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Aherbst10
12-21-2017, 11:40 PM
Ok, so I bought a used truck. It's a 1992 GMC Sierra 2500. It has a hitch in the bed that I couldn't figure out what it was supposed to be, so I went to the previous owner. He tells me it's a fifth wheel hitch, but it was set up backwards. The pin in in the truck bed and there was a travel trailer with the plate on it that attatched. Has anybody heard of this and is there a way to make it usable?
Thanks in advance!

Rockyhud
12-22-2017, 11:28 AM
Hi Andrew, and welcome to the forum. I'm rather new here as well and somewhat of a newbie to the RV world too. That said I'm sure others with more experience will likely chime in and may be able to offer some other thoughts on your situation. I did some fairly extensive research before committing to the bed hitch I selected for our truck and during that time I never saw this type of hitch offer by any makers. None the less, the rectangular frame looks similar in size to what my under-bed Curt Double-Lock gooseneck hitch is like, except for yours apparently cut into the truck bed, whereas mine just required a 4" hole for the gooseneck ball to pass through the bed.

So, one thing you need to determine, and let others here know as well, is what kind of hitch are you looking to use and what kind of RV are you going to be towing. Once this is known that will help others here be able to offer some guidance. Good luck in your quest.

wingnut60
12-22-2017, 04:57 PM
Have heard of this arrangement--if it was more effective/easier/safer to use, more of them would be out there. Sometimes, different isn't 'better' so would be very wary of trying to use it.
I think you also have to 'pull' into it to hitch rather than back into it--requiring you to have the trailer hitch in front of the pin when hitching, could be wrong about this.

Rockyhud
12-22-2017, 06:23 PM
Have heard of this arrangement--if it was more effective/easier/safer to use, more of them would be out there. Sometimes, different isn't 'better' so would be very wary of trying to use it.
I think you also have to 'pull' into it to hitch rather than back into it--requiring you to have the trailer hitch in front of the pin when hitching, could be wrong about this.

That's a VERY good point to consider as that would "eat up" the room between the truck cab and the trailer front cap in order to hitch up. The photo looks like it's a full length (8-ft) bed and being an older vehicle likely is, but still something to think about. If a truck bed toolbox were installed that could be a game changer.

jetjockey99
07-02-2018, 06:50 PM
That is a very old design, I haven't seen one in well over 20 years. They worked just like we are all used to other than the fact that the pin and hitch plate were upside down, you still backed in to hitch. I believe the theory was that when unhitched you just either removed or dropped the pin flush with the bed for a clear floor without the weight of a conventional 5th wheel hitch. They seemed to work well but did not gain a lot of favor in the market.