Etrailer.com Hitches....Step 1- Throw instructions in garbage

[hotsam]

I ordered (for my 1985 c35 3+3 dually) , a Draw Tite class 5 receiver hitch , a Reese in bed rail kit to accept my Reese 5th wheel hitch for my camper, and a Curt gooseneck plate that sets in those rails for my cattle trailer and 24' gooseneck trailer. Prices were reasonable and shipping was free over 99$ and shipping was fast. Apparently , maybe because of age ? , the manufacturers just guess on installation instructions our trucks.
I first attempted to install the receiver hitch. Ive installed alot of hitches but I turned to the instruction page for our trucks and read through it.. It read... Place hitch in position and adjust to miss suspension and obstructions.. I. quickly realized that the hitch I ordered for my exact application interfered with two crossmember rivets on each side , and the lower bumper support bracket. My first instinct was to fire up the plasma arc and "clearance" accordingly.. But i figured id give them a call and see what they allowed. 4 hours , pics sent, and 3 phone conversations later I was told that my 1 ton, 3+3 LONG BED dually has a "UNIQUE" "SHORT BED" frame... and thats why the hitch wont fit Hahahaha !!! LMAO ! I quickly realized also this was going nowhere and they were not gonna accept any responsibility. I told them they needed to change that p/n so someone else doesnt get
STUCK .... then a little pi$$d off, I fired up the plasma and made my modifications !! Fits like a glove.... NOW!!! I will carry on with the rail kit instructions in the a.m.... Not near as bad but still a little funny !!! Anyway , goodnight for now

[LockDoc]

-
Sorry to hear about the problems. On a lighter note I guess your board name fits...... J/K

LockDoc

[68C15]

step 1 is go to steel yard and buy materials. Then start making your own hitch for less money and have one that fits perfect and is stronger

[hotsam]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
Sorry to hear about the problems. On a lighter note I guess your board name fits...... J/K

LockDoc

Haha.. yes in this case I guess it was Spot-On !!!

[hotsam]

Originally Posted by 68C15

step 1 is go to steel yard and buy materials. Then start making your own hitch for less money and have one that fits perfect and is stronger

Good point 68c15.. Every time I think I'll save myself a little time and money , and end up dealing with any customer service dept. I realize this should have been Step 1 !! Making the hitch fit was really no big deal, 15 or 20 minutes , but even attempting to try to deal with them was pointless... over all I'm sure etrailer is a good company, sure can't beat prices or shipping but they are just the distributors .. they are limited on vehicle knowledge , especially older stuff I think. It's a class 5 16k hitch and it will do just fine now

[hotsam]

The rails for the 5th wheel and gooseneck plate are pretty straight forward.. the instructions for our trucks have 3 pages.. one for inboard shocks, one for outboard shocks, and one for cab and chassis. On my particular truck , the front overload spring brackets interfered and both shock brackets caused some modification of the hitch brackets.. no big deal just fire the old plasma back up and a little trim on the hitch brackets here and there... (it is a universal kit of sorts) but the funny thing was the hole pattern for the bed !! Almost NONE of the "marked" holes on any of the pages were correct !!! Glad I done a little figuring first or I'd have a bed full of unused holes again , all in all it's now a good solid hitch with 8 good mounting points to the frame so all is good..

[LockDoc]

-
Glad you got it sorted out. Seems like you have to double check everything nowdays....

LockDoc