I have an '03 2500 that I need to put a gooseneck hitch on. Was looking at the turnoverball since it is removable but it is costly. I am pretty skilled enough to make my own anyway. I know your not to drill in the frame on these trucks. So seeing that there aren't but a cople of holes about 12" forward of the axles, how should I go about mounting one?
Let me know if anyone has made them up and how are other gooseneck hitches mounted in these trucks.

 

There are some pictures in these install instructions....

Turn over ball install instructions

 

made my own for my 2nd gen,i used 2 pieces of angle iron 3 x 3 x 11 inches long,one to go on each frame rail with 3 5/8's holes drilled in each to bolt it to frame and 3 more 5/8's holes drilled in other surface to bolt a plate of steel to it to span frame rail width,for this piece i used 3/4 inch x 10 inch x width of frame plus 6 inches for angle iron.i used all grade 8 fasteners.if you still need additional hieght to reach bottom of bed add a piece of 6 inch x 24 inch x what ever thinkness you need and stich weld the two together.i had to use a 5/8's plate on my truck to bring it up to bottom of bed,you could also hold angle irons up above frame but i don't recommened going more than 1 inch .try to leave at least 2 inches of angle on frame.make sure you drill your holes for ball and safety chains before installing,i have my ball 3.5 inches in front of axle center.this works well for me,it puts some of the weight on the front axle.make sure you check all this out before you start drilling........ ...........

 

i left out that the angle iron is 3/8's inch thick...... .........

 

I checked out the pics. Thanks for the link.

Anyone else do a homemade job for their 3rd gen truck?

 

I can't help but to think that someone would have to be a fool to build there own hitch now days. I can not believe the think the B & W turnover ball hitch is to expensive? It is not expensive at all, and is very well constructed. I have a fab shop myself with access to all the materials, and still would not think of building my own goose neck hitch. First, the material alone will cost about 1/3 of the purchase price, and then there is the liability issue should the vehicle be involved in an accident. You and your insurance company should meet for a chat, I am sure they would like to know your plans. It blows my mind to hear about some of the antics that people put them selfs in, no wonder we have so many lawyers and court cases. My view is if you can't afford to buy a proper hitch, stay off the road. If you are willing to skimp on the hitch, which is the most important part when towing, then what did you skip on the trailer? Not trying to be a hard liner, just thinking common sense.

 

3/8" thick angle 3x3 angle iron, 10" x width of frame x 3/4" plate, 5/8" plate layered on top of that, grade 8 hardware..... doesn't sound to me like he skimped on the hitch. You could probably melt his hitch down and make 3 B&W turnoverball hitches. An engineering analysis of P.O.R's hitch assembly would show that it is stronger and more rigid thatn the B&W unit. In the end, both hitches are attached to the frame with 6 grade 8 bolts.

 

Man oh man, this has been hashed out before and can get crazy on both sides of the question and issue, The only thing I can say is Ynot is correct you will assume a liability risk of doing it yourself, with that said I also believe in the do it yourself, IF and that is a big IF you are competent in the area of what you are doing, Now I know Ynot is and he still does not do his own, So take all the advice with a grain of salt and make your own decision and get ready for all the opinions on this, as this was a issue not to long ago when I was helping a man build his own for lack of funds on a new one as I have used a self installed and built one for over 15 years as well as several of people I personaly know. Goodluck and let the wrestiling keyboard match BEGIN... Rick

 

You know I have built many receiver hitches, and I am very good at it(you'll just have to trust me on that one), but I stopped because the liability insurance went sky high, and still there is a chance of personnel law suits. A average receiver hitch is not hard or very material heavy, but still it is cheaper to buy one pre-made. Sam's, and a number of other fine stores sells them for under a $100. The goose neck hitch is more involved, but still not unreasonable to build. B & W sells there hitch complete for under $300, so why fuss with it? I to believe very much in doing things myself, I am a tinkerer like many other on this site, and I get alot of enjoyment from building things. But, there is a limit. And this time the limiting factor is self preservation. I do not want to loose everything I have worked for to a Grady money hungry lawyer . I think the chances are slim, but anyone can see that in the event of an accident the easiest person to point the blame at would be the back yard mechanic who just so happened to build his own hitch. I ad mar people that do build, design quality parts themselves, but I would also hate to see those very same people caught up in the legal system over the use of those very parts. It is not a question of can you safely build a goose neck hitch? Of coarse anyone with a background in mechanics and is skilled in the use of metals and welding could con tribe a working hitch. It's a question of can and do you want to take the chance? Does your family want to take that chance? Do you like the things you have worked for? It's not in the cards for me, but if it is for you, then so be it, and good luck.

 

I just had the turnover ball hitch installed, and I don't know about the other gooseneck hitches, but I can tell you about these. If you have a short bed truck , do not get it from these guys. Their hitch, is 6" in front of the axle, and the rest are either even or 2" in front of the rear axle. (you need every inch, when your bed is short). I called turnover ball(B&W) and they told me about how dodge and other truck manurafacturers recommend 2" to 6" in front of the rear axle. I asked him why be the furthest , when its a shortbed, and he replied, its all he could engineer, stuff was in the way, answerslike this are not good. the unit is very nice other wise

 

Johnjudge,

Did you ever notice how they spell Cummins on the side of your truck?

 

thanks I changed my profile

 

Ynot on this one I have to totally disagree with you. I won't have a commercial piece of crap on my truck with the loads I pull. There are standard mounting practices that are tried and proven. The hitch discribed is done standard. The holes go in the sides of the frame with angle iron. The plate is heavy enough to take the stress. About 54" of plate probably 10 or 11 inches wide and 3/4 thick and about a 10 inch square piece welded to that in the middle. Then a machined hole for the hitch ball. That is going no where and will be stronger than the truck.

One here made a comment about a 3/8 plate bolted directly to the flanges. That is suiside. That setup will kill you and you have already seriously damaged the frame flanges.

If you are concerned about insurance on a constructed item, just make sure that it cannot break. If there is any way possible for it to come loose, bend or break, than you need to redesign, it is not good enough. The plate should ot only be strong enough to carry the load, but it should add stiffness to the frame as another crossmember. Most commercial hitches are way too light for reliable service in commercial work.

 

Haulin....

I agree with you, I have seen some of the commercial built hitches and I put my trust in the design and construction of my own homemade crossmember/hitch any day.

 

This is a neutral comment here: I don't know anything about making my own hitches; I heard all the positive comments about B&W so I went for it. It's treated me well and just to throw in, the B&W is rated at 7500# pin weight and 30000# towed weight.