Placement of 5th Wheel Hitch Install Rails in Bed of 2017 Ram 1500 5 Foot Bed

Question:

I have 2017 5’-7” truck box how far back should I mount the 5th wheel in the truck box for the sidewinder to work? Thanks

asked by: Don

Expert Reply:

The Reese # RP61412 Sidewinder is a replacement for the following OEM pin boxes:

Fabex 500, 520, 560, and 765

Lippert 1116, 1716 and 0115

RBW 7019 and 7028

To place the fifth wheel rails in the proper spot in the bed, you'll want to follow the instructions for the install bracket/rail kit you use. For instance, the Reese # RP50142-58 bracket/rail kit places the rearmost edge of the back rail so that it's 28-15/16 inches forward of the rear edge of the truck bed, as shown in the provided diagram. The actual placement of the rails can vary according to which bracket/rail kit is used and will be shown in the installation instructions which I've linked for you. I've also linked to a product description video for the Reese bracket/rail kit.

You can use # 50-97-410 to install a 7-way trailer connector in the bed of the truck so you don't need to sling the cord over the tailgate to plug in at the bumper. I'll also link to an install video for that.