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OT: Your Favorite Gooseneck Ball

Barron

Cast Iron
Joined
Apr 6, 2008
Location
Somerset, KY
I have a 2009 Chevy Silverado 2500 HD with a 6.5' bed. I want to put a 2-5/16 ball in the bed to pull a trailer. I'd like it to be removable.

What brands do you recommend?

Barron
 
I have had the square one that you pull out and flip over, the round one you pull out and flip over,(I think they are called turn over or something like that) two different trucks I hate those, unless you dont use your bed for dirty work or are anal about maintenance they will corrode in. I have had the back of the truck lifted in the air by the ball while we were in there with torches and sledgehammers trying to break them loose this usually happens after winter. this has been in my last work trucks Draw-Tite - Gooseneck Trailer Hitch Head and love them
 
I like my B&W Turnover ball hitch. As stated, they will rust in place. Unless they have changed the paint on the frame rails, expect them to rust in a year so, even in the sunny South. My Dad had a flip-down GN hitch... I did not like it, lots of free play, you could even feel it while driving
 
Why not a corrosion resistant flip over?

I suspect the manufacturer says "store it out of socket".

No way to have tapped holes to extract it?
 
'Round here, there's a welding shop that specializes in gooseneck hitches. They pull the bed off and weld it right to the frame. And it cheaper than the bolt in hitches when you add installation.

I have a draw-tite. It works. It's Chinese and that was disappointing. B&W is supposed to be US made.
 
The release for the B&W is under the left wheel opening. The handle has a pull and turn feature to lock it released so you can get up in the bed to wrestle with the ball. When it gets rusty it won't stay open so you need 2 people to make it work, one to hold the handle and one to hammer and pry the ball up out of the socket.
 
What are you going to be hauling ?

How far of distance ?

I spoke with a long distance user, and they like the air bag
cushioned one.
 
I got a B&W too.

Was pretty slick when I had an extra set of hands to pull the lever, but now by myself, removing it can be a little annoying.

Mostly keep the ball out of the hitch and in the toolbox to avoid the rusting in issue.

If I do leave it in, ill leave the ball up. Kinda defeats the purpose of the hitch, but for me its easier to yank on the ball end when it gets slightly siezed in.
 
The release for the B&W is under the left wheel opening. The handle has a pull and turn feature to lock it released so you can get up in the bed to wrestle with the ball. When it gets rusty it won't stay open so you need 2 people to make it work, one to hold the handle and one to hammer and pry the ball up out of the socket.
Rather than find someone to pull the handle, I just grab a pair of ViseGrips..
 
Thanks to all who replied. I wondered if there would be problems with the ball sticking/rusting in place, and it seems from the responses that is a real possibility. And they are pricey little devils, too!

I will pull a 16' cattle trailer and a flat bed trailer with this truck, mostly within a 50 mile radius.

I also have a Dodge dually with an above bed gooseneck ball that mounts to fifth wheel rails. I like this system ok, but those pins can be difficult to remove when they get dirty/rusty as well. I was looking for something simpler for the other truck, but may just mount a set of fifth wheel rails and share the ball plate between the two trucks.

Barron
 
I have been using the removable and flip over for the past 10 years. I now consider it a "must have feature". If you don't use it often enough to keep it from freezing up then you don't need it. Solution is maintenance. You need to grease your trailer jack and ball receptacle periodically, do the ball at the same time. The handle you pull out may lock to one side while you flip the ball, mine does. My Ford was removable and I once misplaced the ball. My GMC flips. Like them both but the Ford came with it, not the GMC, $800.00 extra.
 
In my last 3 trucks I have use the Elite Series system by Drawtite. Having gooseneck and fifth wheel trailers it is the best system for me.

It's a removable ball system that has a rail that mounts under the bed and allows different types of hitches to be installed. I have a goose neck ball and a 5th wheel hitch. You simply put the hitch you want to use in place and swing 4 levers shut and hook up your trailer. When removed the mounts are level with the bed.

When it's time to trade in the truck I simply leave the under mount rails in place and take my hitches with me for use on the next truck. Install a new rail kit on the new truck and I'm back in business.

Here is a link to the gooseneck hitch.

http://www.drawtite.com/dt30845.html

And one to the fifth wheel hitch.

http://www.drawtite.com/elite-fifth-wheel.html
 
We have had a B & W turnover ball in the 2008 Dodge 3500 since it was new. Any issue are news to me.... We don't store the ball upside down though, we pull it out and it rides under the rear seat when not in use. it can be a pain to get to the lever by yourself, but the lever can be blocked- just pull it and put a shim under it. do your thing and snap it back.

I always hated rails on the bed floor- more to snag stuff on, ut if you don't slide stuff into your truck then no issue. In my experience, those get filled with crud and your hitch does not slide in right.....have to clean them too. No perfect system- but I like the B & w.
 
The rails in the elite series hitch mount under the bed, all you see in the bed are 4 round pucks the hitch mounts to..

This picture has the mounts but is missing the flange that makes it look better..

bedhitch.jpg

I hate the above bed rails too :)
 
Hello Barron
This was in my truck when I bought it. I'm happy with it.:) A big improvement from the first gooseneck ball hitch that I have in my old truck. The 1 with the plate with the raised centre section & the ball permanently in the way when you're not hooked up to a trailer & just want to haul something in the box. That darn thing was always in the way.:angry:

IMG_1083.jpgIMG_1084.jpg

It's made by Atwood.
 
I like my B&W Turnover ball hitch. As stated, they will rust in place. Unless they have changed the paint on the frame rails, expect them to rust in a year so, even in the sunny South. My Dad had a flip-down GN hitch... I did not like it, lots of free play, you could even feel it while driving
I had a B&W reversable gooseneck ball on both my Ford F350 and the Dodge 3500 dually and don't recall rust ever being a problem...maybe a little bit of an issue but it never got flat out stuck....and the Dodge experienced at least one trip from Eastern PA to New Jersey during snow and salted roads. (trip itself way longer than that but that was the snowy part of it)

Sometimes the spring loaded safety chain connectors got a little hard to raise, but even there I could raise a slightly stuck on with the "nail filer" of a tiny executive pocket knife.

flip1.jpg
 
Sheesh....You would think one of the members here (of all places) would have
made a "Cat 50 hitch" the used tool holders sure are plenty, and it's not gonna
rust in place being a releasing taper.

Instead of the fingers, go with the NMTB 50 (unscrew the retention knob) and put
in a motorized drive threaded drawbar. All covered with a baking pan on the underside for the salt spray. Make up a lopped off toolholder (with a big rubber
disc on top) to be a cover
when not in use, keeps the crap from flowing down into it.

Now the big question, the lugs.....front/back or right/left ?.....:D
 








 
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