I recently traded my 2011 F350 dually for a 2016 F350 dually.The 2011 had a Husky hitch with Reese custom frame brackets. I went to a Reese dealer to be sure the 2011 brackets would fit my 2016 frame. He told me they never use any brackets to mount the rails.According to him, they use the 4 center bolts holding the bed to the frame. The rails have a round hole in the top at each end. I did some measuring and found that the bed mounting locations do put the rails in the correct position. He said to use grade 8 bolts. My question is, has anyone ever heard of this? I am not sure the hat rails on the bed would stand up to the strain of a 16,000 lb. fifth wheel trailer pulling and pounding on them.These rails between the bed and the frame are approx 1.5"X 1.5" and made of the same metal as the bed floor. It would be a very easy way to mount the fifth wheel rails but I am just not sure of it's strength and durability.

I have a 2006 vintage Husky 16K 4-way pivot hitch mounted via rails that are bolted thru bed material to frame brackets.It has towed my 14K (13,873# actual) since Nov 2006 ---7 yrs. which was FT traveling weekly.Absolutely no issues with truck bed, rails or hitchRails should bolt to frame plates/mountsI take it truck didn't come 'factory hitch prepped' with pucks and such?

I'm not aware of ANY 5th wheel hitch manufacturer that doesn't recommend a direct attachment between the hitch and frame. Even the B&W Companion that I use is connected to the B&W Turnoverball gooseneck hitch that's bolted directly to the frame rails.I guess the definitive answer in this case would have to come from Ford - are these bolts designed to take the stresses imposed by a 5th wheel hitch, and are the bed members between the truck and frame sufficient to handle these stresses? Personally, I seriously doubt that Ford would give this arrangement their blessing, but one never knows....If your Ford has the factory puck mounts, I'd certainly invest in a hitch that uses them. JMHO.Rusty

that doesn't sound right at all. I used the Curt Custom brackets, three large bolts on each side through factory holes...no drilling. Then the rails mount to the brackets. Very strong.

Learjet wrote:that doesn't sound right at all. I used the Curt Custom brackets, three large bolts on each side through factory holes...no drilling. Then the rails mount to the brackets. Very strong.X2, doesn't sound right, make sure the rails tie in directly with the frame.

unfinished91 wrote:I recently traded my 2011 F350 dually for a 2016 F350 dually.The 2011 had a Husky hitch with Reese custom frame brackets. I went to a Reese dealer to be sure the 2011 brackets would fit my 2016 frame. He told me they never use any brackets to mount the rails.According to him, they use the 4 center bolts holding the bed to the frame. The rails have a round hole in the top at each end. I did some measuring and found that the bed mounting locations do put the rails in the correct position. He said to use grade 8 bolts. My question is, has anyone ever heard of this? I am not sure the hat rails on the bed would stand up to the strain of a 16,000 lb. fifth wheel trailer pulling and pounding on them.These rails between the bed and the frame are approx 1.5"X 1.5" and made of the same metal as the bed floor. It would be a very easy way to mount the fifth wheel rails but I am just not sure of it's strength and durability.On my present truck and my last truck I used the box bolts to mount my 20K Reese hitch. They go all the way through the box and thread into the nuts cliped to the frame. The box bolts go through the front lip of the rails and I used the Reese mounting brakets under the box to the frame for back lip of the rails. Ford uses a round tube that goes through the hat channel to the frame so the weight won't crush the box or hat channel. You also have to use flat washers to fill the space between the box and rails to seal the tube off so water doesn't get into the tube and rust the threads, I found this out the hard way. Ford's box bolts are very hard and strong, better than the carriage bolts that came with the hitch.Denny

Mounting a fifth wheel hitch? | Good Sam Community

12 Replies

mountainsam
Explorer
Mar 07, 2016
10-4 on the puck system. Easy in and easy out. Takes me 10 minutes without help to go from pulling 5th wheel to clean bed. If I have help it's three minutes. I pull it in 2 pieces, first hitch then picture frame adaptor. I have had three trucks with filth wheel capability ard all had mounts attached to the frame completely seperate from box mount bolts.
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Mar 07, 2016
Just add the factory pucks and then install the B&W RVK3300. Clean bed when removed. Bed rails are so yesterday!
dwayneb236
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
Learjet wrote:
that doesn't sound right at all. I used the Curt Custom brackets, three large bolts on each side through factory holes...no drilling. Then the rails mount to the brackets. Very strong.

Same for me. Just did all the mounting of my Q24 yesterday. 3 hours total. Not too bad..
Denny___Jami
Explorer
Mar 06, 2016
buc1980 wrote:
Why don't you use the pucks which come with the truck?It looks clean and better if you want to take the hitch off.

Not all trucks come with the pucks, it has to be ordered that way. If it does have the pucks you can't use the Reese mounting hardware because the puck hardware is in the way.

Denny
shepstone
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
No way would I do that... Mount it to the frame with the proper brackets like Rusty showed or use the puck system if so equipped
buc1980
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
Why don't you use the pucks which come with the truck?It looks clean and better if you want to take the hitch off.
RustyJC
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
Here is the Reese rail installation kit for the 2016 Ford F350. Source. Draw your own conclusions...

Rusty
Denny___Jami
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
unfinished91 wrote:
I recently traded my 2011 F350 dually for a 2016 F350 dually.The 2011 had a Husky hitch with Reese custom frame brackets. I went to a Reese dealer to be sure the 2011 brackets would fit my 2016 frame. He told me they never use any brackets to mount the rails.According to him, they use the 4 center bolts holding the bed to the frame. The rails have a round hole in the top at each end. I did some measuring and found that the bed mounting locations do put the rails in the correct position. He said to use grade 8 bolts. My question is, has anyone ever heard of this? I am not sure the hat rails on the bed would stand up to the strain of a 16,000 lb. fifth wheel trailer pulling and pounding on them.These rails between the bed and the frame are approx 1.5"X 1.5" and made of the same metal as the bed floor. It would be a very easy way to mount the fifth wheel rails but I am just not sure of it's strength and durability.

On my present truck and my last truck I used the box bolts to mount my 20K Reese hitch. They go all the way through the box and thread into the nuts cliped to the frame. The box bolts go through the front lip of the rails and I used the Reese mounting brakets under the box to the frame for back lip of the rails. Ford uses a round tube that goes through the hat channel to the frame so the weight won't crush the box or hat channel. You also have to use flat washers to fill the space between the box and rails to seal the tube off so water doesn't get into the tube and rust the threads, I found this out the hard way. Ford's box bolts are very hard and strong, better than the carriage bolts that came with the hitch.

Denny
momentum_rv
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
Learjet wrote:
that doesn't sound right at all. I used the Curt Custom brackets, three large bolts on each side through factory holes...no drilling. Then the rails mount to the brackets. Very strong.

X2, doesn't sound right, make sure the rails tie in directly with the frame.
Learjet
Explorer
Mar 05, 2016
that doesn't sound right at all. I used the Curt Custom brackets, three large bolts on each side through factory holes...no drilling. Then the rails mount to the brackets. Very strong.

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Mounting a fifth wheel hitch?

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