stringer

Alright, so my father-in-law and I were talking about the possibility of putting a gooseneck ball in my bed. There is just one issue with that - the truck is a lease. He told me he thought he saw where they make a plate that uses the existing bed mount bolts and I would not need to drill any holes in the bed. Since this would be reversible and would not alter the truck, I would consider doing this.

Anyone have one of these or know of what he might be talking about?

smokeywren

A cowboy from Cody WY posted the following on TheDieselStop back in 2005:

"From a steel shop, I purchased 5/16" steel plate big enough to span the four bolt holes in the bed. Then marked and drilled out the 4 bolt holes, cut out a 10"+- center square for an Atwood Hide-a-ball hitch,


https://www.etrailer.com/Gooseneck/L...tent=Gooseneck


welded it in, bought 4 longer grade-8 bolts and was done. ...I've seen many with the permanent upright gooseneck ball (properly) welded to the plate. The correct method is a 12"+ square piece maybe 1/2" thick, welded to the center of the big 5/16th" sheet, then the ball is welded down into the center of the 1/2" piece. Cut off flush any ball shank that protrudes below the plate."


My "steel shop" is my local welding shop that caters to farmers, ranchers, and oil field operators. He usually has a good stock of steel plate on hand.

Critical for this mod is to be sure the center of the ball will be at least 2" in front of the center of the rear axle when installed. Better is 4" to 6".

And measuring for the 4 bolt holes through the plate is also critical. The bolt holes should be exactly the correct diameter for the bolts, and the bolts should not bind on the steel plate as they are tightened. Wyoming Cowboy assumed that any idiot can drill the 4 bolt holes in the exact place needed in the plate, but Texas Farmer knows better. Go even better than the old carpenter's rule of measure twice, cut once. I would drill one hole, insert the bolt, then measure from the center of that bolt to the center of the next bolt. Then drill a tiny hole and use a short piece of wire to be certain that hole will be in exactly the right place.

k9zach83

My truck is a lease as well and I have a B&W Turnover ball hitch installed. Checked with my Original dealership and a few other dealers and all had the same answer. No problem with putting it in. As long as it's something that would add value to the truck and not decrease value.

stringer

Hmmm well that is good to know. I might have to give my dealer a call to see what they say about it

PerryB

Regardless of how perfectly you lay out the template, I wouldn't even begin to consider this with an aluminum truck bed. It's questionable enough with a steel truck. Think about it, in this arrangement all the weight, torque and shear load is being borne by the bed channels. With a typical GN like the B&W I have in the 350, there is a massive crossmember spanning (and bolted to) the frame rails which carries all the load. Now you're giving that job to a couple aluminum channels, spot welded to the floor of the bed?? Proceed at your own peril. I think it's courting disaster.

smokeywren

Disagree. The bolts that tie down the bed go into the frame of the pickup. So the longer bolts that tie down the plate and the bed also go into the frame of the pickup. That method would be just as strong as the B&W TurnOverBall that's also bolted to the pickup's frame. Whether the bed is aluminum or steel doesn't matter because the gooseneck ball in mounted to the frame of the truck, not the bed.


But if you use Wyoming Cowboy's method, the welding of the ball shank into the steel plate must be done by a pro welder that knows what he's doing.

PerryB

You can disagree all day long. Now go get under your truck and tell me where the bed bolts go. They go THROUGH those thin channels I was talking about. I know they ultimately go through the frame, but that's all moot when those channels start to crush and/or split. I really don't care what a cowboy from Wyoming did. I've been a heavy equipment and farm implement welder/fabricator for 30 years and would NOT advocate the method you recommended. Especially on an aluminum bed. Those channels are apt to fail. Aluminum sucks with regard to fatigue life. That's my educated experience, do whatever you like. Now go crawl under your truck and tell me those bolts dont sandwich through the channels.

Pugga

iTrader: (1)

I'd get that in writing from someone... It's a perceived value. They'll tell you whatever you want to hear over the phone but, until you trade it in, it's just hot air. I can see them giving you a hard time because you've permanently modified the bed. Then, of course, when they resell it, it will be a selling point that it's prepped for a gooseneck.

johndeerefarmer

Back in the 70's- early 90's I had a steel plate laying on top of the bed and bolted to the frame. In '05 I started using the B&W turnover ball hitches. I have had them in half a dozen trucks since then. The steel plate above the bed is a pain as hay, dirt and everything else gets under it. Get a B&W turnover and be done with it. Just remember to grease the shank on the ball so you can get it out when you want to.

msgtord

So how much weight would this steel plate at about 13 pounds per square foot add to the bed of the truck?