goossneck for half ton truck

southerndeere · Nov 22, 2014

I have a half ton dodge truck with the 5'7" "baby bed" as my dad calls it. What I'm looking to do is put a hidden gooseneck hook up that will not void warranty. Mainly just to pull our trailers out of the field loaded with hay. Very short hauls. We have a 1 ton dodge we use but sure would be nice to have a second truck avaliable. My problem is I found a local dealer that is certified to take care of the warranty issue but when I talked to him he said he wouldn't recommend it for the 5'7" bed. Overall wheel base should be the same as one with the 6' bed so why would there be a stability issue? Granted I have never seen a truck with shorter bed with a gooseneck in person, but I have seen them online. If anyone has some first hand feedback I would greatly appreciate it.

Diamondpilot · Nov 22, 2014

Big issue will be cab clearance. I would not bother for this truck. Get a GN adapter for your tractor 3 point if you want a backup.

Chris

MikePA · Nov 22, 2014

He may not recommend it because the higher probability the front of the gooseneck will hit the back of the cab during turning/backing. We had a similar concern when we installed a GN hitch in our 1991 Chevy Ext Cab pickup and that was with a 6 foot bed and a GN horse trailer with a tapered nose. Edit: To be clear, given the thread title, it is not because it's a half ton truck, or even because it's a Dodge

, it's the bed length and the requirement the GN hitch be placed directly over the rear axle differential which places the trailer too close to the cab of the truck.

wmonroe · Nov 22, 2014

Does B&W make a hitch for your truck? I have one in mine and it is a nice hitch that is easy to install and the ball flips over to leave the bed open. As far as having enough clearance try backing you truck under the gooseneck, at different angles, to where the ball would be and see what it looks like. If you don't have a platform on the goose and just the standard "V" front I think you will be fine with a little common sense when making sharp turns.
If you do it post up some pictures.

RedNeckRacin · Nov 22, 2014

I think your asking alot for a half ton truck. That being said, as long as there isn't a deck on the neck or you pay careful attention to turns, I don't think it will be an issue. You might want to take a peek at your frame rails before you get to ambitious as well.

DT86 · Nov 22, 2014

wmonroe said:
Does B&W make a hitch for your truck? I have one in mine and it is a nice hitch that is easy to install and the ball flips over to leave the bed open. As far as having enough clearance try backing you truck under the gooseneck, at different angles, to where the ball would be and see what it looks like. If you don't have a platform on the goose and just the standard "V" front I think you will be fine with a little common sense when making sharp turns. If you do it post up some pictures.

If b&w does make a hitch for this model, they also make a insert that has a 4" offset to it, which should help keep the neck out of the cab.

Xfaxman · Nov 22, 2014

southerndeere said:
I have a half ton dodge truck with the 5'7" "baby bed" as my dad calls it. What I'm looking to do is put a hidden gooseneck hook up that will not void warranty. Mainly just to pull our trailers out of the field loaded with hay. Very short hauls. We have a 1 ton dodge we use but sure would be nice to have a second truck avaliable. My problem is I found a local dealer that is certified to take care of the warranty issue but when I talked to him he said he wouldn't recommend it for the 5'7" bed. Overall wheel base should be the same as one with the 6' bed so why would there be a stability issue? Granted I have never seen a truck with shorter bed with a gooseneck in person, but I have seen them online. If anyone has some first hand feedback I would greatly appreciate it.

I think a hay trailer would overload the rear axle.

Here is the B&W Turnoverball Hitch: Gooseneck Hitch | B & W Trailer Hitches