Ever installed a gooseneck hitch on your own?

Sneakymedic

Sneakymedic

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So I'm getting a Ford F250 with the V10 in it. It needs a hideaway gooseneck hitch.

Leonard's in Mount Airy quoted me $650. Kelly's bars and grills in Winston quoted me a little over $700. Kelly's also for an extra $150 said they would put the gooseneck plug in the bed.

I looked online and I can get the gooseneck plug for an additional $70, and install it with a hole saw and four screws and some zip ties. That's in my wheelhouse for half price.

My question to you guys is, you can buy the hitch online at some retailers for $400. Give or take. I worry a little about getting the hole centered in the bed. Plus, I would have to buy a hole saw big enough for that hitch. Have any of you guys ever installed one? Is it worth the extra couple hundred to let them fiddle with it. I don't have a lift or anything like that.
 
Check out B&W turnover ball hitches. I've installed them on several super duty fords and a couple of dodge trucks.
You don't need a lift.
4" hole saw it last time I bought one was about $40
You don't have to raise the bed.
If it has a drop in bedliner, take it out first
Usually on a ford it requires a 90 degree notch cut in the inner fender well with a pair of tin snip
Everything slides in from either the side or straight underneath.
There's usually a heat shield between the exhaust and fuel tank that'll need to be trimmed for the hitch. Not really hard to do. You've got plenty enough common sense to save ya a couple hundred bucks. Then when you're done, you'll know how. Get a friend to help. Pull your tape from the front of the bed and make a mark, with a pencil. That'll let you make a finer mark for accuracy. Then measure your width from the wheel wells inside on both sides to make sure the distance is the same. Use a center punch so your bit doesn't "walk" and you'll be good to go
 
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Yeah I have done a couple. Make sure you follow the directions and you'll be fine. Remember measure then measure again the read directions again and measure again lol. b&w are great hitches.


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Mike if you're ever down towards Greensboro check out Holland Electric on hwy 29 north of Greensboro. You can buy the plug and a piece of wire that you can splice to the harness under your truck for less than $70. Better place to put it is in the stake pocket on the drivers side next to the tail gate. Run the wire up through there and it and the plug will be protected
 
Well you fellers ARE alot of help.

Do you have to drill in the frame any? Or is it pretty much just bolt in current holes?
 
Check out YouTube. There are lots of "how to" video's on installing a gooseneck hitch. They'll show you step by step. And if you decide to mail order the hitch, take a look at etrailer . Their prices are sometimes better than amazon or ebay.
 
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Sneakymedic said:
Well you fellers ARE alot of help.

Do you have to drill in the frame any? Or is it pretty much just bolt in current holes?
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B&W use current holes in the frame. Only holes drilled are the 4" and 4 1-2" holes for safety chain hooks
 
I've installed several over the last 17 years; one in a GM 3500, two in F350's and one in an F450.

To answer your question - they are typically a bolt in installation. On one of my trucks I had to heat and reshape the exhaust pipe slightly for clearance (rattled a bit when the bed was loaded); everything else was fine.

When I bought my last hitch (2005) I compared the B&W with the Drawtite/Reese, and ultimately selected the Drawtite. The reason why is that the B&W used angle iron for the frame cross piece supports (5/16" as I recall), whereas the Drawtite used 1" solid flat bar. The Drawtite was rated for 30K lbs, and the B&W at the time was not. Drawtite had the commercial 3" ball option, where as B&W did not. I ended up transferring that hitch to my '08 F450 when I sold the '05.

Subsequently, I think that Drawtite has changed their design to use angle instead of the 1" solid flat bar, but they are still rated for 30K trailer weight.

Having said all that, the B&W is a good product and has a lot of favorable reviews. I don't think that you will go wrong with either brand.
 
Like mentioned above not to hard of job but does help with extra set of hands. Never did the plug relocate as We have always just laid the wire over the tailgate on our trailers since it was long enough. Most newer trucks already have the holes drilled in the frame rails but still not hard to drill them if you had to just start with small bits and work up in size slowly.
 
I've been watching install vids most of the night. I think for 200.00 I can install it. I appreciate the advice. you guys rock.
 
Sneakymedic said:
I've been watching install vids most of the night. I think for 200.00 I can install it. I appreciate the advice. you guys rock.
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If you weren't so far away I'd help ya. I love drilling holes in someone else's vehicle
 
Checkout Redneck Trailers in Lincolnton. They have hitches for anything.
 
@Sneakymedic get an auxiliary fuel tank for the bed too, u gon need it :D

My old v10 got 13 at best and low single digits at worst.

Power they have though, it was fun to drive. They like to rev.

You want a flip ball hitch so it isnt always in your way. Also, they make adapters for 5th wheel trailers so you can tow with goosneck ball.

That white V10 was a good truck...

FullSizeRender(3).jpg
 
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So I got on etrailer. Com last night. Ordered a Curt hidden hitch with the flip ball. It was on sale with free shipping at $320.00 and I picked up the bed wiring kit too @ $67.

So my initial cost was 650.00 installed for just the hitch at one place, 749.00 at another plus another $150 to install the cord.

The Curt has the same weight ratings as the draw tite and B&W. Just cheaper. This truck is sitting in the garage 99% of the time, and I can allocate the rest on working on the gooseneck trailer I picked up.
 
Lawless said:
@Sneakymedic get an auxiliary fuel tank for the bed too, u gon need it :D

My old v10 got 13 at best and low single digits at worst.

Power they have though, it was fun to drive. They like to rev.

You want a flip ball hitch so it isnt always in your way. Also, they make adapters for 5th wheel trailers so you can tow with goosneck ball.

That white V10 was a good truck...

View attachment 22629
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The ex and I had a V10 before. It's just gonna haul the pulling tractor around a little and some farm stuff here and there. So mileage isn't that big a deal.

I did drive it to pick up a horse in Pennsylvania once. It pulled well.
 
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Sneakymedic said:
The ex and I had a V10 before. It's just gonna haul the pulling tractor around a little and some farm stuff here and there. So mileage isn't that big a deal.

I did drive it to pick up a horse in Pennsylvania once. It pulled well.
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Oh yeah, great engine. Mine was a beast but you gotta get up into 3500 rpm or so to let them eat.

Mine had over 200k and used zero oil. Many a ambulance has twice that on em.
 
Sneakymedic said:
So I got on etrailer. Com last night. Ordered a Curt hidden hitch with the flip ball. It was on sale with free shipping at $320.00 and I picked up the bed wiring kit too @ $67.

So my initial cost was 650.00 installed for just the hitch at one place, 749.00 at another plus another $150 to install the cord.

The Curt has the same weight ratings as the draw tite and B&W. Just cheaper. This truck is sitting in the garage 99% of the time, and I can allocate the rest on working on the gooseneck trailer I picked up.
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Curt is another good brand. One thing to keep in mind about the flip ball designs is that if they get debris down in them they can seize up a bit - especially if left in the "down" position for a long time. You might want to find a magnetic pad to put on top of the hitch plate when not in use to keep the moisture and bed debris out.
 
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Scsmith42 said:
Curt is another good brand. One thing to keep in mind about the flip ball designs is that if they get debris down in them they can seize up a bit - especially if left in the "down" position for a long time. You might want to find a magnetic pad to put on top of the hitch plate when not in use to keep the moisture and bed debris out.
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From what I had seen on all the hitches, they have some magnetic thing that sticks over the hitch, that... I assume... Gets drug off the very first bale of hay you drag over it, and left lying in the pasture. :) they did mention lithium grease is very helpful. Plus, it will stay under a shed, and I am super wierd about clean vehicles... So... Hopefully I wont suffer any issues.

Thanks for the heads up.

All these great ideas, but no... " I'll come drill your 4 inch hole through your new truck. Hahahaahha
 
Sneakymedic said:
From what I had seen on all the hitches, they have some magnetic thing that sticks over the hitch, that... I assume... Gets drug off the very first bale of hay you drag over it, and left lying in the pasture. :) they did mention lithium grease is very helpful. Plus, it will stay under a shed, and I am super wierd about clean vehicles... So... Hopefully I wont suffer any issues.

Thanks for the heads up.

All these great ideas, but no... " I'll come drill your 4 inch hole through your new truck. Hahahaahha
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If you were closer I'd loan you a 4" hole saw. If you can't find one local, let me know and I'll ship you a loaner.
 
I second what Scott said about being careful with stuff building up in the ball slot or it rusting in if you do not pull a trailer often or flip it occasionally. Had a neighbor that bought a truck with one installed that had not been used in a long while and it was a royal pain to remove since it was upside down. After that experiece I usually just leave mine in with ball up or remove it totally. With ball up least you can hook a trailer to it to help shake it to break it loose if it were to get stuck. The flip up style we have in our farm truck is real bad about getting trash in it and getting stuck so I prefer the ones that flip or you can remove as they work much better.

Also just a little bit of fyi if you have not pulled a gooseneck before the first few times you pull it as they cut in more on turns. Also make sure you have enough clearence between hitch of trailer and bed sides and also cab. They can make nasty crinkles when turning or crossing dips.
 
Jp8819 said:
I second what Scott said about being careful with stuff building up in the ball slot or it rusting in if you do not pull a trailer often or flip it occasionally. Had a neighbor that bought a truck with one installed that had not been used in a long while and it was a royal pain to remove since it was upside down. After that experiece I usually just leave mine in with ball up or remove it totally. With ball up least you can hook a trailer to it to help shake it to break it loose if it were to get stuck. The flip up style we have in our farm truck is real bad about getting trash in it and getting stuck so I prefer the ones that flip or you can remove as they work much better.

Also just a little bit of fyi if you have not pulled a gooseneck before the first few times you pull it as they cut in more on turns. Also make sure you have enough clearence between hitch of trailer and bed sides and also cab. They can make nasty crinkles when turning or crossing dips.
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Great advice. Lord, I have probably pulled a million tons of hay and couple hundred thousand miles with a gooseneck. Just always had a truck with it already installed. :) IMG_20170904_130337071_HDR.jpg
 
So. DAMN WHAT A DAY. I spent about 4 hours under that truck with dirt and metal shavings.

AAR: Installing a GN hitch isnt bad. Manning up to drill that big ass 4" hole in your bed….well….thats another story. But, it went fine. Measure twice…….maybe three times…..cut once. :)

Installing a GN hitch on a truck that is 17ish years old and already had one hitch mounted in it AND had a tof of stuff "thrown in the bed" made it a HUGE PITA.
The big issue we had was where the PO had thrown gravel and rock in the bed, bending the bed down a little. You have to be able to slide the two angle iron brackets over the frame and under the bed from one side to the other. We had to take a long 6" pry bar and a piece of wood and push the bed back to original, all the way across. That took forever. Plus cutting old hitch brackets off was fun too. Once that hurdle was over….it went quickly. All buttoned up well. My buddy tried to install the rubber trim after we pushed the hitch up into the bed. Didn't work so well.

Anyone doing this on your own, I do have a $40.00 Lenox 4" hole saw I will sell you cheap. :) Etrailer.com was the cheapest I found, and free shipping. At my house in two days.

IMG_20170916_175105026.jpg
 
Sneakymedic said:
Manning up to drill that big ass 4" hole in your bed….well….thats another story. But, it went fine. Measure twice…….maybe three times…..cut once. :)
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Hmmm...

Wonder what's worse? Working up the nerve to put a 4" hole in the bed, or working up the nerve to drill 5 holes in your roof to mount running lights. I can't even remember how many times I made those measurements. Then I had to have the nerve to run the 10 screws down through the roof (or it may have even been small holes for nuts/bolts instead of screws...I tried to block it from my memory). :D
 
BigWaylon said:
Hmmm...

Wonder what's worse? Working up the nerve to put a 4" hole in the bed, or working up the nerve to drill 5 holes in your roof to mount running lights. I can't even remember how many times I made those measurements. Then I had to have the nerve to run the 10 screws down through the roof (or it may have even been small holes for nuts/bolts instead of screws...I tried to block it from my memory). :D
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Least I wont get wet if I dick my big 4 inch hole up. And I could always make a pretty diamond plate collar to hide the mess. Hard to do on the roof :)
 
Looks good sneaky! Glad everything worked out
 
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