The Gooseneck Hitch - You May Need One
Posted by Lawrence Byrd | Filed under Vehicles
The “gooseneck” type of trailer hitch is one of those things that you’ve probably seen but didn’t realize what it was you were looking at.The name “gooseneck” actually describes the look of the hitch fairly well. The Gooseneck design takes advantage of the pickup truck’s bed combined with trailers designed to be towed by a pickup: The overhanging part of these trailers can now be hooked to a hitch in the pickup truck bed.
Considered Class V and above trailer hitches, the goosenecks have the ability to haul up to thirty thousand pounds. (Class I & II hitches are good for thirty-five hundred pounds of trailer weight, Class III & IV can pull 10,000 pounds - which are usually weight-distributing hitches. ) Conventional trailer hitches that are attached to a trucks bumper or rear frame always use a hitch ball system. Many gooseneck hitches also use hitch balls, but are never attached to the bumper.
The hitch most people are familiar with is the one with a hitch ball and attached to the truck’s rear bumper, often beefed up by being welded or bolted to the truck’s rear frame. However, gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches both connect to the bed of the truck of a pickup truck, instead of its bumper. The gooseneck hitch makes use of a hitch ball that comes from the hitch frame, which is bolted to the frame of the truck. Then the arched arm of the trailer hitch locks in place on the hitch ball.
2 features of a gooseneck hitch make it popular: Folks favor the added strength in its towing ability and due to the nature of their design, they have the ability to make tighter turns than other hitch and trailer options. This tighter turning radius is made possible because of the fact that the hitch is located in the truckbed instead of on the rear of the truck.
The installation of the gooseneck hitch can be a little involved as you have to remove the pickup truck’s bed in order to attach the hitch frame to the frame of the pickup. With the bed of the truck removed, the hole in the bed is measured and drilled and/or cut so that when it’s replaced on the truck frame, the hitch ball rises thru the bed. Finally, the truckbed is re-attached, with the ball hitch poking up by way of the drilled hole in the bed of the truck.
Gooseneck hitches are great for pulling campers, horse trailers, and any trailer designed to take advantage of the ‘overhang’ over a pickup truck’s bed. And the tighter turning ability of the gooseneck makes it a must-have hitch for many situations. They can be difficult to install without getting a kit customized for your truck, but once installed they are extremely secure.
Jim Armstrong has been publishing unique automotive articles for years. Discover more good info about the gooseneck hitch and the Reese Hitch now.
Tags: automotive, cars, recreational vehicles, trailer hitches, trailers, Vehicles
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