OK, I finally ordered the hitch and the boxes showed up yesterday. Reese 16K Kwikslide universal install kit, rails on the bed.

It looks like all I really need is 12 holes in the right place and this thing will just bolt together.

Any tips or tricks for laying out the holes?

Anything to watch out for? Although I'd hate it... a wrong hole in the bed would be OK. It seems, though that a wrong hole in the frame could be a costly oops.

I think I just make sure I'm centered, square and right over the axel +1-2" -0"... sounds easy.

 

I myself have never installed one of these, am very interested in how it goes, as I have looked into them and as far as installation they seem pretty straight forward. They are supposed to come with excellent installation info and even a video if memory serves. If you would please let me know how it goes, I have installed the regulare reese hitches and they are not a problem, Just get a permanant marker and a center punch and align the hitch in the bed, mark and drill as per instructions. Goodluck,,, Rick

 

Hey just remember, "Measure twice cut once" or you too can be a
Good luck.
You may want to check with your local RV dealer/installer. Those guys install them all the time and can give you a few hints or tricks to ensure that you don't cut or drill the frame.
I let the dealer install my SuperGlide and its SWEET I only have 4 holes in the bed and I can remove it and I don't have to worry about forgetting to get out and slide the hitch to make turns

 

Only advice I have is to make sure the rails are absolutely square. I have seen that type of slider not work being about 1/8" off. Used the hitch for a couple of years with no problem then added the slider attachment and discovered it was just slighty under square. Slider wouldn't budge with the trailer chocked and the truck pulling for all it was worth. Squared it correctly and you could push it with 1 finger.

 

I might actually get to work on the hitch this weekend...

The one snag right now is that no one stocks 17/32 drill bits and the splined bolts for the frame need an precise (and apparently odd sized) hole. Worst case I'll need to order a bit. If anyone knows a Monmouth county NJ source of tools. pls post it. The chains (Home Depot, Sears, Pep Boys) and a few others Eppy's, Monmouth Truck, Grainger are all striking out...

 

Just in case anyone else cares and wants to save a dozen phone calls.... Major Tool and Equipment, Throckmorten in Freehold had a 17/32 bit for a 1/2 drill. $30.

 

We got it installed.

It took me a good day of work, but then I'm pretty slow. I spend a lot of time getting sure I'm sure...

All things considered, not a big deal to DYS. I needed to drop the spare tire and pull the drivers side shock. My truck sits up so high that getting under it to work is easy, lots of room in there. All the dimensions in the instructions were right on the money. Friday I'd also called the Reese 800# to be sure I understood a few things and the guy who answered exactly understood my questions and gave clear and accurate answers which inspired a lot of confidence. To begin, I located the first rail and center punched the holes. I could find the dimples on the bottom and checked the fit of the frame brackets on the dimples. No problems.

I was trying to hit everything within about 1/32 (and my buddy was giving me grief about that). Using the bed rails at a template I still needed to hit the center of the slot on the rail and when you drill near the side of the corrugation of the bed, there's a tendency for the drill to walk a little. Once the holes are through the bed, you just bolt the brackets on from below and use the brackets as a template to drill the frame. A new bit and a little oil made that easy work. The kit I had provided a thin wire with a spring-like end. You threaded the bolt into the spring and used the wire to pull it through from inside. I used a heavier gauge wire to fish from the bracket back to the access hole already in the frame. I tied on the thin wire and pulled it through. The bolts have flutes like a wheel lug bolt. It's important to drill the frame at exactly 17/32 so the bolts will bite into it and hold.

The first rail went in fine, and we picked up a little speed. The second rail was going great, until we fished the last bolt through the frame. The bolt got stuck on something inside the frame and we didn't want to tug too hard and lose it in there. After a lot of poking around blind, the bolt got knocked free and pulled through like the rest. Just before I torqued everything I decided to see if the hitch would slide in the rails (it had fit fine before we tightened everything). Somehow... the very last hole I'd drilled in the bed was off by about 1/16, just enough to stop the hitch from fitting into the rails. After a bit of grumbling, we unbolted the rail, drilled the hole a little bigger and bolted everything back together again.

It all fit, slider slid fine with a one finger push. No real tricks... just put all the holes in the right place and you're fine. There are a few nuts that are a bit hard to reach, so I haven't figured out how to get a torque wrench on them yet. (suggestion welcome). I won't need to tow with the new setup for another 4 weeks or so, but I do want to check the torque on each nut before I do that.

 

Good info Dave...Thanks

 

I posted a few pics of the hitch in my gallery. I really appreciate the help this forum has given me on my last few DYS projects. Here are some of the lessons I learned in case this helps anyone.

There was a lot of confusion about helper springs and dodge brackets or no dodge brackets. As it turned out the thing in the way on one side was the muffler hanger and the special bracket kit did get me around that exactly.

There was also a debate about drilling or not drilling these frames. The dodge tsb provides rules so I figure drilling is OK. As it turns out I violated the rules by abou 3/8" on one set of brackets. The top hole is too close to the top of the frame. However, the hole is quite a bit smaller than the max allowable - so I'm hoping I'm all right. I thought I had no choice because I needed two holes and there was also a rule about having holes too close together and I needed to use the top and bottom holes in the bracket to conform there. 20/20 hindsight... I could have used one of the spacers provided in the kit to shim the bracket down 3/8"! I might have needed to get longer 1/2 carriage bolts, but now that I think of it that would have been the right solution. Too late now.

In another post I mentioned that I missed on one hole in the bed by 1/16 and the hitch would not fit into the rails when I was done. Again, 20/20 hindsight, I should have left the hitch assembled on the rails. I had test fit the hitch in the rails when I was marking and punching the holes, but pulled it out to drill the holes. I assumed I'd got it all right so I had the rails all torqued down before I thought to put the hitch back on again. I should have checked sooner. Still, no harm done there.

All in all, I would do it again. I'll be really confident of that after I tow with my DYS hitch in a few more weeks.

 

That is great info Dave. After reading what you went through, I think I will pay Camping World the $175 to install mine, since they are all set up to do the install and have all the right tools. I bought my Reese slider used (2 years old), so I dont have any of the original documentation that came with it. I am sure that the pro's will have that, won't they??