Going to mount a Gooseneck ball hitch in the bed and was looking for comments on which brand of turnover ball set up to go with.

Needs to bolt to the frame and needs to have a small cutout such as B&W , Hidden Hitch, etc. Must be simple to use and sit flush with the floor when not in use.

Also, will a drop in bedliner be an issue. The lady at B&W says no, but I would prefer real world opinions.

 

It's gotta be an issue.... unless you cut a hole in the bedliner!

More importantly, why would you want a bedliner that's gonna ruin your bed? Go LineEx

 

I vote for the B&W with Line-X

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Yep, B&W and Linex is the way to go.

 

A. I know I would have to cut a hole in the bedliner.

B. Bedliner was a freebie from the dealer (he actually forgot they installed it, hence the freebie). It's a Ford unit with the step up cutout, etc.

C. I am VERY hard on my trucks bed. It is a farm truck and gets machinery, very heavy sharp implements, lumber with nails, etc. tossed in and ripped out all the time. Example is a 750lb box blade that was chained to a post and ripped out of the bed by me driving away in my last truck. Put a few small rip/gouge in the bedliner.

D. I like the way wood, leaves, hay, etc. will slide right off a bedliner.

I just don't know if LineX would hold up, and I am almost positive the bedsides would get dented to hell without the liner. If I got the LineX and then one day I got a "out" ding/dent in my bed because it didn't protect, I would be VERY unhappy.

I really don't believe the hype of a bedliner ruining the bed. Had them for years and it has never been an issue at all. Living in the South, there is no worry about rust or salt.

 

My truck was my dad's only farm truck for 12 years before I got it from him. It was used for everything he needed (very similar to your use I'm sure) and the bed came out pretty well. Maybe not a great suggestion in your eyes, but you could try being a little more cautious?

As far as worrying about damaging a spray in liner, the life-time warranty should cover repairs.

 

It won't cover dents! The spray-in will not chip, but in HIS case, I too might opt for the plastic bedliner. There are always exceptions.

 

Being a little cautious?

It's a farm truck and things WILL get thrown into the bed. 5lb things and 500lb things, don't matter and most will be metal.



Exactly. I can guarandamntee you that if I had a spray in when I yanked that box blade out, there would be dents. Just that simple.

 

a liner won't stop dents, and you have to scuff the paint for a line-x anyway...

I just let it get beat up until it shows bare metal, then spray it until it does it again. Wooden beds were such wonderful things.

 

I guess it depends on how hard it was hit, eh?

 

Another vote for the B&W here.

As far as the bedliner, if you're hauling mulch and sawdust type things i might not cut a hole in the bedliner and just pull it out when you want to use the gooseneck. It would be a real pain to get all the sawdust/chips out from that little hole where you grab the ball to pull it back out...

 

I was planning on putting a bunch of duct tape over the hole if I carried mulch, dirt, etc. Taking the liner out would be a PIA as I would have to take the truck tool box off too.

 

Something to think about when putting alot of weight in the truck with the ball flipped upside down it will bottom out/bounce off the top of the pumpkin area. Remember the ball sticking up in the bed is now hanging below.

 

Have you experienced this? Anyone else?

 

B&W cautions against having the ball inverted on 2wd trucks, on my 69 it sits about 2" above so it would hit on anything more than a mild bump. I just pull the thing out and tuck it in behind the forward stake pocket, but that's not entirely an option on anything built after 73.
My vote is for B&W as well, quality stuff. Just don't lose the ball, it's expensive.