Hi All-I am new to this forum and I am hoping you can all give me some help/advice on an issue I am dealing with.First of all….a little background info.Camping has always been a hobby of mine but up until a few years ago I didn’t realize how much more enjoyable camping could be when done in an RV. I spent one night in my girlfriend's parents' Sprinter in Mt Rushmore and vowed NEVER to sleep in a tent again!At the beginning of last summer I purchased my family's first fifth wheel which was a 1999 Flagstaff Fifth Wheel which I pulled with my 4.8L half ton. We had it out 8 times last summer and had a blast every time out.This past February my girlfriend’s grandfather passed away. Besides a loving family, he also left behind a 2002 Jayco Eagle 277 fifth wheel and a 2003 Duramax. When my girlfriend’s father called and offered both to me at a very fair price, I agreed to the purchase.With a busy work schedule I have not been able to make it out to St. Louis. MO from my home in Aurora, CO to pick up my new rig. I have my flight booked to go pick it up the first weekend in August. I am praying everything goes right and the rig comes home with me.Both the fifth wheel and truck have been sitting unused for many years but the biggest issue I have is with the hitch. Before grandpa passed he pulled out the Pull Rite Super Glide 16K 3300 and also pulled out the “rails.” So, my questions. Below is picture of the mounting hardware I had sent to me. Is everything I need there? If so, can I easily/SAFELY install this hitch? I have called multiple RV dealers in the St. Louis/O’Fallon area and also contacted Pull Rite, nobody was willing to do the install or willing to do the install on a Saturday. Can anybody point me in the right direction of someone who could do the install or at least inspect my work? What can I expect to pay for the re-install? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.Thanks

Well, for starters and just my opinion I would not fly out there thinking your gonna land and be ready to roll the next day. Just a couple things I would check aside from the hitch would be the two truck batteries ( probably need replaced )I would look close at the tires on both the 5er and truck. I think I would at least jack up a wheel and spin it to make sure everything sounds ok. (On the 5er)Think the best thing to do would be to stay for a few days and have someone install the rails unless you feel ok about doing it and assuming you have all the parts. I'd also take the truck on a nice ride to make sure everything is ok with it. Sitting is the worst thing that can be done to a truck...... Just don't be in a hurry and make sure all is good before you leave out. You for sure don't want to spend a couple days half way paying someone a premium cause your stuck. Good luck with it and I'm sure others will chime in with other things to check.

Here's the game plan.....Friday I get into Stl mid morning. I need to do all of the paper work for the sale with grandma, remove the hard shell tonneau cover on the truck, replace the batteries on the truck, and get the hitch installed(IF I can find somebody to do it)Saturday morning, I'm taking the truck in to get all of the fluids replaced along with the fuel filter and a get a good inspection. Saturday afternoon....new tires for the camper if needed. I don't have to be back to work till Tuesday so I'm leaving some time for some speed bumps that may occur.

Reinstalling the hitch is not hard. if all the bolts are there and the hardware get install manaul off the net and put it back together. The hard part is done all your holes are drilled.It should only take you a 1hr or so.I just look the is a you tube video on the pull rite install

You should see 4 holes in the truck bed that provide access to mounting brackets bolted on the frame of the truck. The 4 large pins in the picture go in the brackets/ holes in the bed. The two square tube-type rails fit over the large pins . Probably will be a forward and a rearward position. HEAVY Pullrite main hitch body will fit over the square cross rails. Hope all the parts were saved, including the capture plate on the pin box of the fiver. Good luck! Video will help if you can find one.

You have all the parts you need shown in the picture. The 4 post go into the truck bed. Put them in and turn 90 degrees. The two rails go over them with 4 of those pins and clips holding them in. Then the hitch sits on the rails with 4 more pins and clips holding it to the rails. I would check the hitch good and clean and lube the rails on the hitch if it has been sitting. Some people use white grease and some use a dry graphite lube.

New guy in need of assistance | Good Sam Community

Sturgeon-Phish
Explorer
Jul 18, 2014
If making two trips is possible that may be a good way to go and being home by Tuesday becomes more reasonable. This way half of your worries are gone, and once the camper tires and bearings are OK you are well ahead of the curve.
Jim
JEBar
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
along with recommendations already given and your comments as to your plans to have the truck thoroughly serviced and inspected, see if you can find a mobile tech who will do the same for the camper .... if the tires are 4 years old and have been sitting for most or all of that time, replace them .... wheel bearings need to be check and lubed .... they should be EZ lubes so that isn't difficult .... if you plan to stay in the camper on the way home, make sure systems you will need work .... rubber propane hoses may well have dried out and need to be checked .... if you don't have it already, I'd suggest you look into Coach-Net roadside assistance

Jim
ford_truck_guy
Nomad
Jul 17, 2014
NC Hauler wrote:
KTaylor wrote:
I assume, just like nc hauler, that grandpa did not go to the trouble of taking out the mounting plates from underneath the bed. But I know what I get for assuming!

:B...I've sold a couple of trucks and kept my rails and frame brackets if they could be used on the next truck I purchased, but they're a real pain to remove, thus the reason I assumed the frame mounting brackets would still be in place, but again...it is an assumption...:)

That's how I read it also... BUT , just ask my kids , I've been know to be wrong!! :B
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
KTaylor wrote:
I assume, just like nc hauler, that grandpa did not go to the trouble of taking out the mounting plates from underneath the bed. But I know what I get for assuming!

:B...I've sold a couple of trucks and kept my rails and frame brackets if they could be used on the next truck I purchased, but they're a real pain to remove, thus the reason I assumed the frame mounting brackets would still be in place, but again...it is an assumption...:)
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
KTaylor wrote:
Wow....thanks for all the insight guys, much appreciated.

The tow vehicle is a 2003 2500hd ext cab with 126000 miles on it. My girlfriends father put some sort of stabilizer in the fuel in February. He went back out in June to get grandma's house ready to sell. He drove the truck around running errands and ran the truck low on fuel, filled back up to half tank and added more stabilizer.

I have no clue on the condition of the tires of either unit, I've just seen rough pics that I had sent to me. I have gone through a lot of the tire info that is archived on this site and have learned a lot. I will do some more reading to get correct psi.

Like stated before the hitch is my biggest worry, though you guys have magnified my small worries that now I know really need to be addressed. Just for piece of mind I'm hoping I can find a pro that can inspect the hitch before departure.

If worse comes to worse, I'm hoping I can at least bring home the truck and come back at a later time for the trailer.

Thanks again folks.

IF tires are OEM size and weight range, may be able to find recommended psi on placcard located on the 5er....IF NOT, airing to max sidewall psi will be ok.

Sounds like truck has been driven, so you'll probably be ok with that...just check air pressure in tires on truck.
KTaylor
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
I assume, just like nc hauler, that grandpa did not go to the trouble of taking out the mounting plates from underneath the bed. But I know what I get for assuming!
KTaylor
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
Wow....thanks for all the insight guys, much appreciated.

The tow vehicle is a 2003 2500hd ext cab with 126000 miles on it. My girlfriends father put some sort of stabilizer in the fuel in February. He went back out in June to get grandma's house ready to sell. He drove the truck around running errands and ran the truck low on fuel, filled back up to half tank and added more stabilizer.

I have no clue on the condition of the tires of either unit, I've just seen rough pics that I had sent to me. I have gone through a lot of the tire info that is archived on this site and have learned a lot. I will do some more reading to get correct psi.

Like stated before the hitch is my biggest worry, though you guys have magnified my small worries that now I know really need to be addressed. Just for piece of mind I'm hoping I can find a pro that can inspect the hitch before departure.

If worse comes to worse, I'm hoping I can at least bring home the truck and come back at a later time for the trailer.

Thanks again folks.
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
ford truck guy wrote:
I hope he left the mounting plates on the frame of the truck , they are NOT pictured... If so , it is nothing different than an erector set on steroids... Unless I am reading wrong ( very good chance) you are taking the truck that previously had the same rails in it,?? If its a new install , that's a whole different ballgame. There are a ton of folks on here that do it them selves , I for one had mine installed by the local dealer.. It was some time ago , but I believe I was charged around $350.00-$400.00 for the install ??????

The way I read it, the original owner only removed the rail kit that is pictured as well as the pullrite hitch....the frame plates should still be in place, ie , never removed...owner probably needed the full bed for some reason or another...

BUT...maybe I read it wrong and/or "assumed" too much:)
NC_Hauler
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
istdoc wrote:
The first hitch that I installed on my vehicle was advertised as "Professional install: 45 minutes. DIY: 90 minutes."

Interesting, because by the time I purchased a small enough pneumatic drill (that I could fit into a confined space), prepped the compressor that had been sitting still for 2 decades (whew), drilled 2 holes through heavy steel, and fished everything through the frame, it took ME about 8 hours.

Not sure that I would plan on being at work by Tuesday...
-istdoc-

From what I understand, the frame kit is already installed....The owner had just removed the rails that set in the bed of the truck along with the hitch. OP has the rails, (his picture) and the hitch...Should only have to re-install rails onto frame kit that is already in place.
istdoc
Explorer
Jul 17, 2014
The first hitch that I installed on my vehicle was advertised as "Professional install: 45 minutes. DIY: 90 minutes."

Interesting, because by the time I purchased a small enough pneumatic drill (that I could fit into a confined space), prepped the compressor that had been sitting still for 2 decades (whew), drilled 2 holes through heavy steel, and fished everything through the frame, it took ME about 8 hours.

Not sure that I would plan on being at work by Tuesday...
-istdoc-

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