The “gooseneck” type of trailer hitch is one of those things that you’ve probably seen but didn’t realize what it was you were looking at.The name “gooseneck” actually describes the look of the hitch fairly well. The Gooseneck design takes advantage of the pickup truck’s bed combined with trailers designed to be towed by a pickup: The overhanging part of these trailers can now be hooked to a hitch in the pickup truck bed.

As a Class V capacity hitch, the gooseneck can pull up to 30,000 pounds of gross trailer weight. As a Class V rated trailer hitch, the gooseneck can tow up to 30,000 lbs of trailer weight, while the Class I and II hitches are good for only 3500 pounds and the Class III & IVs are good for 10,000 lbs.

The hitch most people are familiar with is the one with a hitch ball and attached to the truck’s rear bumper, often beefed up by being welded or bolted to the truck’s rear frame. However, gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches both connect to the bed of the truck of a pickup truck, instead of its bumper. The gooseneck hitch makes use of a hitch ball that comes from the hitch frame, which is bolted to the frame of the truck. Then the arched arm of the trailer hitch locks in place on the hitch ball.

2 features of a gooseneck hitch make it popular: Folks favor the added strength in its towing ability and due to the nature of their design, they have the ability to make tighter turns than other hitch and trailer options. The trailer’s tighter turning ability is a huge benefit and is due to the fact that the turning point of the trailer is in the bed of the pickup truck instead of on or near the truck’s bumper.

The installation of the gooseneck hitch can be a little involved as you have to remove the pickup truck’s bed in order to attach the hitch frame to the frame of the pickup. The truckbed can be drilled now, so that the hitch ball can fit thru. So now that the hole in the bed is drilled, the truckbed can be replaced.

Gooseneck hitches are great for pulling campers, horse trailers, and any trailer designed to take advantage of the ‘overhang’ over a pickup truck’s bed. And the tighter turning ability of the gooseneck makes it a must-have hitch for many situations. They can be difficult to install without getting a kit customized for your truck, but once installed they are extremely secure.

Jim Armstrong has been writing unique automotive articles for years. Find out more good info about the gooseneck hitch and the Reese Hitch now.

categories: trailer hitches,trailers,recreational vehicles,automotive,cars

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