Fifth Wheel Hitch And Installation Kit Recommendation For 2013 Ford F-350 Diesel Crew With Short Bed

Question:

I have a 2013 Ford F350 4x4 Crew Cab short bed diesel pickup truck. I am planning on purchasing a 5th wheel RV and looking at Reese hitches. In checking your website you have two 16K Reese RP30869 packages. One lists the RP56002-53 custom install kit, the second lists the RP50073-58. Which one is for my F350? Thanks!

asked by: Hugh F

Helpful Expert Reply:

If your 2013 Ford F-350 4 X 4 Crew Cab truck is not a Flareside or Stepside we do have a solution for you. I have attached a couple of helpful articles you can check out.

The Reese Fifth Wheel Hitch, part # RP30051, is a 16,000 lb hitch and has adjustable height from 15 to 18 inches, with 10 inches travel front to back. This hitch would work well for your truck.

The installation kit I recommend is the Reese Custom Fifth Wheel Installation Kit, part # RP50026-58. Using this kit cuts the installation time in half over the Universal kit. I have attached an installation video you can check out.

Many times customers are finding that using a slider fifth wheel hitch on a truck with a short bed does not provide enough clearance when executing sharp turns. You can use the formula in the attached helpful article to determine if you have enough clearance. If you find that you do not have the recommended 4 inches clearance you may want to consider a Sidewinder to replace your pin box on your fifth wheel trailer.

If you do not have the wiring installed in the bed of your truck for your fifth wheel I recommend the Pollak Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring, part # PK11893-11932. This attaches to the 7-way connector at the rear of your truck and provides a 7-way connector in the bed of your truck for your fifth wheel. This plugs into the OEM harness and requires no splicing and comes with the mounting hardware.

When working with electrical connections I recommend using dielectric grease like part # 11755. This helps keep dirt and moisture out of the electrical connectors and helps prevent any corrosion.

If you do decide on a Sidewinder, you will not be able to use the sliding function on your fifth wheel hitch. A Sidewinder will give you 22 inches of travel versus the 11 inches on the Reese hitch.

Should you decide you want to use a Sidewinder, you will need to know the make and model of the pin box on your trailer to find the correct system. If you want to send me that information I would be happy to make a recommendation that would work for you.