Reese Universal Rail Kit Recommend for 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 Short Bed that had Rails At One Point

Question:

Purchased a 2015 GMC Sierra 2500 SLT/Duromax/Allison/4x4 a few months back as tow vehicle for 5er. The truck came with a in bed liner so I pulled it out and realized the previous owner had installed a rail kit and removed it prior to trading in the vehicle. Did not know what brand/type system he had installed so I stopped in to a RV dealership to verify. The tech stated that it looked like a universal Reese 10 bolt rail kit based on frame bolt hole pattern and bed bolt hole locations. He was nice enough to grab a Reese rail and verify bed bolt holes lined up. Question #1 = Can I purchase and use the custom frame bracket configuration versus the universal brackets the previous owner used? Question #2 = Will the custom brackets line up with the existing bolt hole locations in the truck bed? Question #3 = Other than ease of install, does it make a difference regarding strength/safety etc... Not sure if the pics Im attaching are viewable. Appears that only one pic can be attached. Let me know if more is needed. Thanks....

asked by: Dean F

Helpful Expert Reply:

Thanks for the picture. The guy you talked to is correct and your truck did have a # RP30035 installed in it. Since your truck was already fitted with this kit it would be a pretty easy install. What makes a universal kit like this harder to install is the drilling and measuring required. Your truck already had the hard part done so this kit would install just as easy as a custom install kit at a lower price. These rails would be just as strong as a custom fit kit like the part # RP50066-58.

The rear rail's rear edge with the custom kit will end up 24-5/8 inches from the edge of rear truck bed. See picture. For the universal kit the same dimension is 25-1/4 inches so they holes would not match up.

expert reply by: Jameson C