Determining the Type of Hitch that was Previously Installed on a 2011 Chevrolet 2500HD

Question:

I have a 2011 chevy 2500hd diesel. I just purchased it used and the previous owner had a hitch in it. It has 2 rows which contain 3 holes in the bed. Every rail system I see requires more holes. The holes are 1/2inch or so. What brand 5th wheel used to be in the truck?

asked by: Henry

Helpful Expert Reply:

The bolt pattern that you are describing in the bed of your 2011 Chevrolet 2500HD sounds like a fifth wheel hitch with industry standard 4-bolt base rails. You can verify this by measuring the distance between the bolt holes front to back. Each of the bolt holes should be 22 inches apart on center. The 4-bolt base rails have two bolt holes per base rail on opposite ends, but people will often add a middle bolt to provide extra support (see photo).

The 4-bolt base rails are used by multiple manufacturers, so we would not be able to determine the brand of the hitch without speaking with the previous owner. This may not be an option if you bought the truck from a dealer.

Since these are universal kits and we do not know the brand of the previous fifth wheel hitch or if a custom installation kit was used, the holes in your truck frame and truck bed may not match up with the universal brackets.

The photo that I attached also give the installation dimensions for the base rails of the Reese and Husky universal kits for you to compare to your bed.

expert reply by: John H