Gooseneck hitch
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Iowa
Gooseneck hitch
I will be getting a gooseneck hitch in the near future for my '88 F150. I'm looking at a B&W turnover ball hitch for $325. But they only have them for 3/4 and 1 ton w/ and w/o overload springs. I have a 1/2 ton w/ overloads. Will the 3/4 ton and 1 ton hitch work for my truck?
If not, what do you guys recommend for a hitch? I would consider any hitch, if it were cheaper.
If not, what do you guys recommend for a hitch? I would consider any hitch, if it were cheaper.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jun 2008
Posts: 173
Likes: 11
From: Danville KY
Chevy 6.2D, maybe I'm misssing the big picture here but the bed is the same F150-F350....gooseneck mounts in the bed ( angle or thick flat bar is welded to frame and hitch is bolted through bed AND through added metal) maybe their thinking a F150 won't handle the weight of a trailer large enough to need a gooseneck....
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
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From: Sand Lake, MI
A hitch could be made to fit if one for a heaver truck didn't quite fit right and that may be what they did.
Gooseneck trailers are generally for large heavy loads, not to say it would have to be.
Loading a truck just forward of the rear axle is a better way to go, especially in a lighter duty truck. Further forward the better to a extent as long as it doesn't over load the front axle doing so.
If you have a special purpose in mind like carrying a fairly large but light load buy one ready made and alter it some if you need to to fit your needs or build one from scratch.
For liability reasons I doubt they'll offer one for a F-150.
The one in our farm truck, a F-250 was nothing but a piece of 1/2" plate with a 2 5/16" ball welded to the center of it. The plate was bolted to the frame through the box floor with steal spacers between the frame and box floor. Nothing to it really "engineering" wise.
Don't get me wrong I know what a F-150 can and will do but if you intend to carry a heavy load you should trade up to a heaver truck. One with bigger everything, including the brakes.
Gooseneck trailers are generally for large heavy loads, not to say it would have to be.
Loading a truck just forward of the rear axle is a better way to go, especially in a lighter duty truck. Further forward the better to a extent as long as it doesn't over load the front axle doing so.
If you have a special purpose in mind like carrying a fairly large but light load buy one ready made and alter it some if you need to to fit your needs or build one from scratch.
For liability reasons I doubt they'll offer one for a F-150.
The one in our farm truck, a F-250 was nothing but a piece of 1/2" plate with a 2 5/16" ball welded to the center of it. The plate was bolted to the frame through the box floor with steal spacers between the frame and box floor. Nothing to it really "engineering" wise.
Don't get me wrong I know what a F-150 can and will do but if you intend to carry a heavy load you should trade up to a heaver truck. One with bigger everything, including the brakes.
Lead Driver
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 5,670
Likes: 13
From: Sand Lake, MI
I'd be willing to bet we overloaded that F-250 about every time we used it.
It hauled everything and anything we needed, never failed us though.
One time I jacked up a building, backed it and the gooseneck trailer in under it, set the building down on both of them and moved it across the property a couple hundred yards and put it back on the ground again.
Building was heavy post and beam type construction, 16'x32' with a upper loft the length of it. I was real happy it didn't have to go down the road with it!
I still have it, the 81 in my sig.
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FTE Legend
Joined: Jun 2006
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From: Ottawa, Ontario
The previous owner of my '90 F150 had a fifth wheel attachment in the bed. I can't imagine it pulled anything very heavy because the stock 5.0 had it's hands full with the truck alone.
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From: Wendover, NV.
I have a husky fifth wheel hitch in my truck. I mounts to the truck via rail mount that is bolted to my bed and through holes drilled through the frame. When not in use the hitch can be removed from the rails to allow use of the bed.
I am going to be getting the gooseneck hitch for it when I get the chance. I know that this is not a hitch that recesses into the bed but it is an idea.
I am going to be getting the gooseneck hitch for it when I get the chance. I know that this is not a hitch that recesses into the bed but it is an idea.
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Iowa
Maybe I will look at making one. The one in my dads '05 Chevy is a piece of channel iron welded to the frame with a hole for the ball and a nut welded to the bottom of the plate. It looks very well built.
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Senior User
Joined: Apr 2008
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From: Iowa
To give you guys an example of how hard my truck was used- It has the heavy-duty ZF 5 speed and the tranny is going out- it growls pretty loud and got stuck in 3rd the other day. My odometer says 40,000 and I think its 140k because the truck has very little rust.
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2001
Posts: 65
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From: Calgary Canada
I don't mean to drag up an old thread, but I was just poking around and found this.
I have a B&W turnover ball in my '91 F-150 installed by my local B&W dealer...I suggest you get them to look a little harder.
I had to remove my firestone air-assist for it to go in though. Then I just re-drilled the holes in the B&W legs and mounted them back up.
I have a B&W turnover ball in my '91 F-150 installed by my local B&W dealer...I suggest you get them to look a little harder.
I had to remove my firestone air-assist for it to go in though. Then I just re-drilled the holes in the B&W legs and mounted them back up.
Elder User
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 813
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From: foristell, missouri
i dont know if you have to have a turnover ball but you can make a hitch pretty cheep. take a thick pick of steel, like 3/8 or 1/2 thick, get it big enough to catch both sides of the frame inside the bed. you can get stuff like this from almost any junkyard, then just get a ball and put a hole big enough for the shaft through your slab and then put a hole through your bed big enough for the nut to go through and bolt and weld the ball to the slab. next drill holes in the slab that you can use to bolt it to the bed. drill holes in the bed through the frame and put a piece of metal pipe in between the frame where the holes are in your slab( to take up space in your frame so you dont bend it when you tighten the bolts. and then bolt everything up and hook up to your trailer and yank her down the road. oh yeah attach some clevices to your slab to attach your chains to. i hope this makes sense, and possibly helps