I'm an old dog, I admit. But sometimes I stumble into something that truly amazes me. That happened today.
My neighbor (single widowed woman with an 11 year old daughter) has a horse trailer with a goose neck hitch. She's had the truck for only a few months, and the trailer for over a year now, and I really never gave it any thought how a Gooseneck hitches up to the truck, other than it uses a ball. I've seen the web sites, like Andersen and such, which seems to be debated so much, and the Gooseneck they make. I guess, I just never thought about how they actually hook up in the bed of the truck.
Enter my neighbor. She called and wanted help backing her truck up to hitch earlier today. I went over and spotted her. (Ok, she's much younger, and still learning, but at least she is trying). Her and her daughter are going to a horse show tonight (their horse trailer has been customized with sleeping quarters).
So I got her hitched, no problem. But I also took notice of how the hitch was installed. Her truck is a Chevy Silverado 2500 long bed crew cab. And in the truck bed was installed a set of fifth wheel bed rails. On top of that was a flat Gooseneck adapter that attached to the bed rails. I truly taken back when I saw that! I never thought about that. Of course, I've never towed a trailer with a Goose Neck before either.
So, I went on the internet and found Goose Neck hitches that can be installed on fifth wheel bed rails. I was really curious about price. It seems they run from around $160 to $700. They come in two varieties, Bent Plate and Spider variations. The videos on
e-trailer gave me an education.
Oh my gosh! Where have I been all these years! What a great alternative!
I suppose if my neighbor ever needs my help with my truck, we can always pull her hitch and attach it to my rails.
It's amazing how you can own something for years (my truck is now 8 years old), and you learn something new about it's capability after all that time. And I suppose there's nothing wrong with always being prepared. You just never know where life will take you!