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Custom brackets reduce the amount of drilling and time required to install your fifth-wheel trailer hitch. Brackets, base rails and hardware included.
Features:
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Today on this 2009 GMC Sierra pickup we are going to install part number RP50064-58. To get started, we need to do a few things in preparation. First off what we are going to do is lower the spare tire so we have some working room underneath there. And second, we are going to go ahead and remove the heat shield. Now we are not going to take out the whole thing. We just need to take out a section of it. Cut it right behind the second to last cross member. This one has a round tube that goes across on the frame. So we will cut right in front of that. And then, further up above the muffler here, we are going to make a cut right next to the hat channel for the bed itself. And then, we will go ahead and remove these two bolts right here and lower the whole thing down. Now if you cannot get these bolts loose, you will probably just have to cut on both sides of the hat channel to remove both pieces then. 1:08
OK, now we are back in the bed of the truck. What we are going to do now is go ahead and mark out the rails in our floor of the bed of the truck. Now what we are going to do is measure from this inside edge here to the edge of the bed itself. Now we will go ahead and make sure we have left to right equal too. There is a little seam in the bed right here. We will just use that as our reference point. Alright, so we have an equal amount of distance on both sides and we are equal front to rear. So let us go ahead and mark and drill our holes. Since we have a spry in bed liner here, it is kind of hard to mark it with a pen or something like that. So, we are just going to use a small drill bit and just make a dent into it that way. And now that we have our holes marked, let us go ahead and remove the rail out of the way. We will drill out a pilot hole first and then we will go ahead and compare it with the bracket that gets mounted on the side of the frame. Alright, let us go ahead and take our frame bracket now. And this larger section right here is going to go towards the front of the vehicle. You can see here that is has a curve to it, or a rise. This kit is designed to fit on multiple frames of the Chevrolet product line. In this case, our frame does not really rise up that much. So what is going to happen is we will end up putting spacers in between the frame and the frame bracket. We are just going to hold it up there for now just to see how things line up. We have our holes lined up with the bed up here. And then one of these three holes will line up with the hole in the frame. In this case, it is going to be using this top hole right here. Let us go ahead and drill out our holes to the 9/16 size. And then we can go ahead and start working on the frame brackets. 2:51
The next thing we do is go ahead and put our rail back into place. And then we are going to put some spacer blocks between the bed and the rail itself, to fill up this gap right here. We will in our bolts later. Let us go back underneath and start installing our side brackets. The first thing we need to do is go ahead and install this 3/4 inch bolt right here. And we are going to install it into this oval hole here. At first, it is not going to fit. To do that we are going to take the bolt leader that is included in the kit. We are going to put it into the frame. We are going to push it out to the back of the frame where it opens up. First we will go ahead and put on our washer. Then we will thread in our bolt. And let us go ahead and pull everything through. We will leave the bolt leader on for now and then we will go ahead and slide on our frame bracket. Alright, just do not pull this off. You want to unthread it because you are going to do the same thing over on the driver side. Alright, next what we are going to do is go ahead and install the clamp that goes around the frame towards the front. These are the two carriage bolts we are going to use. And these are going to be the two spacers we are going to use. The spacers are going to be identical. What is going to happen is one spacer is going to go on the back side of the frame and one is going to go in between the frame and the frame bracket. We will use this top hole, like so. And that is going to sit on top of the frame. And we will take this other block and set it on like that. See if we can sneak it behind there. So we are going to use the two narrowest holes because the frame is not going to be that thick. Then we will go ahead and put on our fasteners which will be a flat washer, a lock washer and a nut. Now we are just going to leave those pretty loose because we want to be able to move the bracket around as needed to get the bolts from the bed down. We will go ahead and repeat the same process on the driver side. However, we are going to do a little bit of an adjustment with the brake lines. 5:01
Now you see here on the driver side we have this bracket that is going to hold the brake lines and the wiring harness. However, we are going to have to remove this because our bracket is going to go right behind it. So, basically what we are going to do is just take this off, this bracket. We are going to manipulate the lines out of the way so there is plenty of room. So we have a little bit of flexibility. And then we will go ahead and resecure them after we have the hitch installed. What I am going to do now is just go ahead and our bolts into place. Alright, now that we have our bolts through the bed and in to the frame bracket itself, what we are going to do is install a flat block. On the bottom of that we are going to install a lock washer and nut. And you want to repeat this for the other three set of holes. Now the next thing we are going to do is go ahead and line up our second rail. And we are going to use our fifth wheel hitch here to go ahead and use that to line it up in the proper position. When you set it in place, go ahead and take a little bit of time and kind of shake it around a little bit so it finds an overall center. We have our rail in position. Let us go ahead and do the same thing like we did for the front rail. And we will just go ahead and drill our holes and then work our way up to the 9/16. And now you can see our frame bracket here in relation to our holes that we drilled out here. Pull it up and over and it looks like it will fit just fine. That way we have confirmed that we have it in the right spot. We can go ahead and drill out the larger holes now. Alright, let us go ahead and put our rail back in place and then some bolts in. Let us go back underneath again and go ahead and install the plates, the lock washers and the nuts. Now one last thing. Remember how the rail was sitting on top of the corrugation? Well we have a big gap here at the bottom now. So we will use those blocks and just put them into place like that. 7:05
Now you see here on the driver side we have this bracket that is going to hold the brake lines and the wiring harness. However, we are going to have to remove this because our bracket is going to go right behind it. So, basically what we are going to do is just take this off, this bracket. We are going to manipulate the lines out of the way so there is plenty of room. So we have a little bit of flexibility. And then we will go ahead and resecure them after we have the hitch installed. What I am going to do now is just go ahead and our bolts into place. Alright, now that we have our bolts through the bed and in to the frame bracket itself, what we are going to do is install a flat block. On the bottom of that we are going to install a lock washer and nut. And you want to repeat this for the other three set of holes. Now the next thing we are going to do is go ahead and line up our second rail. And we are going to use our fifth wheel hitch here to go ahead and use that to line it up in the proper position. When you set it in place, go ahead and take a little bit of time and kind of shake it around a little bit so it finds an overall center. We have our rail in position. Let us go ahead and do the same thing like we did for the front rail. And we will just go ahead and drill our holes and then work our way up to the 9/16. And now you can see our frame bracket here in relation to our holes that we drilled out here. Pull it up and over and it looks like it will fit just fine. That way we have confirmed that we have it in the right spot. We can go ahead and drill out the larger holes now. Alright, let us go ahead and put our rail back in place and then some bolts in. Let us go back underneath again and go ahead and install the plates, the lock washers and the nuts. Now one last thing. Remember how the rail was sitting on top of the corrugation? Well we have a big gap here at the bottom now. So we will use those blocks and just put them into place like that. 7:05
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (106 Customer Reviews)
Custom brackets reduce the amount of drilling and time required to install your fifth-wheel trailer hitch. Brackets, base rails and hardware included.Poorly packaged at the warehouse which caused a box failure enroute to my house. I REALLY needed this for the weekend and will now have to either borrow a truck with a hitch or find a kit locally. Customer service blamed UPS. I disagree. Had the box been secured properly from etrailer to begin with, I wouldn’t be writing this review. I will not order anything heavy from them again.
I was a little leery of installing a fifth wheel hitch to begin with, but after watching the videos from etrailer a few times and reading the instructions a couple of times, I decided I could do it. I installed the RP50064-58 kit for fifth wheel hitches and the Reese 30083 Fifth Wheel 20K w/Round Slider Unit on my 2006 GMC 2500HD short-bed. I had my three grandsons, ages 2, 3, and 7, helping me. The installation went really smooth (other than the younger children occasionally running off with tools) and I am very impressed by how sturdy it is. Now I am looking forward to receiving the Stromberg Carlson 100 Series 5th Wheel Tailgate with Open Design that I ordered. Thank you etrailer! You make it fun and easy!
Very good products that are built to last. Nice thick powder coat. My order was an odd one . I ordered a fifth wheel base kit for a Chevrolet 1500. I don’t think many 1500s put fithwheel kits on them, but it’s for a 1500 towable Camper , very short and light. The system kept trying to send me the kit for a newer 2500 or 3500 I guess but we finally got it right with the required pieces to get it mounted. Nice and respectful service on the phone.
I was a bit nervous at first installing the rails that would eventually hold the weight of a 16,000lb camper, however after reading the instructions and looking at the quality of the parts, I felt alot more comfortable. The installation was very easy, and with the large side plates, I feel alot better knowing the rails and hitch are secured to the frame with more than those small pieces of L steel that normally come with the kit. Install only took me about an hour and the hitch is very solid!
I have a 2006 2500HD with an existing gooseneck hitch that is welded in place between the frame. I had thought the "custom-fit 5th wheel" brackets would still fit so I ordered them so as to not have to drill in the truck frame. Unfortunately, the gooseneck channel is in the way of where the "U" bolt needed to go on the back side of the frame so I have to return this and get the "universal" install kit / rails. It will still be fine but I was trying to not drill in the frame any more than necessary. I just wanted to pass this along incase anyone else had the same setup. It will save you some time, frustration, and shipping money :-). It was my fault (not etrailer's) . I attached a picture showing where the bracket is with the gooseneck channel behind it (in the way). Hope it helps someone else.
Not as easy as the online videos would lead you to believe. However I did manage to get it installed. Getting the spacers nuts and lock washers on the bolts over the gas tank on my 2014 Silverado were a real SOB. Dropped 3 lock washer into the shroud over the gas tank while trying to accomplish this. Ended up taping the nut and lock washer to my wrench to get them in position while someone turned the bolt from inside the truck bed.
Very fast shipping for the 5th wheel sliding hitch, rails and wiring ! Installation was very straight forward although the instructions were a bit vague. Watched the installation videos a couple of times which was a big help. Took about 4 hours for everything including wiring. Could have been quicker if I took off the rear wheels and lowered the exhaust but just worked around them. Picked up my new 5th wheel a week later and was very happy with the hitch - No problems at all. This was installed on a 2002 Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD.
Matthew W - 02/09/2018
It wasn't so easy for me as I am 80 yrs. old but I got her done in a days time and it works fine, all the measurements in the directions were right on.
great product but the Instructions ARE THE WORST I EVER SEEN
Sierra K - 07/14/2021
Per instructions, removal of the vehicle heat shield was a beastly process. Modification of inner fenders was never mentioned in the instructions, had to modify the brackets to eliminate interference fit with hanger on the drivers side on the frame. Had to customize an existing bracket to allow access to mounting bolt on driver side. Also had to modify the frame to gain access to hold 3/4" bolt head for tightening mounting plates. It would have been much better to have had 2 throw away short open end stamped wrenches supplied with the kit in exchange for many extra bolts and other hardware. Once custom fabrication was complete it does work fine.
I was happy with this set of rails. I chose to have them installed, but my installer said they fit well and were an easy install. I have used them now with multiple 5th wheel and gooseneck hitches.
Instructions leave something to be desired.. and every bolt needed for every variation of truck this kit can go on is included, so lots of leftover hardware. Surprising for a 'custom' kit (not universal). Other than that, got it installed on my 2005 Silverado 3500 in roughly the time advertised. Almost. Still trying to figure out how to tighten the last nut that is really hard to reach.
Mikey - 08/06/2018Ordered the Reese Quick-install rail and installation kit for my 08 GMC because the 05 brackets I had did not fit the 08. A friend and I installed it in about 2 hours, had difficulty installing one bolt above the fuel tank but this was to be expected. The instructions were clear and easy to follow. The parts fit perfectly and looked like a professional installation when finished.
The frame brackets and measurements worked out incredibly accurately! I am very happy with my purchase and the install time. I will say this, if installed on a 2004 GMC Sierra 2500, the drivers side frame rail is dished inwardly. Making the 1/2x2” bolt impossible to get in the hole from the inside of the frame out! This problem held me up for at least 1-2 hrs, since I had to grind off and make the actual bolt 1 1/2 long to be able to fit it in the proper location in the frame. It would be nice to accommodate for this in the future.
Parts arrived in a very short time and all fasteners and directions were in the boxes as expected! Installing was not quick and easy as I thought it would be. Fat fingers I could have done without. My son helped with most of the installation because 4 hands are required! The quality of the product is great as I expected too!
Joseph F - 01/03/2019This kit was a perfect fit on my 2006 Duramax crew cab. Installation was a breezy and it did not require any drilling or welding of the frame. The instructions were good and all necessary bolts and nuts were supplied ( along with a lifetime supply of spares). I would highly suggest this seller and their kit if you need fifth wheel rails installed in your truck.
Chris P - 11/26/2015I CAN NOT SAY ANYMORE ABOUT THIS SITE “ EXCELLENT”
Easiest fifth wheel assembly I’ve ever installed. Only took roughly an hour and a half to do a complete installation. Very detailed instructions included with the kit. Definitely the way to go over a universal style bracket assembly. 2015 Chevy 1500 5’ 8” box.
Got my order in record time! Found the rails cheaper elsewhere but they couldn't deliver. You could. Thanks
I bought a new Chevy 2014 Silverado Double Cab 4X4 with the 6' 6" bed and needed a bed rail kit to mount a fifth wheel hitch from another vehicle. Plan on spending 6 - 8 hours to install it if you have no previous experience with this installation. Make sure you have less than 1/4 of a tank of gas as the installation requires lowering the gas tank down about 12 inches. You will also need to remove the spare tire. You will save yourself a lot grief by doing these two things first. Also note the position of the bolts that hold the rails to the brackets, the front rail uses the outer most holes. The rear rail uses the second set of holes inward from the end of the rail. If you have a bed liner, trim it first before doing anything else. This is a well designed heavy duty product. I have purchased several different products over the years and never had a complaint. Their service and pricing have been great.
I brought this 5th Wheel rail kit to a local Hitch Installation and Welding shop, and they installed it for me in one day. I brought the Hensley Trailersaver TS3 5th Wheel Hitch as well, so that the whole assembly could be line-up precisely as prescribed, with the center of the Kingpin at 1-5/8" forward of the truck drive axle center line. Great product by Reese, that fit my 2002 Silverado 3500 perfectly. Would recommend Reese products to anyone contemplating towing an RV/Travel Trailer.
I bought these quick install base rail plates instead of the universal fits all-fits nothing well angle plates that I had used on a different truck. Watch the video e-trailer has on line in the help section and the video is much better than the instructions that come with the plates. My install went just like the video except the truck was only 2 days old so I didn't want to drop the exhaust or the fuel tank. It was tight between the fuel tank and the bolts that hold the rails in the bed but do-able. The exhaust side was easier and I didn't have the exhaust tin shield like on the video but it was still tight but easier than the fuel tank side. Using the measurements like in the video ALL the holes lined up like through the bed like they were supposed to with out any reaming of the plates or brackets. The plates on the frame with the spacers worked great just like in the video and are worth the up charge of $$$ instead of using the universal angle supports. With my Silverado being only 2 days old I was not going to drill any holes in to the frame for any reason to have chevy void my warranty so these bolt on plates using exsisting holes were the nuts!!! I bought new bed rails for my fifth wheel as it would just have been to much of a pain to mess with the rusted bolts in the old truck. All the hardware was there, every thing was packed waaaay too good, and it all came fast. Who could ask for more Eric Horn
Like a few of the other reviewers, I decided that the custom brackets for my 2005 Silverado 2500HD with 6 1/2 foot box was the way to go because I didn't want to be drilling and fitting the smaller brackets under there. Here's some thoughts. Yes, the spare tire really needs to come down - that took me about 2 hours, as I have never had it down before and had to keep referring to the instruction manual. Making measurements for the rail placement and drilling the holes in the bed was the easy part, as was using tip snips to remove a section of the heat shield underneath. The hard part was drilling the optional hole in the frame for the 1/2 inch bolt and fishing the bolt through on the drivers side (passenger side was an easy fish). I started with 1/2 inch hole for the 1/2 inch bolt - ended up drilling a 9/16 hole so the bolt would come through. Still, I do feel comfortable that this bolt provides extra security/rigidity to the brackets. The other hard thing to do was get the rectangular offset hole plate and lock washer attached to the rail bolts up by the fuel tank. Ended up hot gluing the lock washer to the plate because I was out of fingers to hold the pieces up there and thread the nut onto the bolt - ideally one would need to be part stretch armstrong and part contortionist. My total installation time was closer to 5-6 hours - but when it comes to something like this, I would rather be slow and thorough than fast and miss something. The kit contained everything needed and even a few leftover parts - so don't be concerned. Towed my new trailer home 2 nights ago and was pleased with the set-up and how it towed.
This is my first time pulling a 5th wheel but not the first time traveling in a RV. Looking at the installation kits for these 5th wheels was a learning experience! Not many places sell the Quick-Install Custom Base Rails and Installation Kit. Since this is my first time pulling I wanted the security of knowing all four bolts holding the Base rails to the frame were attached to bracket. I'm not the one doing the install, but from what I see, the time should be cut by 1/3 from the other way of installing the base rails. eTrailer was the only one of the 5 websites I checked that had what I was looking for. Regards, Robert G from MI
Better instructions!!
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