5th wheel hitch and wood floor box?

[oldsub86]

Anyone know much about 5th wheel hitches. If I wanted to put one in my truck with the wood floor what do I need to know? Don't know if I will ever need to pull a 5th wheel but the thought sometimes occurs and I need to do the box floor anyway. I assume there would be a need to put some steel under the floor to attach the hitch to. Anyone have detailed info?

[RON WOODGEARD]

A fifth wheel bolts to the top of the bed. A "gooseneck" bolts to the frame rails from side to side, under the bed, and the hitch portion then bolts to it, through the bed floor.

Fifth wheel hitches are the most common for travel trailers, And a Gooseneck is what's used for utility and horse trailers.

I put a Gooseneck hitch in my 70 to haul my horse trailer, It was quite a job, making the wood look, and reinforce right.

You would reallly have to do some reinforcing from the frame to the bottom of the bed floor to mount a fifth wheel hitch on a wood floor. But it could be done if you still so choose.

Ron

[frogsmakr]

Call and ask U-haul. They are prolly the least expensive place to have it done anyway. I have installed a lot of them at the RV dealer that I work at, but never in a truck with a wood bed. Theres brackets that bolt to the frame and they will touch the botttom of the bed floor. Then you drill thru the bed floor to attach the rails (the top rails) to the bottom brackets. The bed wood would just be "sandwich filler" between the steel. Prolly have to use longer bolts (grade 8 only) than normal cause the extra thickness of the bed wood. Hope the bed wood is in good shape.

[LAP]

Usually they weld a piece of angle iron to the frame rails and then place a small piece of iron on top of the bed under the ball.

[palallin]

I think I'd over-size the holes and use steel spacers rather than relying on the wood or maybe even cutting the wood out entirely where the brackets meet the mount. Wood, especially older wood, compresses far too easily.

Originally posted by frogsmakr
Theres brackets that bolt to the frame and they will touch the botttom of the bed floor. Then you drill thru the bed floor to attach the rails (the top rails) to the bottom brackets. The bed wood would just be "sandwich filler" between the steel. Prolly have to use longer bolts (grade 8 only) than normal cause the extra thickness of the bed wood. Hope the bed wood is in good shape.

[WB72]

I used to pull a 25' fifth wheel with my wood bed. There would be no need to re-inforce the wood, because the plate for the hitch is steel. The bolt goes through the Plate, wood, steel bracket, that is either bolted or welded to the frame. (I would check with the athourities if you should weld on your frame, I know many municipalities do not allow it.)