I just bought a 5th wheel and I need a little advise. I've seen a few threads talking about the tow mounts and Installing them yourself or having the dealer do it. How hard is it? I put all the performance doo dads on my truck without to much headache. The biggest problem right now is the weather up here. If I did it my self, will fairly common tools do it? I do have a heavyduty 1/2" drill. Not that I ever believe dealers, but this one place told me they had to raise the bed off the frame?!?!?! Should I buy new or go for used?

Another question, what equipment do you have for towing your trailer that you had feel has helped you more than anything else? Thanks in advanced for any suggetions or advice.

 

best bet is the resse bolt on kit. no heavy drilling and no welding. simple install on the truck. you can find them on etrailer.com. looks like your truck has all the go, might consider some whoa. exhaust brake.

vr
mike

 

Thanks for the reply Mike,

Can't I down shift to act like a exhaust brake? What kind of brake would you recomend?

 

Diesels don't provide much engine braking due to lack of a throttle plate. An exhaust brake is nice, but you really don't need one for a smaller fiver.

 

Yes you could downshift and along with you truck and trailer brakes get along just fine. What sold me on an exhaust brake is replacing pads on the truck and shoes on the trailer. If you downshift you bringing the RPM's up on the motor, why not take that energy and use it to slow you down. Exactly what an exhaust brake is made to do, thus saving you rotors, pads, and trailer brakes all of which can get expensive to replace/service. PAC Brake and Jacobs are the most popular and are priced about the same. I went with a PAC for the on board air that it provides. The Jacobs is a vac style and is the one dodge bolts onto the trucks.

 

You can easily install your own hitch. I know for a fact, a 99 Dodge requires a kits for the L brackets that are used for a standard Reese bed rail kit. The ones in the box with the rails won't fit. Check for your year model when you order. I got a Husky pivoting hitch. The pivot head is well worth it. Don't forget to add a 7 way plug in the wall of the bed. Also an easy task you can do. Mine is just behind the drivers side fender well.