Recommended 5th Wheel Base Rails for 2013 Ram 2500 Short Bed

Updated 02/26/2018 | Published 02/24/2018

Question:

I know a guy who has a barely used fifth wheel hitch he is wanting to sell. The only thing he could tell me about it at the time was it is a 15k Auto slide Reese and he paid around 1800 for it. He only used it twice before buying a bigger truck and said he would sell it to me for 200.00. He said i would have to buy installation kit for my 2013 Ram 2500 short bed. I know nothing about fifth wheel hitches, so Im wondering if this is as great a deal as he says it is. He is going to get me the model and all that next time he is in town, so I do not know that at this time. Thank you!

asked by: Bill

Helpful Expert Reply:

Without seeing the hitch in question or knowing the exact model, it's hard to say with confidence what kind of deal it is, however the price you mentioned is going to be hard to beat if it is in fact barely used and in good condition. You did mention though, that you were told that it was an "auto slide" hitch from Reese. Reese does not currently produce an automatically sliding fifth wheel hitch, so most likely you are looking at a manual slider (unless the seller misspoke when he said Reese). This simply means you will need to exit the cab of your truck to manually operate the slider before making sharp turns with the trailer.

For a set of custom base rails and hardware that will work great on your 2013 Ram, I recommend the Reese Quick-Install Custom Outboard Installation Kit # RP56011-53. These will be compatible with the Reese hitch that you are considering and the kit includes custom brackets that will use existing holes in the truck's frame. This will drastically cut down on installation time and reduce any drilling that needs to be done.

I have attached the complete installation instructions that you can also take a look at.

Please feel free to email me some pictures or additional information once you talk to the seller again and I will be happy to give you a more accurate opnion.

expert reply by: Chris R