Most aftermarket bed manufactures that come with a gooseneck hitch are welded in channel iron so there must be some benefit?

Hithches started to come bolt up because it was easy for the average consumer to put them on thus increasing sales for the company and in return keeping cost down for the consumer! There are probably tens of thousands of trucks that have them welded on because that was the only option of the day. I remember when there was no over the counter gooseneck hitch set up so everyone had to make there own or operate under one style of design.

The bolting got big because some of the frames started to come heat treated and if you would weld on them you would get cracks! I know we got a bulletin a long time back on some of the fords that had heat treated frames, as soon as you would strike and arc it would crack in places, same like the big trucks some of them are heat treated and stress releaved so doing any sort of work can change the frame. Even things so simple as drilling new brackets for mud flaps.

I have also seen some systems that are large pieces of plate that are made to fit your bed and it bolts down in the same places where the bed bolts go, Not me!!!

If the worse ever happens and I have seen it happen on the road I like welds so that nothing will want to shear.