Will Fuel Tank and Toolbox in Truck Bed Interfere With 5th Wheel Hitch

Question:

Hello all! I have a 06 Silverado 2500 CC LB 4X4 Duramax. I have a fuel cell 1 ft wide and a toolbox 2 ft wide one in front of the other. Do I have enough space to install a 5th wheel hitch?

asked by: Dallas Y

Expert Reply:

I don't believe that'll fit. According to the installation instructions for the # RP50064-58 rail kit you'd looked at, the front edge of the front-most hitch install rail will sit at about 58-7/8 inches forward of the rear of the truck bed. Which will only leave about 37-1/8 inches or a little more than 3 feet in front of the front hitch installation rail which will place it within an inch or so of the toolbox, which would place it too close for comfort.

Depending on which OEM pin box your 5th wheel has, using a Reese Goose Box would be an excellent alternative. Reese offers the following Goose Box models which fit the following OEM pin boxes:

• If you have a 16K Capacity Lippert 0115, 1116 or 1716, use the # RP94716-61301 Goose Box

• For Lippert 0719, 1621 or 1621HD 20K Capacity, use # RP85FR Goose Box

I've linked to a demonstration video showing how the Goose Box works.