Need some help with 5th wheel setup: Is this universal?
 

Hey folks,

I recently bought a 98 12v with every intention of eventually getting a travel trailer.

The truck I bought has rails mounted in the bed, and I thought...why not go with a 5th wheel.

Well, I've found a trailer, but i just have two rails mounted in the bed. I'm wondering if anyone can offer me some sage advice?

Are these things universal? Can I buy a hitch to just mount on these rails?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.die...c7bb5dcfd1.jpg

I think most are standard but perhaps not all so a quick check came up with this from etrailer
https://www.etrailer.com/question-159246.html

However in your picture and it may be different than it appears but it looks like there are only two bolts on each rail holding it to the truck. From the picture the bolts look somewhat small but they may very well be much larger than they appear in the picture. regardless I cant hardly believe they only require two bolts per rail and only on one side of the rail. Please know I have never used a rail always have a gooseneck like B&W then attach my 5th hitch to that (pull both a goose and a 5th at times so need both). All that to say since I have never used one it may be totally normal just seems odd to me I would at least verify that is the correct mounting of the rails

I honestly thought that was a bit odd myself. Thanks for the advice!

So, here is what is underneath the truck, which I think explains why there is only one bolt per side

https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.die...805c817b97.jpg

Those are universal rails, used by a number of hitches. If properly installed you should be able to buy a hitch (even used) that can be installed to them. While the bolts do seem undersized, it may be an optical illusion. They really should be about 1/2" diameter I suggest you go to a hitch company website, such as Husky or Reese, and try to download an installation manual. Study it a bit and gain a little information. Sometimes when you install a new hitch on existing rails, you have to loosen some bolts to allow shifting a little so the tabs can mate with the slots. Make sure to tighten everything down again, including bolts you didn't loosen, just to make sure all is secure. The weight of the trailer puts lots of stress on everything, especially when braking.

As an additional note. Perhaps the reason the bolts seemed odd is that mine are through the center of the rail, rather than the edge holes, like my drawing
https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.die...0b0aeebba2.png

My only observation is of the type of bolts in the picture...They are stove bolts which are designed to stay in place in the square holes while being torqued from the opposite side without the need of a wrench on both sides...They are also positioned in the indented channel of the bed leaving an air space between the rail and the bed sheetmetal...My advice is make sure those bolts are graded correctly for the strength requirements, and be certain there is a spacer between the rail and the bed to take up the void preventing distortion under load...Lastly torque everything to specification...:2cents:...Ben

I failed to mention the spacer block that filled the gap under the center portion. On my installation 2 of the carriage bolts were used but on the other 2. a special nut with a small rod welded to it was needed inside the frame, Since I couldn't use a wrench on the nut, I had to use a standard bolt (grade 8) that I could wrench from the top. Once started, the rod kept the nut from turning while I torqued it down. The special nuts were part of the install kit for the rails.