Need Advice on Hitch Issue

I wanted to bounce this off you and get your thoughts/opinions... I picked up my new F350 from the dealer in September. When I looked at the hitch rails mounted in the box, I noticed that the center point was forward of the axle. My first thought was "this isn't good" as I knew the hitch mounted near the rail closest to the cab (I have a Reese slider). I measured from the rear rail to the rear of the box on my old truck and then did the same on my new one. The difference was 5"... that is huge.

I hooked up the trailer this past weekend as I was concerned about a couple of clearances... the first being whether or not I could leave my tailgate down when hooking up, and the second being whether the front of the trailer might hit the cab when turning. I wasn't really surprised by the results... the tailgate would have hit the trailer long before the pin locked in and I wasn't even at 90 degrees before my son yelled at me to stop because the trailer was about to hit the cab... and this is with the new design with the front corners cropped.

I thought about towing in the "manouvering" position, but the hitch slides 10 inches back from the "towing" position and this puts the center point about 3" behind the axle, which I don't think is good. The manual says it should be over the axle or slightly in front.

I don't want to have to jump out and slide the hitch whenever I'm backing into a site or my driveway... I'm also concerned about making sharp right hand turns onto a highway as this could also be a problem. I have had 2 other F350 short boxes and 2 trailers and have never had these issues.

I think I know what needs to happen... the hitch needs to be re-installed. This will mean that I have 4 holes in the box that will have to be plugged somehow. I guess I'm just looking for some confirmation this is what needs to happen or if someone has other ideas, I'd love to hear them.

Thanks for your thoughts/opinions

I am not familiar with that exact hitch, but I think you are right, time to re-install. Is there not adjustment of the hitch other than sliding all the way back? Did you try pulling it with the hitch in the Maneuvering position? I think you are right and it will not pull properly, but it may be worth a try.

On my prevoius truck (2000 GMC 2500) and 5th wheel, the slider hitch was about 1 inch ahead of the axle when in towing position and about 7 inches behind the axle when in the back position. I towed in the back position all the time and did not notice any difference in handling. It made a difference in the weight distribution to the front and rear axles though. The front axle was about 250 lbs lighter with the hitch in the rear position.
I have a Reese 15K slider hitch in my current truck and it is about 4" in front of the axle. Unfortunately, I do not think towing with this hitch in the rear position would be safe due to the design of the slide rails. The slide rails extend (cantilever) behind the back cross support. When the hitch is in the rear position the center of the hitch is behind the rear cross support. This will cause uplift on the front cross support which I am sure it is not designed for.
Reinstalling the hitch was not an option either because the no-drill brackets that are clamped to the truck frame can't be moved back due to other interferences on the frame. They are designed to be clamped on at a specific location only. I have to be careful when turning sharp. When hitching with the tail gate down, I have to be aligned straight or the corner of the tail gate will hit the trailer. Inspite of this I have only slid the hitch to the back position once with the trailer hitched. It was very difficult procedure, particularly to get the locking pin back in. I probably will not use the rear position again unless I get into a bind and have no other choice.
If you have the no-drill clamp on brackets, it might not be possible to reinstall the hitch at a different location but you might be lucky.
My prefered location for the hitch on a short box would be directly over the axle or slightly behind.

Jeff,

Since we have the same truck, just 4 years different, I went out and measured. From the rear hitch rail to the rear of the box is 32 3/8 inches.

I put a straight edge from the floor(a shop broom) in the center of the wheel up to the bed of the truck. Then I ran a tomato stake across the bed of the truck as a straight edge.

If I look at the hitch, where the pin goes, it is forward of the center of the axle. If I hold the hitch flat and measure from the center of the wheels(tomato stake) to the inside of the U of the hitch, its 6 1/2 inches.

Hope this helps.

I have a long bed and wouldn't tow with a short box. Personal preference. I have the center of the hitch about 2" forward of the centerline of the rear axle. This is the ideal location, but over the axle is ok. I can't hook up without the tailgate being up unless I'm 100% parallel to the trailer. If I'm off by a few degrees, the corner will contact the trailer. My old trailer wasn't an issue as it had an exposed frame up front.

I can go further than 90°, it's a long bed thing. I can hook up at any angle with my configuration as long as the pin box is clear of the release lever (learned the hard way).

Thanks to all that have replied so far. Oldelmer1, thanks for taking the time to do those measurements. The only measurement I took was from the rear hitch rail to the rear of the box. As I noted, my old truck was 30 inches and this one is 35. Yours is 32 3/8 for a difference of 2 5/8 inches. If mine was moved back the 2 5/8 inches, I'm sure I'd have enough clearance at the cab.

I just reveiwed my hitch manual again and it states "The trailer king pin should always be directly above or slightlyforward of the rear truck axle when towing. Trailers should never be towed with the trailer king pin rearward of the rear truck axle in highway conditions". This could be due to the reasons kcnielen stated.

I'm going to set the hitch in the truck so that the king pin would be directly over the axle and then measure how far the bed rails are out. I'll then get the dealer to reinstall them accordingly.

Any recommendations on how to fill the old holes? Possibly just a bolt with some silicone/sealant?

jetskier wrote:I have a long bed and wouldn't tow with a short box.

Jetskier, my wife drives the truck most of the time and she complains about the size of it now. If I had the long box, I'd never hear the end of it.

I think I'll stay with the short box

Oh, if I do it again. I'll get a 2011+ Ford F350 w/ the 5th wheel/gooseneck frame mounts from the factory. Not to mention the bed 7-way plug.

Jeff,

I went out and measured the position of the hitch bedrails in my Ram 2500 shortbed. As near as I can tell they are centered approximately 1" forward of the axle centerline. In this position I had 4" of clearance for the tailgate when it was open. Since I began using a 5th wheel tailgate I don't have to open it to hitch. I also use a slider so I've not hit my cab yet either.

Are your hitch brackets the no drill type if so were the right rails installed for your truck? Unfortunately if the frame was drilled to install the brackets I don't think they did it correctly and you will probably need to have the unit re-installed. By the way was the original install done by the truck dealer or an RV dealer?

jetskier wrote:Oh, if I do it again. I'll get a 2011+ Ford F350 w/ the 5th wheel/gooseneck frame mounts from the factory. Not to mention the bed 7-way plug.

Too bad that wasn't a current option!! That would have prevented my issues

Rich5117 wrote:Are your hitch brackets the no drill type if so were the right rails installed for your truck? Unfortunately if the frame was drilled to install the brackets I don't think they did it correctly and you will probably need to have the unit re-installed. By the way was the original install done by the truck dealer or an RV dealer?

Rich, the hitch is about 2 years old and has the drill type rails. What it looks like they did was remove 1 set of bolts that are used to bolt the box to the frame and installed the front rails using these existing holes. They would have had to drill holes for the rear rails. The install of the rails in both my old truck and the new one was done by the Ford dealer.

Jeff - I just came across your post. I too have a similar situation. I just moved my DrawTite setup from my Chevy to my F250 last weekend and immediately thought the same thing - "This thing is closer to the cab!" Sure enough, I hooked up the Cat on Saturday and couldn't make the same turns I was used to. I've triple checked the measurements and everything is where it needs to be - the hitch is approximately 4 inches ahead of the axle. Multiple base rail installation instructions that I've come across call for it to be this way.
I even called Reese and before I explained fully what the situation was, the Tech (very nice by the way), says "You've lost a few inches between your hitch and cab." It sounds like they've heard this before! We discussed sliders and he pointed out that a square tube slider will actually move the head CLOSER to the cab by 1.5 inches - not helping the situation. He said the round tube slider is neutral (head will be where it is now on the fixed head hitch). He threw out some options including the Sidewinder or another pin box (extended).

At this point, I am seriously considering a Superglide. What I saw on Saturday in my "test towing" has me concerned not only for tight towing conditions when backing up, but for those tight situations when going forward.

JonC wrote:Jeff - I just came across your post. I too have a similar situation. I just moved my DrawTite setup from my Chevy to my F250 last weekend and immediately thought the same thing - "This thing is closer to the cab!" Sure enough, I hooked up the Cat on Saturday and couldn't make the same turns I was used to. I've triple checked the measurements and everything is where it needs to be - the hitch is approximately 4 inches ahead of the axle. Multiple base rail installation instructions that I've come across call for it to be this way.
I even called Reese and before I explained fully what the situation was, the Tech (very nice by the way), says "You've lost a few inches between your hitch and cab." It sounds like they've heard this before! We discussed sliders and he pointed out that a square tube slider will actually move the head CLOSER to the cab by 1.5 inches - not helping the situation. He said the round tube slider is neutral (head will be where it is now on the fixed head hitch). He threw out some options including the Sidewinder or another pin box (extended).

At this point, I am seriously considering a Superglide. What I saw on Saturday in my "test towing" has me concerned not only for tight towing conditions when backing up, but for those tight situations when going forward.

Didn't realize you were a member on this site Jon!!

Hope our email correspondence helped you some......I am 2008Wildcat on RV.net.

Personally, I had the Reese 16K slider hitch for 2 years, then dented my pillar on the truck and promptly went out and bought the Superglide. That's why I am using the adapter in my Reese rails.

No dents or broken windows for me!! Lesson learned.


Steve

Hi Steve! Yes, thanks for your useful info. That's what I love about these boards - we're all here for the same reason....telling and sharing real stories to help each other out. Based on your feedback and others having gone through some not so pleasant experiences, I am about to place the order for the Superglide. It's expensive, but I think worth it in the long run. We all have enough to worry about while we drag 10K + pounds down the road, without worrying about whether or not we can make a turn into a parking lot!

-Jon

Hi Jon. I was away on a 5 week trip when my new truck arrived. The dealer went ahead and installed the rails and just centered them over the axle. With my sliding hitch, the installation manual stated that the pin should sit directly over the axle or just slightly in front. The dealer re-installed the hitch as instructed in the manual and everything is fine now.

I've had 3 Ford F350 Crew Cab short boxes and I haven't yet been in a situation where I've had to use the slider. It's nice to know that it's there if I need it.