Gooseneck questions

[13MWZ]

I have never towed with a gooseneck, only bumper-pull, so I have a few questions I'd like to ask before I install my first gooseneck.



First off, how are the trailer wires ran? Do I need to put a connector in my bed like 5ers use or are the trailer wires able to reach the connector on my bumper? Will it differ from one trailer to the next or is there some sort of standard? If I need one in the bed do they make them that plug into the stock harness or will I need to splice a new connector into my wiring harness?



Second is about the saftey chains. On my bumper pull trailer I always cross my chains, is that a good or bad idea to do with a gooseneck?



Third consourns the brake controler. My truck didnt come with one but came with a plug to connect into the harness and splice into the controler. I dont currently have a controler due to my loads being so light I never felt it necessary, but with the gooseneck I'll need one. What do I need to look for in a brake controler? What are some good ones to take into consideration... ... or would a $60 one from the auto store work just the same as a $120 one from the trailer store? Just curiouse about what the differances are.



Also, I'm planing on getting the hitch with the flip over ball from the dealer for $500 and install it myself. Has anybody used this one? How was the install? How much (if any) drilling was required? I believe they advertise no drilling required but I've heard that before and still needed to drill.



Thanks for yall's time, advise, and help.

 

[THess]

My trailer wire reaches to my bumper and I cross my safety chains. I have the standard small 6 or 7 wire plug, not the rv but the one just a little smaller. As far as the controller goes I just have a tekonsha that works fine for me. A lot of guys swear by the maxbrake that I think taps into the braking system but it is really expensive. My biggest loads gross around 14-15000 lbs trailer weight and I've never had a problem stopping. Hope this helps.

 

[DHayden]

I have a B&W turnover ball, I think its great. I went to a local dealer after finding the best price on ebay, the dealer matched the price and installed the hitch inexpensively. He did the hitch and put a 7 pin connector inside the bed for about $75 dollars as I recall. I dont cross my chains on the gooseneck, no reason why I dont, I just dont.

I use a prodigy controller, it does well but I would get the brakesmart/maxbrake type if I was getting a new one.

 

[Pavemen]

my B&W turn over hitch was $300 or so. Installed myself in a few hours. no frame drilling, just one large hole and four small ones in the bed.

towing with a gooseneck is 100x better than bumper pull. less bounce, less sway, better handling during braking.

several places make a pigtail of sorts that plugs inline with the tow package rear wiring, so no cutting/splicing. Lets you mount the receptacle in the bed. I prefer that method for hookup.

i dont cross the chains either, not sure it really matters in that type of setup.

i have an old teshonka voyager controller. works fine. the P3 is popular as its built for ease of use. all kinds of diagnostic outputs in digital form. not sure about the controllers mentioned above.

 

[Wyomingcowboy]

My homemade hitch is just like the B&W and I love it. The B&W is easy to install and you should not pay $500 for it. As faras brake controllers go I have some generic thing I bought from U-Haul years ago while in a pinch in CA. It works fine. I think alot of guys on here get too worked up about alot of things and brake controllers being one of them. If I had to do it again however; I would probably buy one of the "better" brands out there just to see the difference. (In actuality I have pulled many heavy trailers with no brakes at all. It's hard on service brakes but thats how the old guys did it!)

As far as the quality of towing..... gooseneck is the ONLY way to go! You will love it!

 

[CDonaldson]

I have the PopUP GN hitch, it was easy to install. Large hole in the bed for the ball, 4 small holes for the safety chain U's, bolts up to the frame. It took a couple hours to install it.



I do not cross my chains like you would with a bumper pull. I installed a bed receptacle, it was easy, you can get a harness that plugs into your truck harness, it's an inline 'T'. I switched all my plugs on my trailers to the RV type. Most all GN's have enough wire/cable to plug into your bumper plug as well.



CD

 

[jelag]

I have several trucks that have goose neck hitches..... What you haven't told us is how much weight the trailer weighs and how often your going to do this...

I've stayed away from the Atwood flip up ball... . we actually wore these out in less than 18 months pulling trailers in the 20K lb range... and Atwood wouldn't do a thing for us... since than we've moved all the trucks to the B&W roll over hitch and we've not worn one out... . we also have the companion hitch for my 5er...

We've installed a plug in the bed of the trucks just to make it easier to install the electrical wires... on the trucks where the trailer is attached all the time... . . we just leave it plugged in next to the bumper... . we have installed a spring on the cable so that on a tight turn or when we back up the cable won't get caught on the edge of the bed of the truck... .

We've had one truck totaled and jack knifed about 8 years ago on a bad hill one winter morning with ice and leaves on the surface. . the frame of the truck and trailer were destroyed and the hitch never came off the ball..... I'm convinced that the chains are a real waste of time..... but required by law... . so we just snap them in any way that works... .

We've tried several brake controllers but really like the brake smart and the one advertised here a lot... . we really like the units that tie into the hydraulic system and read pressure giving you more and more brakes the harder you press on the pedal...

In a panic stop, when you need it most... I personally feel that the units that read hydraulic pressure and give you the correct electric brake pressure are the best... . I know this has saved our bacon several times when a foolish driver pulls in front of us and than stops... . because of traffic...

Hope this helps...

 

[13MWZ]

All yall have been a big help. Thanks. I did a little calling around and learned (as WyomingCowboy said) $500 is steep, I found a dealer that sells the B&W for $285 so I'll go that route. Thanks for the heads up on that.



Jelag, I'm not sure of the trailer's weight, it's my boss's, but it's tandem axle (as most gn's I've seen are) and I'd say in the neighborhood of 35' long. It says "Trailerman" on the side, dont know if that's the brand or dealer it camefrom. As far as the loads it will mostly be around 14k lbs.



Thanks again for yall's posts, been a big help

 

[Andersonville]

I would get a Prodigy controller,about $85 on the web. All the GN's I have pulled the plug went into my RV plug on the rear bumper and I tie the slack up with a bungee or plastic tie. I have the B&W turnover ball and like it very much as well as the B&W Companion 5th wheel hitch.

 

[HBarlow]

If the trailer harness is long enough you can plug it in the seven pin receptacle at your truck's rear bumper. If not Reese makes an extension harness with a seven pin receptacle on one end and a tee connector on the other that will plug into the back of the factory receptacle at the rear of your truck. No cutting or splicing required. Simple plug in and go. You can buy them various places including "etrailer" on line for about $60.



The reason it is important to cross the chains on a standard ball and coupler trailer is to support the trailer tongue if the coupler disconnects from the ball. Not necessary on a gooseneck.



Like Jelag above, I am a very strong advocate of Brakesmart or MaxBrake controllers which cost more but are far superior to all other brake controllers for providing precisely modulated braking of your trailer to match your truck brakes.

 

[Mark31]

13, Gore Trailers (goretrailers.com) puts short pigtails on their trailers to force customers to put in a bed plug. Too many rear-plugged harnesses were "involved in accidents". Mark