Installing a 5th Wheel Hitch in a 2004 Ford F-250 With a B and W Gooseneck Hitch

Question:

I have a 2004 F250 with a BandW gooseneck hitch installed. I recently purchased a fifth wheel camper and a Draw Title 15000 come with it. I dont have any instructions and my concern is will it interfere with the gooseneck hitch and also will my tool box interfere with the 5th wheel hitch? Thanks for any help you can offer.

asked by: Jeff K

Expert Reply:

I have a few solutions for you, however, a gooseneck hitch and a fifth wheel hitch will not typically fit together on a truck. The frame brackets of the gooseneck hitch or fifth wheel hitch will interfere with the frame brackets from the other hitch. This would be the case on your truck if you tried to install the Reese Universal Fifth Wheel Install Kit, # RP30035, that you referenced. The frame brackets for your B and W gooseneck hitch will prevent the frame brackets from fifth wheel base rails from mounting properly.

Luckily, you have a B and W gooseneck hitch in your truck. B and W realized that some people need both a fifth wheel hitch and a gooseneck hitch, so they came up with the B and W Companion Fifth Wheel Hitch, # BWRVK3500. This hitch fits in your gooseneck hitch, so you do not need to install separate fifth wheel base rails or frame brackets.

If you did not want to go with the Companion hitch, you could use the Curt X5 Fifth Wheel Adapter, # 16310. This adapter slides into the gooseneck hitch and provides a temporary set of base rails for any fifth wheel hitch that uses the industry standard above-bed base rails like your Draw-Tite 15K fifth wheel hitch.

Another option would be to completely remove your B and W gooseneck hitch and install the Reese Universal Fifth Wheel Install Kit, # RP30035, that you referenced. This would be the most economical option if you plan on doing all of the work yourself. I have attached the installation instructions and an installation video of this kit for you to check out.