Here's the story. Bought my truck used last fall, noted it had gooseneck ball hitch in bed. But, I surely did miss details.
I was going to get fifth wheel hitch installed now. Problem is, there is a snag, a detail I had overlooked until yesterday.
It appears previous owner of truck WELDED the gooseneck ball hitch brackets onto the frame of my truck, in exactly the spot where the mounting brackets for the fifth wheel hitch need to go.
There are two angle iron's under the bed of my truck, running from frame to frame, supporting the gooseneck ball hitch. Under bed rails for the hitch. Each side is welded to the frame, visible as you look inwards over the top of the dual tires. Looking now, it appears the whole gooseneck hitch job is farm made, home made affair.
Figured I could get local welder to just cut them off. Well, he wouldn't do it, said too much of a liability issue.
He said he did not want to mess with my frame at all, in any manner. No cutting with torch or grinding. Nothing.
So, I am at least temporarily stuck.
Options, or suggestions are surely appreciated. It is a Dodge 2006 3500 dually, and I know those frames are touchy as far as hitch installation goes anyway. Not touchy as in poor quality, but touchy in that Dodge wants it done in just one certain way.
So, again. Options, suggestions, opinions are welcome.
Does anyone think there is any frame damage from the previous welding?
Such as loss of temper to the steel or anything along those lines.
Removal of old brackets - possible, and in what manner???
Thanks!
The Mad Norsky, Doll, Logan & Rocky
2006 Dodge Cummins 3500 4X4 Dually
RV'ing since 1991
We never know where we're going till we get there!
They do. But I refuse to use one of those. So, I'm still stuck.
Honestly, some say yes, many say no on those gooseneck adapters for fifth wheels.
I know my fifth wheel is not braced as well as trailers normally pulled gooseneck fashion. I don't want to tempt fate, nor do I want to risk frame damage to my fifth wheel.
It is the most obvious, and immediate answer, but I don't want to use one.
The Mad Norsky wrote: They do. But I refuse to use one of those. So, I'm still stuck.
Honestly, some say yes, many say no on those gooseneck adapters for fifth wheels.
I know my fifth wheel is not braced as well as trailers normally pulled gooseneck fashion. I don't want to tempt fate, nor do I want to risk frame damage to my fifth wheel.
It is the most obvious, and immediate answer, but I don't want to use one.
But thanks anyway. Appreciate the thought!
You might have misunderstood. True, some fiver manufacturers caution against converting the trailer pin to a gooseneck configuration. What I think he meant was that some hitch makers, notably B&W, make a fifth wheel hitch that mounts on a gooseneck. That's a much different deal, and not inimical to the welfare of your coach.
From reading the B & W web site, appears their Companion hitch is brand sensitive, IE: it has to be used with a Turnover Ball gooseneck hitch.
Still, worth a try. There is a dealer 45 miles away, it is worth giving it a shot. Perhaps if I can modify what I have a little. I basically need just the gooseneck ball area replaced to make the Companion fifth wheel hitch work. The Companion hitch needs the receiver of where the ball used to be (it is removed) to work properly.
What I have now is an Atwood Mobile Products gooseneck ball. It folds sideways into a slot towards the drivers side of the vehicle.
Thanks for the good suggestions and help so far. Really appreciate your efforts!
..............You should beable to find a welder who can weld some flat metal arms onto the angle iron and then simply bolt the 5'ver hitch , thru the bed and attach too the metal arms . I'm assuming here that the angle iron is atleast 1\4th. inch thick material . The hardest part will be removing the bed from the truck to allow access when welding the additional plates . Also , with bed removed the welder can gauge the quality of the instal done by the previous owner and add additional metal for strength , if necessary . , jf
I would think you can bring the truck to a frame shop, the ones that specialize in fixing bent/broken frames. They should be able to grind the old mounts off and reinforce frame if necessary.
If the brackets were welded to the frame flange, then I would not remove them. The frame was heated during the weld process, and will be heated even more when the welds are ground off, which can harden the frame (sounds good, but it's not because that leads to cracking). If the brackets are welded to the frame web, then grind away. The weight of the truck isn't really carried by the frame web, it just keeps the space between the top and bottom flanges.
Bryan
2000 Ford E350 DRW Wagon (14-pass all captains chairs)
V10 w/ Banks PowerPack, Diablo Predator, 4.56 LS, 230,000+ miles
Weekend Warrior FSW 3400 (41' actual length)
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