mowermech
Billings, MT
Senior Member
Joined: 06/28/2003
View Profile
 Offline
|
Eugarps wrote:mowermech,
Really? Ten minutes? I thought it took lots longer. I suppose the fittings under the bed stay in place?
Bill
Yessir, 4 big 5/8 inch bolts to remove the rails. The frame brackets stay in place. One of them is right by the fuel tank, and there is NO WAY I am taking that thing out, I had enough trouble getting those bolts in! There would be no advantage to taking them off the frame, anyway.
CM1, USN (RET)
'94 Dodge 3500 4X2 CTD, 5 speed, 4.10 LS diff., Jacobs Rambrake, 274,000 Miles
'99 Monaco McKenzie 32' triple slide
'95 Tioga 29H Ford-based Class C
Daily driver: '08 Subaru Outback
Towed: '06 Jeep Rubicon Unlimited/Load Trail 16' flatbed
|
msredneck84
Southeastern U S (habitually)
Senior Member
Joined: 10/09/2006
View Profile
Good Sam RV Club
Offline
|
Eugarps wrote:NCH,
I do need the bed to be flat, because I haul pallets of food to local churches for the local food bank. The pallets are slid onto my truck using a tow motor. Two rails in the bed would cause serious problems.
Thanks,
Bill
Just a friendly suggestion, rather than having to remove the bedrails to haul your cargo, why not make one or two dummy rails (the same thickness as your bedrails) out of 2"x4" and/or 1"X2" lumber and then place a 8'x4'x3/4" plywood over these and you have a nice flat surface again.
Drinking out of my saucer!
|
4toyotas4me
Pleasant Grove, UT
Full Member
Joined: 06/08/2009
View Profile
Offline
|
Eugarps wrote:NC Hauler,
I probably didn't make myself clear: Manufacturers DO make below bed hitches for the 8' bed and 5'-8" bed BUT NOT for the most common 6'-6" bed. I can't figure it out. I would think the bucks would be made with the most common bed length. One of the manufacturers (who will remain nameless) stated that the couldn't figure out a way to make it work.... HUH? This is America! Our engineers can do anything! 
I'll keep looking. Thanks for your help.
Bill
Bill,
You know me from over at TS on the gooseneck setup. Anyway......... I don't know how much you have dug into this situation, nor whether or not you have actually looked at the differences between the 3 bed lengths.
But just for your information from what i've found is this: The CM and the DC are the EXACT SAME underneath. The ONLY difference is the bed itself being shorter. I'm no expert on hitch installations by any means, but i would almost bet the CM hitch would work for you.
You may want to give it a try if you haven't already.
Hopefully it works for you, and if it does; just send beer. haha
Or just some rep points on TS would be fine.
Either way, let me know.
2007 Tundra DC 5.7 L
2007 4-runner 4.0 L
2008 Corolla 1.8 L
1999 Epic 22 Inboard
2006 25' KZ Jag 5er
|
Eugarps
Hagerstown, MD
Senior Member
Joined: 09/26/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Thanks, 4T4M and thanks for your help over on TS. I'm not all that anxious about the sidewall cracking issue on Arctic Fox. Those things are built like tanks and AF makes a big deal of their frame construction and strength. I may just go with the 21-5R or 23-5A AF fiver and the Star Performance GNA and be happy. I don't drive that wild and crazy anyway.
Msredneck84, I've thought about your solution. That could work as well, while protecting the bed from not-so-good tow motor operators....
Any way I go, I'll most likely be keeping the Tundra. If I were to add SuperSprings, 'E' rated tires, and Rancho 9000XLs, I'd essentially have a 3/4 ton. The axle's for sure strong enough.
Thanks again,
Bill
|
Eugarps
Hagerstown, MD
Senior Member
Joined: 09/26/2002
View Profile
Offline
|
Hi,
Just an update on my search for a fifth wheel hitch. Here's what I've found: Curtis Manufacturing makes a "Double Lock" gooseneck hitch that mounts below the bed for a 2007-2009 Tundra with the 6.5' box. They also make an "X5 Adapter" with standard in-bed hitch rails that allows me to use any hitch with it. I'd probably use their "E5" head assembly and maybe their "R5 Fifth Wheel Roller" (slider). That way I could avoid all of the fiver manufacturers' warranty issues and still have the clean truck bed I've been looking for. 
It's not quite as slick as a gooseneck adapter but I can live with that. I'll let you know how it turns out. 
Thanks for all your help,
Bill
|
|
|
|
