buying a truck without 5th wheel prep..

[plasma800]

I've located a ram 3500 with everything I like except it doesn't have the 5th wheel prep.

Is installing a puck system and plug a massive ordeal?

[drdarrin]

Don't know if it's an ordeal or not.

I bought a used 2012 Ram (no pucks) and just had a B&W turn over ball installed. Could have done it myself but choose to have the dealer do the install. Add a Companion hitch, in bed plug and done.

[Hurk]

I have a 2014 Ram 3500 installed the BW Turnover ball then got the Anderson hitch. Works great

[Duoglide1]

X2. B&W turnover ball under the bed with a Companion hitch on top. No pucks on mine. Companion drops into the assembly for the gooseneck ball.

[BarryG20]

From what I understand it is not that big of an ordeal if somewhat mechanically inclined. A bit scary drilling those holes in the right places in the bed floor. The electrical plug is no big deal Ram as well as others such as Curt have them so that all you do is separate the existing two piece plug and then plug the new one in line and route it to where you want it very plug and play so to speak.
Again drilling a hole in the bed side wall but at least that one if you are off it doesn't matter you can put it anywhere the harness will reach.

I also am using the b&w turnover ball and didnt want the puck system as I already had a companion from my previous truck and it was much cheaper to buy the b&w hidden goose neck and install that then it was to pay for the puck option and have to buy a new hitch.

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by plasma800

I've located a ram 3500 with everything I like except it doesn't have the 5th wheel prep.

Is installing a puck system and plug a massive ordeal?

The Ford 5er install kit is the Reese Elite under-bed kit, into which the Reese Elite 5er hitch plugs in. But Reese doesn't make it for a Ram, and I don't know which puck system Ram uses.

But I'm sure you an buy the under-bed rail parts from the Ram parts counter, then have someone in an RV or hitch store install those rails under the bed, and drill the holes in the bed for the pucks and the trailer plug. Or you can DIY using the old carpenter's rule of "measure three times, cut once". It's not "hard", but it's exacting. If you haven't done it before, then I'd strongly suggest having a pro install it.

Or here's the puck system parts from MOPAR:
https://moparonlineparts.com/2500-fi...ep-p-7131.html
Use that Ram Part Number 82213980, then order it from a discount source to save a buck or so. Ignore the headlines that say it's for a Ram 2500, and note the fine print says "Ram 2500,3500,4500".

Same thing if you decide to install the B&W TurnOverBall gooseneck hitch, then use a B&W Companion 5er hitch instead of the gooseneck ball. It's mostly under the bed, but it requires exact measurements and cutting if you don't want a patched-up bed.

[powderman]

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

The Ford 5er install kit is the Reese Elite under-bed kit, into which the Reese Elite 5er hitch plugs in. But Reese doesn't make it for a Ram, and I don't know which puck system Ram uses.

But I'm sure you an buy the under-bed rail parts from the Ram parts counter, then have someone in an RV or hitch store install those rails under the bed, and drill the holes in the bed for the pucks and the trailer plug. Or you can DIY using the old carpenter's rule of "measure three times, cut once". It's not "hard", but it's exacting. If you haven't done it before, then I'd strongly suggest having a pro install it.

Or here's the puck system parts from MOPAR:
https://moparonlineparts.com/2500-fi...ep-p-7131.html
Use that part number then order it from a discount source to save a buck or so.

Same thing if you decide to install the B&W TurnOverBall gooseneck hitch, then use a B&W Companion 5er hitch instead of the gooseneck ball. It's mostly under the bed, but it requires exact measurements and cutting if you don't want a patched-up bed.

When I helped my buddy do his B&W, the under bed rails had a jig that came with the setup that guided you to drill a small starter hole from the bottom, and then you drill the large hole from the top side. It was a piece of cake.

[plasma800]

I'm thinking about going with the Pullright Pullight... very similar to the Andersen (which is also at top top of my list) but the pullrite requires the pucks... and the Andersen does not.

[drdarrin]

What are the advantages of the pucks?

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by drdarrin

What are the advantages of the pucks?

The pucks are basically just little feet on the bottom of the hitch. When you place the hitch in the bed, those little feet fit into matching holes in the bed. Under the bed are the "rails" that the hitch plugs into. When you remove the hitch from the bed, there's nothing left in the bed but some little holes in the floor of the bed.

The B&W TurnOverBall Companion 5er hitch uses the same basic technique, except there is only one big hole in the bed for one big "puck" on the hitch.

The normal way a 5er hitch works is to install the "industry standard" bed rails (ISR) on the floor of the bed, instead of under the bed. You still need holes in the floor of the bed to bolt the rails to the frame of the pickup. Then when you remove the hitch, the bed rails remain in the bed. Those bed rails don't take up much room, but you don't have a clean flat floor unless you uninstall the bed rails. And removing the bed rails is a PITA, so most folks just leave them in the bed and ignore them.

I used ISR rails for over 10 years for my 5er, and I left them in the bed that whole time. The only disadvantage is if I needed to haul sand or fine gravel in the bed. Unless I covered the rails with a bedrug or tarp or some such, the gravel or sand would get into the bed rails and it was a PITA to clean up the rails after the hauling was done.

I have ISR in my F-150 because I rarely need to tow a small 5er or gooseneck trailer. I leave the bed rails installed in the bed and cover them with a thick heavy rubber bed rug.

[plasma800]

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

The pucks are basically just little feet on the bottom of the hitch. When you place the hitch in the bed, those little feet fit into matching holes in the bed. Under the bed are the "rails" that the hitch plugs into. When you remove the hitch from the bed, there's nothing left in the bed but some little holes in the floor of the bed.

The B&W TurnOverBall Companion 5er hitch uses the same basic technique, except there is only one big hole in the bed for one big "puck" on the hitch.

The normal way a 5er hitch works is to install the "industry standard" bed rails (ISR) on the floor of the bed, instead of under the bed. You still need holes in the floor of the bed to bolt the rails to the frame of the pickup. Then when you remove the hitch, the bed rails remain in the bed. Those bed rails don't take up much room, but you don't have a clean flat floor unless you uninstall the bed rails. And removing the bed rails is a PITA, so most folks just leave them in the bed and ignore them.

I used ISR rails for over 10 years for my 5er, and I left them in the bed that whole time. The only disadvantage is if I needed to haul sand or fine gravel in the bed. Unless I covered the rails with a bedrug or tarp or some such, the gravel or sand would get into the bed rails and it was a PITA to clean up the rails after the hauling was done.

I have ISR in my F-150 because I rarely need to tow a small 5er or gooseneck trailer. I leave the bed rails installed in the bed and cover them with a thick heavy rubber bed rug.

Yep, I use my truck bed for a lot of stuff, from getting 2 yards of dirt to 20 sheets of plywood.

I'd like to use this hitch ISR Series SuperLite 20K Fifth Wheel Hitch | Fifth Wheel Hitches by PullRite

And in the video, they show rails above the bed, but they pull out super super easy .. watch here at minute 1:08

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pf_mNEKZJQ4

[SmokeyWren]

Originally Posted by plasma800

And in the video, they show rails above the bed, but they pull out super super easy ..

Don't confuse ISR with CBT.

Watch the video again, and this time pay super close attention to which bed rails they are removing.

Originally Posted by Pullrite

Then we took a gooseneck coupler, and turned it upside-down and mounted it to a base that fits industry standard rails or PullRite’s totally removable SuperRails featuring Clean Bed Technology (CBT).

The video shows an installed ISR for a moment, but the bed rails they show being removed are the CBT SuperRails. Completely different animal.

That's no problem for you because instead of buying the ISR bed rail install parts, you instead buy the CBT SuperRail install parts.

Install difficulty should be similar for ISR and CBT bed rails - assuming PullRite offers custom under-bed hitch-to-frame install brackets similar to the Reese custom brackets. The Reese custom brackets bolt onto the frame of your exact make, model and year of tow vehicle without drilling more holes through the frame. Hopefully PullRite learned from Reese and offers similar custom brackets for their CBT SuperRails.

BTW, "industry standard" bed rails = Reese bed rails. Reese was by far the biggest seller of 5er hitches back in the day, so as other manufacturers such as Curt and Husky began marketing 5er hitches they made sure their hitches could use the same bed rails as the Reese 5er hitch. And as others (including PullRite) joined the fray, they didn't want to mention a competitor by name, so they coined the phrase "industry standard rails" to use when they meant Reese bed rails.

[plasma800]

Originally Posted by SmokeyWren

Don't confuse ISR with CBT.

Watch the video again, and this time pay super close attention to which bed rails they are removing.



The video shows an installed ISR for a moment, but the bed rails they show being removed are the CBT SuperRails. Completely different animal.

That's no problem for you because instead of buying the ISR bed rail install parts, you instead buy the CBT SuperRail install parts.

Install difficulty should be similar for ISR and CBT bed rails - assuming PullRite offers custom under-bed hitch-to-frame install brackets similar to the Reese custom brackets. The Reese custom brackets bolt onto the frame of your exact make, model and year of tow vehicle without drilling more holes through the frame. Hopefully PullRite learned from Reese and offers similar custom brackets for their CBT SuperRails.

BTW, "industry standard" bed rails = Reese bed rails. Reese was by far the biggest seller of 5er hitches back in the day, so as other manufacturers such as Curt and Husky began marketing 5er hitches they made sure their hitches could use the same bed rails as the Reese 5er hitch. And as others (including PullRite) joined the fray, they didn't want to mention a competitor by name, so they coined the phrase "industry standard rails" to use when they meant Reese bed rails.

I did notice that. I've poured over their site and it does appear they sell custom brackets.

I'm going to phone them in the am to absolutely confirm my thoughts. Looks like a great system.