Hot Doggies, the job is done and over. Installed the hitch yesterday. Here are the dirty details:<br><br>Hitch - - 18K Hidden Hitch. See pic attached.<br>Mounting Kit - Reese. See pic attached.<br><br>The installation went very smooth. The new Reese mounting kit is quite hefty. It is a little difficult to see it in the pic - everything is black. We did manage to get about 1&quot; in front of the axle center. You can note in the pic that this brings the bracket right against one of the bed braces reducing the ability to go any further forward. It was a little slow, but it was the first one they had installed on 2003. So, White Ghost became White Guinea Pig. The installation became very routine once measurements were made, adjustments made to gain a little more forward than TDC, and then all went very well. The guys were quite impressed with the hardness of the frame. They commented it was similar to drilling on a Cheby frame. <br><br>The pic of topside shows the hitch and the new aux tank/tool box combo. Someone asked about the tank - - it is from RDS Manufacturing in Perry, Fl. Have to keep them Suthern boys in business you know. ;D The tank is 41 gallon gravity feed. It has three baffles and seems quite heavy duty. I thought about going with the &quot;expensive&quot; one, but this was less than 1/2 of the cost. It does have a fuel gauge. Cost was $600 plus $150 for installation including all parts. The pic also shows the new Line-X liner coating. He did a supurb job - cut in edges so clean. Put the black plastic edging around the top to protect it and trim it off. I thought it came out really super. <br><br>Thanks again for the input - - as usual you guys were great in support. This is one happy camper - - well, camping soon. 8) Still waiting for the adapter for the movable brake pedals for the Jordan Brake Controller. <br><br>Smilin'Bob

 

OOOpppppssss. Forgot, only one pic per post. Here is the bracket. Hard to see but it is a heavy one and fit perfect.<br>Bob

 

I do declare, Fiver, That Hidden Hitch Head looks like a twin to my 16K Reese Head. Is that bracket the rear bracket? Thought I could see the spare in one corner.<br><br>Happy towing!

 

Sierra,

Yes, that is the spare you are seeing - - it is the rear bracket. They did a nice install.

I was quite impressed with the Hidden Hitch. The thing I liked most was the way the jaws lock. Very sturdy setup. Very good price in comparison to Reese. And, the shop was very fair on the pricing of the bracket kit. Camping World wanted $95 for it - - I got it here at $55. Hitch with rails was only $600. That is $240 cheaper than a Reese at Camping World even with my President Club membership. Slowly, friend, it is coming together.

Bob

 

Hey Bob, Congratulations on the hitch installation. Will look forward to your comments on the towing abilities of your new truck. Where did they drill the frame? Hard to tell form your picture. How big were the holes? Did they uses sleeves on the bolts? How many holes per side? So many questions, so little time.

Casey

 

Casey,

Welcome to the board, there Neubeee. You will enjoy the conversation and info on this forum. Some very knowledgable people hang out here.

I didn't stay under the truck during the whole installation. I do know they followed the Reese instructions to the letter except for the distance from the rear of the bed. They were able to get about 1 inch forward from TDC. Instructions place it exactly at TDC of the axle.

As for hole size, etc, again, just like the instructions. I watched them close enough to see that. I thought a bolt should be in every hole - - wrong. Read the directions. :P

I was pleased with the installation. They seemed impressed with the heft of the frame and the exactness of the Reese installation kit.

Yep, I am anxious to get it on the road. Just have to convince Jordan to give me a prototype of the controller bracket for the adjustable pedals and I can hook up.

Bob

 

Some questions came up on the bracket on the front of the frame. Attached is a pic of that bracket. <br><br>White mark on frame shows 2&quot; forward from TDC of axle. That was the target. The pic shows the actual installation ended up about 1&quot; forward due to bed brace shown in the picture. The frame was drilled from the outside, then the strings on the bolts fished from the backside from existing holes in the frame. This prevented the necessity of dropping the fuel tank. Neat installation. The large brackets in the previous picture are in the rear.<br><br>Bob

 

I've said it once and I'll say it again. I love my B&amp;W set-up. It doesn't limit you to pulling only one kind of trailer. And it simply clamps on, no drilling. I love it.