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Old 03-05-2016, 02:19 PM   #1
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Not sure dealer did 5th wheel hitch install right

My Eagle HT 26.5 won't be in till April but I went ahead and had the dealer install the Reese Titan 16k hitch in my 2016 Ford F150.
After I got it home I started really looking at what he did and I'm concerned - but also have to admit that this dealership has been in business 30 years and probably installed thousands of hitches.

BUT - It doesn't appear that Reese has a Quick Install bracket set for the 2016's yet. So they sell dealers the "adapter brackets" - these are basically large L brackets.
The installer used ONE of these on each side of each rail. So basically - of the 4 bolts holding the rails, 2 are in the brackets (one on each side) and 2 are just in the bed of the truck. Is this enough support for a 16k hitch?

In addition, the back rail looks fine but the spacers that fill in the space for the "corregation" just slid out from under the rails on the front.
And finally - all eight of the bolts go through a sloped edge of the corregation, not through a low or high area. That just seems a stupid way to design both the adapter brackets and the rails.

Thoughts? I'm considering calling Reese on Monday.
I'd attach pictures but its so dark under the truck I'm not sure you can see anything.
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:34 PM   #2
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You didn't mention where anything is bolted to the frame of the truck. It certainly should be.
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Old 03-05-2016, 05:42 PM   #3
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I would expect that if you download the manual for the hitch (might be one for the hitch and a second vehicle specific mounting manual) that there will be clear directions that would help you decide.

Another thing I would suggest is to see if etrailer.com had that hitch on their site. If so, they probably have manuals and they have a ton of installation videos which will be fairly detailed and I would suspect would also answer your question.
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Old 03-07-2016, 03:33 PM   #4
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I don't think it'll hurt if you get a second or third opinion from other hitch installers like Quality Bumpers or another RV dealer. Then again, it will be difficult to do any fine tuning to your truck/trailer combo, until you have your trailer hooked up to the hitch.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddyRay View Post
My Eagle HT 26.5 won't be in till April but I went ahead and had the dealer install the Reese Titan 16k hitch in my 2016 Ford F150.
After I got it home I started really looking at what he did and I'm concerned - but also have to admit that this dealership has been in business 30 years and probably installed thousands of hitches.

BUT - It doesn't appear that Reese has a Quick Install bracket set for the 2016's yet. So they sell dealers the "adapter brackets" - these are basically large L brackets.
The installer used ONE of these on each side of each rail. So basically - of the 4 bolts holding the rails, 2 are in the brackets (one on each side) and 2 are just in the bed of the truck. Is this enough support for a 16k hitch?

In addition, the back rail looks fine but the spacers that fill in the space for the "corregation" just slid out from under the rails on the front.
And finally - all eight of the bolts go through a sloped edge of the corregation, not through a low or high area. That just seems a stupid way to design both the adapter brackets and the rails.

Thoughts? I'm considering calling Reese on Monday.
I'd attach pictures but its so dark under the truck I'm not sure you can see anything.
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Old 03-09-2016, 06:09 PM   #5
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any pictures?
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Old 03-09-2016, 09:31 PM   #6
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No, as I said in the original post:
"I'd attach pictures but its so dark under the truck I'm not sure you can see anything."
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Old 03-10-2016, 07:23 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BuddyRay View Post
My Eagle HT 26.5 won't be in till April but I went ahead and had the dealer install the Reese Titan 16k hitch in my 2016 Ford F150.
After I got it home I started really looking at what he did and I'm concerned - but also have to admit that this dealership has been in business 30 years and probably installed thousands of hitches.

BUT - It doesn't appear that Reese has a Quick Install bracket set for the 2016's yet. So they sell dealers the "adapter brackets" - these are basically large L brackets.
The installer used ONE of these on each side of each rail. So basically - of the 4 bolts holding the rails, 2 are in the brackets (one on each side) and 2 are just in the bed of the truck. Is this enough support for a 16k hitch?

In addition, the back rail looks fine but the spacers that fill in the space for the "corregation" just slid out from under the rails on the front.
And finally - all eight of the bolts go through a sloped edge of the corregation, not through a low or high area. That just seems a stupid way to design both the adapter brackets and the rails.

Thoughts? I'm considering calling Reese on Monday.
I'd attach pictures but its so dark under the truck I'm not sure you can see anything.
Where the rails are placed is dictated by exact measurements in the bed and the correlation to the hardware that attaches to the frame. The fact that they don't match your expectations of "looking" right in the bed has nothing to do with placement. When rail kits are packaged, they come with shims to fill the spaces where the bolts are not on the top of flats in your truck. It is normal that the bolt holes don't match with you truck bed corregation. I have never seen an install that didn't have some of the bolts placed on the side of the corregation.
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Old 03-10-2016, 08:56 PM   #8
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Buddyray, sounds like the hitch was installed correctly, according to what you said. The new trucks are harder to install hitches in with the box frames and extra wiring on the frames. I have always questioned the whole rail kit mounting system, it you cannot ever get it "tight enough" on the bed. Reese gives the installer suggested installation instruction but, I can tell you some just don't work.
As far the weight capacity of your rails. Those rails I install for a hitch from 12k to 22k. Nothing changes! The spacers slide out some times, it just shows the rail is bottoming out on the bed. Most installer do not like crimping the bed. And as I said before, there is not a bottom when tightening the bolts down, especially with air tools. I would be happy to look at it, post some pictures. I can tell you what to do to fix it, if not correct.
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