Turnover Gooseneck Hitchs: UnaGoose or Diamond

[Cooker]

I will start by saying I did use the search feature first and came up with some good reading but I have a few unanswered questions.



I am shopping for a turnover GN hitch. It appears that the B&W is by far the most preferred but but I am not sure I like the lever through the wheel well. It seems this may interfere with the airbags that I have on the truck and I would be concerned that in the "salt belt" here in Michigan that it may get a little rusted up.



I am looking at the UnaGoose and the Diamond Hitch as both can be turned over in the bed of the truck without having to worry about something rusting up under the truck. Does anybody have a preference as to which is better? IMHO the UnaGoose looks to be the better built hitch but without seeing them in person this is hard to determine. Which is easier to install (I'm guessing they are about the same)? Easier to operate? Which is more affordable?



The only drawback I see to either the UnaGoose or the Diamond is that there is not a true "companion" 5th wheel hitch for the GN. I do not own a 5er and I do not see myself buying one in the future so this really is not a concern for me.



Thanks for the help.

 

[slowneasy]

Cooker- I purchased the Unagoose and installed it myself. It is a heavy duty hitch as you can probably tell and well built. The one thing that I didn't like about it and didn't realize at the time, was that you must drill all the mounting bolt holes in the frame. Had I known that, I would have gone with B&W. Now that I've said that, it works good. I have noticed that the collar and bearings that lock the ball in can become stuck from fine sand/debris working it's way inside. Also, unlike the B&W or some of the others, you can't just flip the ball over and put it back in the hole. It comes with a seperate plug (that I've since lost).

Sorry, can't comment on the Diamond.

 

[Oliver88]

I like my Unagoose, but what he said about it getting stuck is true. I try to keep mine sprayed with lubricant every so often. It is a well built and heavy hitch.

Greg

 

[Jff24Gordn]

I aint broke mine yet. Its been past double GCVW several times. I usually have soemthing big and heavy to whack it if it gets stuck. Ive never oiled it and it was put on in 96. I still have the cap, but you never need it unless you plan to haul sand or gravel. All in all, its a well eneginerred hitch made by some southern Indiana rednecks.

 

[Oliver88]

You can also get a kit to clamp the Unagoose to the frame. No drilling.

Greg

 

[Cooker]

Thanks for the information.



I really don't like the idea of drilling in the frame but I assume that no matter what hitch I choose, including the B&W, that holes would need to be drilled in the frame for installation.



It seems like clamping it to the frame would sacrifice some strenght

 

[LaxCummins]

No Drill

Looks like you've got a 2nd gen - no drilling required with the B&W...



I'm in the rust belt as well - I have no reason to think that the mechanism will fail me - the whole thing is powdercoated which should help somewhat.



LAXCummins

 

[MCherry]

The ball on the B&W is a square shank that fits in a square socket. You can either have the ball sticking up ready to use, or pull it out and turn it upside down so that you have a flat floor.



It fits pretty tight, and if you leave it too long and have moisture, dirt, etc, it can get stuck. I had trouble removing mine after not moving it for several months.



I now try to remove it or at least squirt some lubricant around the base pretty often.



It's a great hitch, and I really like it. This is my second truck to use it. But like most things, it requires some maintenance.

 

[RJOL]

... Looks like you've got a 2nd gen - no drilling required with the B&W...

I just bought a B&W for my 2005... It does not require drilling for 3rd Gen CTD. It clamps to the new frame. I haven't installed it yet, as my new truck is still being built. It appears to be a very heavy duty setup and the Companion 5th wheel accessory looks more then adequate for my towing. .