Hitch Removal and Bed Leveling

[Poppy21]

I thought I would share what I have done to address installing and removing my Fifth Wheel hitch by myself and also what I have done to make my truck bed functional when I have the hitch removed. I have included some pictures. I use an engine hoist that I purchased from Harbor Freight to take the hitch in and out. When the hitch is out I made a light weight deck that can be easily installed. It is made from a sheet of floor decking (very then and dense) and a sheet of home insulating wall paneling. The two ate bonded together by contact glue and the wrapped with Gorilla duck tape around the edges. Once I install the panels I put my truck mat on top to level the whole thing out. Because the wood and insulation panes are dense I think it will be able to withstand anything that I put on it. Only time will tell but this seemed to be the best way for me to be able to utilize my truck bed when I'm not camping. Let me know your thoughts.

[Marcm157]

Awesome job - Very nice work! Thank you for posting...

[JFlightRisk]

Very nice solution. Thanks for sharing that!

[RoadrunnerII]

Very nice!
Your slider hitch is similar to ours.
They are heavy!
Your lift is a great idea!
Our solution is a 12 volt atv winch mounted to the roof trusses of our garage.


RoadrunnerII

[JuneCleaver]

The pin box on the fifth wheel is pretty solid and deals with forces much greater than the weight of the hitch. My hitch is the B&W Companion slider hitch and I’d like to be able to use my truck bed. The hitch weighs 267 lbs. Has anyone simply left the hitch connected to the pin box, released the pucks, and raised the front of the fifth wheel to lift the hitch off the truck bed?

I’d like to try this. I’d like to know if anyone does this or if there is a good reason not to.