnclays wrote:
As butchfuzion said, you will have the 5 plastic covers in the bed; you can also look under the bed to see the under bed rails. If you have this set up, you need to order the Ford custom fifth wheel hitch from your dealer. I am liking mine so far, as it is easy to remove the hitch (in two pieces) from the bed when I need to haul stuff.

We have the package, but wanted to use our Trailer Saver air hitch. Trailer Saver makes a kit that works with the Ford set-up. So you don't need to use the Ford hitch. In our case we already had the air hitch and wanted to use it, but if you don't have a hitch getting the Ford total system probably would be a great idea.

That package wasn't offered in 2005. If it has the brake controller on the dash, you have the nice Ford brakes and do not have to purchase an after-market controller. That was an option in 2005 (had it in my 2005 F250), and I can't see anyone getting a King Ranch without that.