Click for more info and reviews of this B and W Fifth Wheel Installation Kit:
www.etrailer.com/Fifth-Wheel-...
www.etrailer.com
Don’t forget to subscribe!
/ etrailertv
Full transcript: www.etrailer.com/tv-install-f...
Today, on this 2005 Chevrolet Silverado CrewCab, we're going to install part number BWGNRK1067-5W, custom under-bed installation kit for B&W Companion 5th-wheel trailer hitches. This installation kit can also be used for Gooseneck application as well. The first thing we need to do is go ahead and get our truck ready to install our hitch. First off, we're going to get rid of the spare tire. Of course, this will go back up when we're done. Typically next, you would loosen the exhaust right here, but simply all you would do is just go ahead and loosen off the hangers as far off as you can, and then, just let it hang down. It would be a good idea to use a strap of some sort to help support it while you do that.
Additionally, maybe loosen the bolts up at the very front on the exhaust where it clamps together would be a good idea as well. Our hitch is going to install in this general area right here, so the heat shield is going to be in the way. We are just going to cut off this section. To cut our heat shield out, you can use a simple set of tin snips. Also to make things faster, you can use a cutting wheel as well. Tap it with a hammer as well to get rid of the sharp edges. Next, we need to go ahead and find our location for our hole. Now, short-bed trucks and long-bed trucks have 2 different measurements.
In this case, we're using the long-bed measurement. We are going to find the center of the truck right here, and then, we'll go ahead and measure back as instructed. We'll make our initial mark. That's how far back. Now, we measured from the edge of the bed itself, not the tailgate.
Now, we have to get it even from left to right. Let's go ahead and start off with a core wrench pilot hole, and if you want, maybe leave the bit inside to give you reference points to check underneath to see where the hitch needs to mount up underneath. We are going to enlarge this hole with a 4" hole saw. Next, we need to make a notch in the sheet metal right here because you can see when we put a crossmember in, it's going to bottom in at the top here. We are going to make a triangle notch to make it fit. Instructions suggest about 2-1/2" from the center bar here or hat channel, and then, about 1/2" up.
A lot of times I've run into this where it's still not enough. So, I'm just going to go a healthy 3/4". I'd say about 1-1/4" across the bottom. We'll make a nice triangle. If you can feel it behind here. You can only go so far before you hit the bottom of the bed so our mark probably went a little bit high of that, but sometimes the flange is a little bit more or less. A sharp set of tin snips works best for this application. Next, we'll go ahead work on our crossmember. We have to install a bolt right here first because the gas tank will be roughly right smack dab in the way. To get our crossbar ready, we're going to install this bolt from the inside to the outside of the angle, and then, they supply an o-ring to help hold it in place. That keeps the bolt in place for us. Let's go ahead and put it into place. Push it all the way in, and we'll go ahead and push it towards the front. Now, we'll go ahead and install our rear crossmember. Now, you'll noticed the threaded holes are offset. They're not centered. You want the offset to go down towards the ground. Now would be a good time to take one of the hitch bolts and run them inside here to make sure all the paint is cleared out of the threads. Lets go ahead and put our crossmember into place. This one, we'll just lay flat and shove in and then twist it up. After we install our hardware, we need to use some paint to protect the metal. We're almost ready to install the hitch. Now, you'll notice this has an offset as well. This offset will go toward the back of the truck, and you can also double check by noticing how the handle comes off to your driver side. Now, when you put this up you want to have an extra set of hands to help hold it while you install the hardware. In this case, we actually have a lifting device to help hold for us to make things easier to see. If I can get it started. There we go, and we'll get a hold of this. There it goes. We got a lifting device to help hold this up in place while we do work. It's easier to see how the hardware goes together. Also, you can have somebody up in the bed holding this up as well by installing the ball in here and pulling up and then getting a couple of bolts to steady it. Lets go ahead and slide our rear crossbar in first. I think it's easier to work with that way. Then, we'll go ahead and install our ha