Gooseneck Trailer Hitch Installation

A gooseneck hitch uses a 2 5/16-inch trailer ball placed in the tow vehicle's bed, slightly ahead of the rear axle. This position, similar to a fifth-wheel's, distributes the trailer weight very well on the tow vehicle-allowing far greater tongue and trailer weights than with a receiver hitch-and offers better handling. This Valley "Stow-A-Ball" is easily removed when not in use, leaving the bed fully useful.

A gooseneck hitch uses a 2 5/16-inch trailer ball placed in the tow vehicle's bed, slightl

With pickups becoming ever more powerful, they can be better suited for towing than ever, but you'll still need something to hook the trailer to. Since the towed trailers have gotten larger and heavier in recent years, many have had to abandon the receiver-mounted trailer ball and put the load of the trailer tongue in the bed, where it really should be. Making the decision to go with the better setup may be easy, but if there's a real downside to gooseneck and fifth-wheel hitches, it's their cost and the relative complexity of installation, compared to a receiver hitch.

Most simply pick a hitch of their liking and then have a shop install it, which doesn't exactly lessen the drain on the wallet. We wanted to see for ourselves how involved an installation would be, if it's indeed a job best left to the professionals or if it's doable in the driveway.

After looking at what's available for late-model pickups, it became clear that an equally late-model gooseneck hitch can be a virtual bolt-on, while earlier vehicles may require a few holes drilled in the frame to accommodate the latest, most user-friendly hitches. Either way, holes must obviously be drilled in the bed's sheetmetal, but that certainly shouldn't prevent anyone from a DIY installation.

Gooseneck Trailer Hitch Spring Loaded Shaft

A spring-loaded shaft (visible to the right) going through a groove machined into the 30,000-pound-rated ball keeps it securely in place. The ball can be inserted upside down when not in use, or removed altogether. The shaft is easily accessed through the left wheelwell, where it is bent to form a handle.

A spring-loaded shaft (visible to the right) going through a groove machined into the 30,0

After doing our homework, we zeroed in on Valley Industries' Stow-A-Ball setup, in this case for '99-'06 GM pickups. This "Ball Hitch Head" has a removable 2 5/16-inch ball and is rated for a 30,000-pound trailer weight with a 7,500-pound tongue weight, which is more than adequate for our needs. A pull-handle in the wheelwell releases the trailer ball, which can then be turned upside down and stored in the same cavity, with nothing sticking up above the ribs in the bed, leaving it free and level for basic non-trailering uses. An Odyssey electronic brake control from Valley was chosen to slow the trailer down, mostly because of the Odyssey's great function, but also since the newest optional wiring harness (again, for late-model vehicles) makes the wiring a complete plug-in job.

With the Ball Hitch Head and the vehicle-specific Gooseneck Mounting System on hand, our first move was to give the non-cad-plated parts a coating of rust-preventing paint. A shop probably wouldn't do that, but we wanted the extra protection. Rather than watching the paint dry, reading the instructions was next. Once we knew that all the parts were indeed included and where they were supposed to go, it was off to the hardware store for a hole saw. The instructions called for a 3 3/4-inch hole, but we doubted that the Hitch Head would end up in the exact correct position, relative to the bed, so we bought a 4-inch saw instead, which can also be used for taillights and such later.

Expecting the install to take the better part of a day, we then made an appointment to have the bed sprayed with Line-X the following day. That way, the holes drilled in the bed would get a great rust-preventive coating on their edges before we installed the last parts. Most likely, a shop wouldn't do it that way.

Measure twice, or better yet, thrice, before drilling the pilot hole in the bed according to the instructions. On a '99-'06 GM pickup, this hole is first used as a guide to show how much of the heatshield below the bed needs to be cut off. It's a thin shield, so tin snips or a nibbler works fine. Then, drill out the hole to 3 3/4 inches, minimum. A hole saw is the tool of choice here, but other methods could be used. We painted the cut edges with a zinc primer, both on the heatshield underneath and at this hole.
Measure twice, or better yet, thrice, before drilling the pilot hole in the bed according
Between the hitch head and the mounting system, there are 129 pounds of metal used for this GM pickup. The hardware for each is packaged separately, and it helps to keep the two piles apart. In the photo, the fasteners to the left go with the head, and the ones on the right are used to connect the side plates to the frame and crossbars.
Between the hitch head and the mounting system, there are 129 pounds of metal used for thi
Slide the front crossbar into place on top of the framerails. The instructions say to put both of them in at this point, but you probably wouldn't get the Hitch Head in there with the rear one taking up precious room, at least not in this application. Slide the crossbars in sideways, then make sure to tilt them so that the holes end up towards the bottom.
Slide the front crossbar into place on top of the framerails. The instructions say to put

Valley's instructions have torque values for the fasteners that matter, and minor adjustments are possible when bolting the hitch together. Heed the instructions, and measure twice, at least. You do want the trailer ball to come out through the hole you drilled in the bed, not close to it, and you definitely don't want the hitch to fail when towing something down the road. Leave the impact wrench in the toolbox. Yes, it takes longer to actually do it right, which a shop is less likely to take the time for, and installing trailer hitches is not the place to cut corners. Besides, when someone asks where you had the nice, clean installation done, you can say "Oh, I did that."

Lower the spare tire to gain some extra working room, then beg, bribe, or threaten a friend to wrestle the Hitch Head into position. Stick a bolt or two into the front crossbar, and then get the rear crossbar into its place, and run a few bolts through it, too. Notice the cut and primered heatshield at the lower left.
Lower the spare tire to gain some extra working room, then beg, bribe, or threaten a frien
Locate the correct holes in the frame brackets for the application, as they differ between long- and shortbeds. On this GM, there are square U-bolts holding the front of the brackets and 3/4-inch bolts holding the rear, through slotted holes in the frame. With everything lined up correctly, torque all the fasteners to spec. And good luck getting to some of them with a torque wrench-the only hard part of the installation.
Locate the correct holes in the frame brackets for the application, as they differ between
To keep the frame bracket securely clamped to the frame when utilizing a slotted hole, Valley uses these "alignment spacers" to effectively make it a round hole. Note that one is offset and the other centered. This gives three different positions to choose from to get things aligned correctly. We ended up using one centered and one offset spacer to get everything lined up perfectly.
To keep the frame bracket securely clamped to the frame when utilizing a slotted hole, Val

With the hitch installed, holes for the square U-bolts serving as safety-chain tie-downs can be marked and drilled from below, using the holes in the Hitch Head as a guide. As with the large center hole, you only get one chance to get it right. We used a ratchet strap to pull the exhaust pipe out of the way for access, then marked for the holes with a transfer punch. There was no mention in the instructions about cutting the excess length off the right front U-bolt, but if not, it'll contact the exhaust pipe when the top is flush with the bed. This photo was taken after final assembly, with the springs that keep the U-bolts from rattling installed.
With the hitch installed, holes for the square U-bolts serving as safety-chain tie-downs c
With the hitch installed and all the holes drilled, including for the trailer wiring connector, it was off to Line-X of Conejo Valley to get a spray-on bedliner applied. We knew that the Line-X itself is very good, but were really impressed with the prep, masking, and execution at this facility. Here, the edge of the hole for the trailer ball in the hitch is being cleaned up right after the expert spraying. You can see the flawless liner in the first photo.
With the hitch installed and all the holes drilled, including for the trailer wiring conne
All installed, the easily accessed handle for releasing the ball is visible at the upper left. To the right is the lone bolt going through the frame, which uses the "alignment spacer" to properly secure the bracketry. To its left is the hole which would've been used on a shortbed.
All installed, the easily accessed handle for releasing the ball is visible at the upper l

There are two common ways to tow a trailer with a bed-mounted hitch. The fifth-wheel is by far the most popular, being used on all commercial tractor-trailer rigs and also by the majority of pickups towing recreational trailers. Meanwhile, the gooseneck hitch is mostly used in farm environments and on horse trailers.

Either type is superior to a so-called bumper-pull, or receiver hitch, as they put the trailer's tongue weight slightly ahead of the rear axle. This makes them tow far better and they're usually rated for much greater trailer weights. Also, they generally allow jack-knifing the trailer to at least 90 degrees, aiding immensely in maneuverability. On the other hand, bed-mounted hitches require larger radius turns and can claim a fair amount of bed space.

So, why did we pick a gooseneck over the more common fifth-wheel hitch? Largely because the gooseneck's trailer ball is typically easily removed, or at least made to lay flat and out of the way, making the bed fully usable when not towing a trailer. More importantly, the trailer ball allows movement in both planes whereas a fifth-wheel usually only pivots in one direction. If all towing was done on flat ground, the fifth-wheel would work just fine, and even if the road had some ups and downs in it, the pivot would allow that movement. But get the tow vehicle and trailer a bit twisted up, and something has to give. This is where the gooseneck shines, letting the trailer move freely on the ball without binding-to a point, of course. Since many campsites that four-wheelers tend to take their trailers to involve a fair amount of twisting and tweaking between the tow vehicle and trailer, the gooseneck should be the clear winner on that point alone.

It does require more precision driving to connect a gooseneck hitch. Just like with a receiver hitch-mounted ball, the trailer has to be set down more or less right onto it-unlike the fairly foolproof "funnel" of a fifth-wheel that allows miscalculations of several inches in both planes.

Still not sure which way to go? OK, we'll add to the confusion. Some "gooseneck trailers" have fifth-wheel hitches, but the shape of the trailer makes it a gooseneck trailer. Also, you can buy adapters for fifth-wheel-equipped trailers that convert them to a gooseneck hitch.