The Factory receiver for the goose neck ball has the release mechanism as part of the ball, so there is no under bed release lever like the B&W version. It does look like the notch in the OE wheel well liner might have been intended for something like the B&W ball release, but unless this would have cleared the release lever, some cutting would be required. I agree that trimming the wheel well liner could have been done a lot better. Perhaps you can get the dealership to supply a new wheel well liner (can't be that expensive) and you can trim it more carefully to clear the lever?

FWIW . . . as I have the factory under bed frame for the goose neck ball and no wheel well liners, so I can't offer any direct comparison.

Rob

It may be the angle of the picture but in the close up it appears that the bolt that secure the plates together is not tightened up.

Wow, thanks for the catch Drifter... I'm embarrassed that I didn't catch that myself. It's not the angle. Three out of four of those bolts are sticking out to some degree. I'm at work, so I cant' check the torque, but I don't know of any piece of equipment where you'd want a bolt to be sticking out like that.

(edit: grammar)

I took a break and crawled under the bed. There's more than just those three bolts. It's a mess. I got lots of photos and a few videos to forward to the RV Dealer. Got an appointment with Ford. I'd be surprised if they don't pull it apart entirely and re-install it.

Again Drifter, THANK YOU!!! No doubt in my mind that this would've become a big issue down the road with potentially lethal consequences.

Drifter

Drifter -- perfect example of owners-helping-owners, the whole reason this forum exists. Scooby snack for you!

Great Catch

NCW_Wander

I am not sure if you posted this or not but was the hitch install by the Ford dealer or your RV dealer?

Brian

Country Campers , it was installed by the RV Dealership. I'm taking it to Ford to assess both the installation and any potential damage that may have occurred on the five hour drive home from the dealership. I bought the truck brand new in July. I'm really hoping that the bed and frame are unscathed.

That is terrible that the RV dealer would allow that to happen. I would give them the cut out of the wheel well liner but the loose bolts is intolerable. I hope you pass this on to the dealer as this could have cause a serious accident. Please keep us up to date with this outcome.

Brian

drifterranch - X5.....outstanding observation and letting Phil know.......yikes ! Can't wait to see what your dealer says about this Phil NCW_Wander Looks like they installed with all/most points loose before tightening any one point (makes sense) but neglected to complete (unexcusable) the final tightening process.

Dan

Update - 12/7/21: I emailed the Service Manager over the weekend. Tried to stay calm, even though the only thought in my head was, had drifterranch not caught this, I'd likely be towing with my kids in the truck when the hitch finally gave up the ghost. In addition, I told him that I can't drive my truck at highway speeds right now, for fear of sending an errant bolt into oncoming traffic. I said a lot. But that was the gist of it. Also requested a rental vehicle for when Ford has my truck. I happen to know that that particular shop is really busy.

Service Manager responded yesterday. VERY apologetic! He wants to personally bring a qualified technician out to tighten all of the bolts so that I can drive my truck on the highway. Otherwise, the dealership is taking responsibility and paying for whoever I chose to repair and/or re-install the hitch and wheel-well, along with any damage to the bed or frame (I doubt that there's any damage to the frame, but who knows). They also offered a rental for the time that the truck's in the shop.

It's taking me a bit to cool off. your right though Country Campers, the fender isn't a huge deal. I get upset when someone looks at my new truck the wrong way. I'm a little sensitive after what I went through to get that hunk of metal. Some folks dream of Ferraris and Porches. A brand new Diesel F350 has been my dream since I can remember. In the end though, it's just a fender well and some scratched paint (probably a $200-300 fix in all honesty). After finding all of those loose bolts though... I couldn't get the image of my kids screaming as 13,000 pounds of trailer and goods come uncorked. And it if it tore through the bed, like I think it would have, the safety wouldn't have engaged. That trailer would've mowed down the first thing it came in contact with, as me and my family look on in horror. I've gone through all of the scenarios a hundred times in my mind. Probably a lot worse in my head than what actually would've happened. I suppose once the anger wears off, I'm gonna be feeling a whole lot of gratitude. This is a big wake up call for me!

Glad they are stepping up. The manual for the hitch should have torque specs for each bolt. I would watch the tech to make sure this is done proper and also request the manual if you do not already have it. There is no excuse for this schotty installation, you are right to be mad, i might not have been as nice as you.

Brian

Country Campers yep, I’ve read the installation instructions front to back. Not only was it not torqued, but they were supposed to use lock tight. No adhesive in ANY of the bolts.