5th Wheel Electrical Plugs in Bed

[BigRedDMaxx]

Where are those of you with 5th wheel hitches installing your wiring plugs in your bed ? Hole thru bed wall? On bracket attached to wall/floor ? Anyone with pictures ?
I am looking for a place that is easily reachable yet somewhat protected from damage when hauling cargo.
Thanks

[Steve Cornell]

I just installed a trailer socket in my bed this evening.
I drilled a hole with a 2" hole saw just in front of the wheel well, here is a picture of the installed socket http://www.rtol.net/scornell/trailerplug.jpg

The wiring for the plug is as follows (starting at 1:00 and going clockwise around the socket,

12 Volt + (battery feed) - RED
Right stop & turn - DARK GREEN
Trailer Brakes - DARK BLUE
Ground - WHITE
Left stop & turn - YELLOW
Running lights \ tail lights - BROWN
center conductor = Back-up lights - LIGHT GREEN
the LIGH BLUE wire is the center mounted stop light and is not used.

The wiring colors can also be found in the owners manual on page 4-89 (2003).

[RVGuy]

I just had a Reese 16k slider installed by a local hitch dealer. They located the plug between the wheel well and tailgate on the driver's side. The socket is recessed into the side of the bed. Very neat/clean installation. The only thing showing is the flap that covers the socket.

I found that to be a very easy location to reach from the rear with the coach hooked up, tailgate down. If the socket were forward of the wheel-well, one would need to take plug in-hand and walk forward along the side, reach over the bed rail and plug it in. I'm 6'1" and don't know that I would have the leverage to plug it in.

I'd give it allot of thought before installing it forward of the wheel well.

[CanadaKev]

Mine is in the same spot as RVGuy.
Great accessability!

[crafty]

I put mine right at the front on the left side. The wiring was routed up between the box sides so there was no holes to drill except the screws used to mount the bracket. I can reach it very easily and it never gets in the way when not in use. There are pics at the link below. I think the plug pics are on page 2
:D :D :D

[Colorado Kid]

Mine is where Steve's is...Having a running board makes it easy to plug in.

On Edit...I like not having to put my head between the trailer and the truck to plug it in...I've seen too many pickup/5th wheel combinations with matching dents from dropping. I know they usually fall when the driver pulls away with an unlocked hitch, but I don't get under mine unless the landing gear is down, and even then I'm mighty careful.

[ 03-18-2003: Message edited by: Colorado Kid ]</p>

[NoMo]

Two previous trucks had plug installed in front of wheelwell. Current GMC has it behind wheelwell in same place as RVGuy's. I prefer the behind wheel installation.

[Husker Fan]

Yikes!

I couldn

[Redhawk]

I put mine on the driver's side just in front of the wheel well. It works for me because there is more room between the bed rail and the bottom of the fiver to make or break the connection. A lot depends on how long the cable is. You don't want it to hang up making sharp turns.

[BigRedDMaxx]

Thanks guys for the ideas. For those of you who installed the plug on the bedwall, between the wheel well and tailgate, did you use the towing harness that's coiled up between the rear of the cab and the front of the box? It doesn't look to me like there would be enough factory wire to reach that far back.
Thanks again

[NoMo]

My truck didn't come with the factory wiring, so I have an aftermarket harness that I've transferred to/from my previous two trucks.

[Maverick]

The 5th wheel harness is very long. It splits back by the stock hitch and recepticle in the back of the truck and runs up the drivers side to the front of the box and is coiled up. If you feel your harness will not reach from the front of the box to the rear of the box where you want to mount your plug, you can pull all of the harness to the rear of the truck. You will have to snip some plastic cable holders. I have done this on my 3500 and the 5th wheel harness is approx 12 ft long. You know its eight feet already because it comes from the rear of the truck to the front of the box plus what ever you have coiled up.