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Old 06-24-2022, 01:50 PM   #1
DutchmenSport
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old dog can still learn new stuff - Goosenecks!

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!
 
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Old 06-24-2022, 02:50 PM   #2
DQDick
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Just because something is available doesn't mean it's a good idea. A person needs to make sure that the frame manufacturer of the 5th wheel you have has approved the hitch you want to use.
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Old 06-24-2022, 03:41 PM   #3
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If the Frame Manufacturer does not approve a hitch being put on a unit they are known to VOID the Warranty on that frame and any part of it. Be VERY careful on what you do in the way of modifications (especially to the frame of the unit). You sure don't want to take it into a dealer for work to be done on the unit and be told that the Warranty has been voided by something you had done to it. There is a bulletin out from Lippert/LCI and Keystone that the dealers have received about use of gooseneck hitches and frame flex problems already so check with the frame manufacturer BEFORE doing any modifications such a welding or drilling on the frame for hitches and etc.
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Old 06-24-2022, 05:20 PM   #4
mhs4771
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Dutch, you can also get the Hitch Ball that mounts directly to the truck frame in the middle of the bed. My Silverado has the little plastic cover in the middle of the bed where the ball would mount and not need an adapter.
While you were looking, did you happen to notice how large and sturdy that Goose Neck was? Compare that to the way they make the pin box attachment on our units
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Old 06-24-2022, 05:42 PM   #5
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Dutch - you are a good neighbor!
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Old 06-24-2022, 06:41 PM   #6
Foldbak
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My GMC also has a ball option. Oh and good job Dutch! WOOF
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Old 06-25-2022, 12:51 PM   #7
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When I still had my old 2000 F350, I used the Curt Spider gooseneck plate often on my Reese bed rails as I have a dovetailed gooseneck trailer that I use to haul my JD tractor and shredder. I had a Curt Q20 hitch at the time for my fiver. The Q20 and Spider could be easily swapped out depending on which trailer I needed to hook up to ... although the Q20 got heavier and heavier as each year passed. I opted to go with the steel Andersen hitch model that also attaches directly to the Reese bed rails a few years afterwards due to the weight issue described when horsing the Q20 in and out of the bed.

Fast forward to last year when I bought a 2017 F350 with the puck system factory installed. Owning an older truck for years, I was a newby about the newer gadgets factory installed. I couldn't use my Andersen without buying an adaptor that attached to the puck system. I tried the adaptor, but with the late model trucks sitting so high to start with, the adaptor made the nose high issue worse with no more adjustment on my pin box or Andersen hitch. I ended up buying just the tripod part of an Andersen aluminum hitch that fits directly to the ball that fits in my puck system. I already had the Andersen adaptor on my pin box left over from the rail mount Andersen hitch. This setup finally got me pulling very close to level again plus I don't have to swap anything out when I want to pull my gooseneck trailer other than simply removing the Andersen tripod. And by the way ... the Andersen is a "ball mount hitch" but is not considered a gooseneck in the true sense. Please don't let my hitch tale get tangled up in an Andersen hitch tangent as I was just telling a parallel story to the OP's. Just be happy with the hitch you use and I'll be happy with mine.
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Old 06-25-2022, 07:45 PM   #8
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I'm pretty certain that the setup Dutchman referred to has nothing with "a gooseneck hitch for fifth wheel trailers" I ran a Reese combo setup on bed mounted rails in the bed of a 3500 Ram for 5 years and only the Lord knows how many miles. Why you may ask? Because I could pin in the gooseneck ball to the rails when pulling my gooseneck trailers. When I wanted to pull my fifth wheel, I merely unpinned the gooseneck hitch and installed a 20K fifth wheel hitch to the mounting rails instead. Easy peasy, never one bit of trouble or hassle, and always there for whatever type of trailer hitch I needed. Not sure if Reese was the first with this concept or not, but they were spot on for having the right tool for the job at the time. Either the Reese fifth wheel hitch was a lot lighter back then, or my back was a lot younger back then. Not sure which, but I use a tractor and front end loader to get our B&W Companion hitch out when needed. Safe travels and happy camping


Edit: Dutchman you are an AWESOME neighbor.....
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Old 06-25-2022, 07:56 PM   #9
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What Dutchman was referring to was a 2 and 5/8 goose neck ball adapter plate that fits on top of standard bed rails in place of a regular fifth wheel hitch like my Q20 was. Curt makes the adapter Dutchman talked about it's brand name is Spyder. Like said I've used one for years until I got the newer truck. It's handy when you have both a standard fifth wheel and a gooseneck trailer. And yes like you said it is nothing to do with pulling a fifth wheel unless you buy one of those dreaded adapters that hooks onto your pin box that makes it a gooseneck setup. I was just rambling about the difference between my old truck with bed rails and what you have to work with with the newer trucks with the puck system installed in the bed.
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Old 06-25-2022, 08:05 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dieselguy View Post
What Dutchman was referring to was a 2 and 5/8 goose neck ball adapter plate that fits on top of standard bed rails in place of a regular fifth wheel hitch like my Q20 was. Curt makes the adapter Dutchman talked about it's brand name is Spyder. Like said I've used one for years until I got the newer truck. It's handy when you have both a standard fifth wheel and a gooseneck trailer. And yes like you said it is nothing to do with pulling a fifth wheel unless you buy one of those dreaded adapters that hooks onto your pin box that makes it a gooseneck setup. I was just rambling about the difference between my old truck with bed rails and what you have to work with with the newer trucks with the puck system installed in the bed.
I know right? Some folks jump right on the Anderson bashing right away.

My truck didn't come with the puck system so I know very little about them other than there appears to be 4 feet to pin into receptacles in the bed. Is there a hole in the bed to accept a gooseneck ball as well?
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Old 06-25-2022, 09:43 PM   #11
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Yes ... there is a center hole for a 2 5/16 hitch ball. Reese and Curt both make a complete kit for simply slipping the ball in the center hole and 2 tie down pucks for safety chains in a handy carrying pouch.

https://www.reeseprod.com/product/30...-accessory-kit

This isn't the best photo. but it does show the center ball and mounts for the safety chain pucks.
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Old 06-29-2022, 01:27 PM   #12
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And there is this:
https://www.amazon.com/Companion-5th...e%2C108&sr=1-2

I bought a 13K# 5th wheel in 1998, and towed it with my F350 gasser with a "lil Rocker" hitch until I bought my F350 diesel in 2007. It already had a B&W gooseneck "plate" installed so rather than pay $1000 for a "Companion" hitch I got a heavy duty adaptor for my 13K# trailer, and it worked just fine. In 2015 I bought another 5th wheel trailer and at about the same time I saw the B&W companion on sale for about $750 at Amazon and my visa card was giving 5% back for buying online at Amazon so I went with that.

My conclusions (opinion):
I had the least bucking (push/pull) with my Lil Rocker, it was fairly light but I hated the bed rails.

I liked the B&W "system" because there are no bed rails but with the gooseneck adaptor there was quite a lot of bucking.

With the Companion 5th wheel adaptor, I still get some bucking, but better than the gooseneck adaptor. However, as I age, it gets harder and harder to get the Companion base out of the bed. 79 now and it's to the point where I am going to have to have a hoist of some kind or just leave the base in the bed.
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Old 06-29-2022, 09:17 PM   #13
Mark7
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I have a Reese gooseneck hitch for my Reese rails. Before I had my sliding hitch I could have both the 5th wheel and gooseneck hitches on the rails at the same time as they used different holes in the rails. Now the slide lock linkage is in the way.
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