matthopp

I am going to look at an old gooseneck trailer that has been made into a BBQ trailer. The owner says the gooseneck is the old style gooseneck with the pin. I have seen these before but what is ball called? I have the 2 5/16 on my truck and can easily take it off, can a buy one of these old style ***** and screw it in to replace my current ball when towing this? I will obviously look into trying to replace the gooseneck coupler on the trailer to fit modern gooseneck setups.

DodgeCowboy

If he is refuring to a goose neck trailer my older stock trailer has a 2 5.16ths coupler on it but the pin that locks it down is a pin with a larger spot in the middle that slides in behind the ball and locks it on.

rustyshakelford

i know exactly what your talking about, but for the life of me i cant remember the name of them. i agree w/ ya about switching it over to the 2 5/16 ball though

brett

matthopp

I have not seen this specific hitch yet, but I believe its the type where the ball has a big hole through it, i would imagine it would be bigger than 2 5/16. I have no clue how the setup even works, i have only seen the ***** on old farm trucks in the parking lot.

Again, i am just trying to be prepared before i go look at this trailer.

Muddin_dude06

Your talking about where the ball is about 4" in diameter and has a hole through the center that is about 2" right? A piece of pipe (the neck of the trailer) slips over it and there is a big pin (like 3/4") that goes through, when I hauled hay we had a trailer that was like that, you can get a new one at a trailer sales place (Take 3 Trailer has them and they are located in Brehnam). If your plate that the ball goes into uses a ball that has a threaded shake DO NOT tighten the ball of the way down before hooking to the trailer leave about a full turn of play in it, if you tighten it down when you turn you will be using the trailer like a HUGE cheater pipe and will cause a world of frustration. Sorry for the long post! Haha!

TxDiesel007

Ive seen those before

They are 4 inch diameter with a pin running thru the middle, (I actually have one in the toolbox), they work best with a slide in shank and pin on the bottom of them. They are very very expensive tho, and u dont see them anymore down here. Dad and I have changed out a couple of couplers before.

Rick

DodgeCowboy

Turns out B&W Turnover ball makes one that I can use in my hitch

BearKiller

What you guys are describing is the first GENUINE GOOSENECK BRAND hitch system, way before some smart dude decided that a 2-5/16 house-trailer ball could take the place of that ring coupler.

Several years ago, Gooseneck brand trailer order sheets asked whether you wanted a Gooseneck hitch, or a ball-style hitch.

One thing for sure, no one could borrow the trailer with the genuine Gooseneck hitch, as they would have to buy a hitch.

olbetsy98_12V

Depending on how far down you are in houston you can get those at trailer wheel and frame, huskey trailer, or pj trailer they are all right next to each other on I45 on the north bound side i dont remember the exit sorry. Or if you are closer to tomball you can get one at asap trailer on 2920 right before telge. Hope this helps a little.

matthopp

That picture is exactly what I am thinking it is; I just didn’t know what the specific name for that setup is called. What are the other downsides of that ball? I can see how the trailer would act as a cheater pipe and torque the ball down, but that wouldn’t be a one time deal, I would think that could happen every time.

One of the reasons I like Gooseneck trailers is that it greatly limits who can borrow them and usually someone with the gooseneck setup knows what they are doing with a trailer.

I live near the OIL Ranch in Hockley, I will have to check out ASAP and see what they want. It looks like it will screw into my welded nut just like my 2 5/16 will.

rodboy

Alot of people used to call those and eye hitch. Used to be all anyone had. I think they are illegal to use on the highway though. I think that is why everyone changed over to the Ball hitch. I am pretty sure if you get pulled over by a State Trooper in TX and he knows what he is looking at you could be in some trouble. They can't handle the weight either. My grandfather and Fanther had them on all of thier trailers before they outlawed them for highway use.

BearKiller

Also, the genuine article will not "torque" the hitch, as it swivels and pivots with the motions of the trailer.

matthopp

Ok, so now I am a little confused. Where is the pivot point with this setup? Does the ball pivot or does the neck on the trailer pivot?

DodgeCowboy

Me too i have been wonering this since i saw this thread to me it looks like the trailer would un tie its self

rodboy

ok, the ball has a hole in it. The hitch on the trailer is basically a piece of pipe that sits down over the ball. There is a pin you put through the pipe (trailer hitch) and goes through the ball also. This is what keeps the trailer attached to the pickup, this pin. the ball has to turn when the trailer turns, because the pin is going through it. The ball has about 2 to 3 inches of thick threads. you have to leave a little play in the ball so it can pivot atleast 180 degrees, because with the trailer hooked up that is all you will be able to turn unless you have a wreck. Clear as mud now???