I am trying to get my dodge cummins ready for our gooseneck and have to figure out what style of in bed reciever I want to go with. Our goosneck uses a 1 5/16" ball in the bed that goes up into the neck on the trailer, not a fifth wheel. A friend has the same style trailer and he just welded the ball to a big heavy steel plate 2'x2' and bolted it to the bed by drilling through both the plate and bed at each of the four corners. I am considering this way since it's probably the cheapest and need to still get a brake controller.
i have a B&W turnover ball. i have yet to see it in person, but it looks great in the pictures. im driving an 04.5 ram 3500 SRW short box 2WD. it was a litle expensive, but is load rated to 30k if i remember right. when not in use you turn over the ball and its nice and flat. i dont like welding the hitches to the frame due to liability. its best to get a specific instal kit and use it. easier to prove not yoru fault if something goes wrong. Grant
Do you have pictures of this setup? A link to where I could find the kit? I meant weld the ball on to a steel plate that is then bolted to the bed, but I like the idea of being able to flip the ball over.
I personally like the DrawTite offering, with the removeable ball. The whole hitch is under the bed, the only part exposed is the ball and safety chain loops, and when the ball is removed you only have two small loops exposed. They are 30K pound rated. EDIT: Forgot the link. http://www.hitchestogo.com/gooseneck_hitches.htm
Did you mean a 2 5/16"s ball? Your friends setup would have a subframe or crossmember under the bed that ties it into the main frame if it was done by a pro, have you looked underneath his truck?
Yeah, I meant 2 5/16". He did not use anything under the bed, just a heavy guage 1/2" plate of steel 24"x24" bolted through the bed at each corner with the ball welded in the middle of the plate.
I have a friend that repairs big rig trucks and trailers plus installs hitches too. Be it a gooseneck or fifth wheel hitch in a pickup, it needs to be tied into the frame, not just bolted to the bed. Bolting the hitch to the bed only is asking for the hitch to tear away under the stress placed onto it. Would you trust a bumper hitch bolted only to the bed of a truck? I wouldn't!
That is why I posted asking for opinions on that setup and any other setups guys are using. I am probably going to go with one of the two systems that have links above.
Or if you have or might need a Reese 5th wheel hitch you could use this. http://www.reese-hitches.com/images/goose2.jpg
RJF, This is going to rub a few raw, but here is something to consider. If you live in TX, and want to have a Gooseneck hitch installed they weld their setup. If you go to RJ Trailer on the Internet, they and other even sell the U-Channel for the hitch. I don't disagree with the thoughts behind the idea of welding to a truck frame, but it has been done and is being done quite a bit. Most of the horse people have the hitches installed by local companies in TX, OK etc. And never have issues with them. How you decide to do it is your choice. I welded my to the frame with a 1/2" channel and reinforced it to the frame then drilled it for the 2 5/16" ball. It worked out no problem and I have around $30.00 in the whole setup. I tow heavy and I tow hard with my truck, and I have had the shops look at it that make custom hitches and they said no problems. I won't defend my decision to anyone, but it's my opinion, and what I did. I just bring a different opinion or idea to the discussion. Rob
Thats basically what my dad did with his '76 C30. He welded a crossmember under the bed between the frame rails, cut a 4" hole in the bed right above it, drilled through his crossmember, welded a nut to the bottom of the crossmember, and screwed the ball right in through the crossmember and into the welded nut. He then welded the 4" whole to the crossmember to "seal" out water. It works great but am not interested really for my Dodge because I don't want to weld on it...but we'll see.
The one posted by SuperTrucker is the one I have. I got the 30,000 lb Reese 5th wheel setup with frame plates, and the 30,000 lb "Goosy" adapter. Over kill is good...
i just like the idea that IF something happens, i can say "they made it and tested it, it was instaled as per direction, sue them" thats just me. i fully agree that it is strong enough, more of a back up plan. Grant
That will hardly work. What they send YOU is a box of metal. How YOU have it installed and how YOU use it is entirely on YOU. Towing is a whole new ballgame with placing blame. If your tires are underinflated or your rig is over/incorrectly loaded it is ultimately the drivers fault. The kicker is speed rating. Most towing related accessories (not just tires) have a lower speed rating (55-65) knowing that the big accidents happen above those speeds. Read the fine print. I work at a tire shop and have seen everything while under the 1 tons. From the 1/2" plate with a ball welded in the bed to a custom $25K flat bed. The real heavy non CDL rigs (F550, Kodiaks, and Isuzu's) usually have a large C-channel welded between the rails and the ball bolted through it.
Every late model Class 8 truck I've seen has a warning not to weld the frame rails as it ruins the heat treatment. If you have a heat treated frame don't weld to it.
You have me corrected. I looked a little closer. The hitch is hard mounted to the flat bed wich is bolted on the frame. Some are still welded across the rail's though. I wasn't aware the most of the civy chassis' were heat treated. I know the kodiak 6500 and up is.