Gooseneck Adapter Build

[Puddles]

Got this idea off a truck forum a few years ago. Couple years ago I built one for a friend, (1st picture)
Now in my spare time I’m building one for my 16,000-pound, 20-feet long PJ flatbed trailer.
In some ways this is the best of both worlds, get more capacity with the gooseneck, but you can unbolt it and go back to a bumper pull.
Just thought you might enjoy the pictures!

 

[Puddles]

5 more pictures

 

[Puddles]

Last of the pictures, if you would like I’ll post more as I progress!

 

[Puddles]

Wait here is another one of a padeye!

 

[Dougie998]

Crikey thats is a big ol project. Keep us updated with pics as you progress further.

 

[Puddles]

Here is a progress report:
Didn’t get a whole lot done this afternoon, got the horizontal beams set, and tacked. Tacked the Bull Dog receiver in place.
The reason for the section of staging off to the right; used it as a batter board. Used a string line from the back of the trailer over the top of centerline of the bumper pull receiver. Tomorrow I’ll have to place some welds in the proper place to pull the A-frame 3/16 of an inch back in line with the center of the trailer. If that doesn’t work I’ll break out the O/A torch and do a little heat shrinking

 

[MrFluffy]

If the response is slow, its probably because gooseneck trailers and bed mounted hitches are almost unheard of in the uk and europe. Over here the van and flatdeck lorry is the usual choice of a job shop as opposed to a dually or a silverado.
People might be unaware of the fact that a gooseneck hitch bolts above the rear axle in the pickup bed on special spreader brackets, which is why they have a much higher capacity than a bumper mounted hitch. They also tend to "wag" the rear of the vehicle around less, as they have less leverage on the wheelbase at the anchoring point so are preferred by people towing larger loads. Sort of like a 5th wheel for pickups.

Fascinating stuff and heavy fab work

 

[Puddles]

Mr. Fluffy thanks for explaining that to me. I was wondering why the slow response. I knew the members here are very friendly, and no matter where you are fab work is fab work. Again different ways of doing things! Here in the USA gooseneck trailers are very popular!
I need to get out / around more; I’ve never been east of New York City!

 

[peterd51]

Hi,

wouldn't you get wet if you did?

Regards
Peter

 

[Justme]

I think we are all looking at it but as we have no experiance we cant say much apart from bloody eck that a big un...

Not sur ewhat the legal position is in the UK for a set up like that either. You occasionaly see an imported motor home trailer & pickup like that.


Justme

 

[JimM]

Is that going on the back of a standard pickup (L200, Hi-lux etc ?) I thought it was something for a HGV

 

[Puddles]

Here is how these gooseneck trailer work!

 

[Puddles]

Didn’t get a lot done today. Had problems with getting things back in line.
1st problem, one of the vertical legs was out of plumb, so I had to do a little heat shrinking. The first pictures shows which direction it had to go. 2nd pictures shows the heat marks. This took longer than normal, because I didn’t want to drag the water hose into the shop, so I let everything cool on it’s own.

The 2nd problem I couldn’t get the A-frame on line with just welding in the proper places. Ran out of oxygen & acetylene, so I had to run to town. That number 12 rosebud really eats the O/A! The 3rd picture shows where I had to heat the beam to force the Bull Dog receiver into line. The 4th picture doesn’t really show it, (hard to hold the level and take a picture at the same time) but it’s with in 1/16 of an inch.

 

[optionguru]

Puddles, how much weight is that adding to the trailer? I have 6 trailers that I run for my garbage / demolition company and I'm always nervous about overloading the axles. The job looks great.

 

[Hitch]

I cant really see what the gooseneck acheives, i guess the american rules must be different.
Spreading the load between axles helps no doubt. But that should be down to the loading and balance of the trailer.

In the UK, you have a 'gross train weight' reccomended by the manufacture, which must not be exceeded.
A Mitsi L200, is 5260kg, the kerb weight of the vehicle is 2920kg, so that leaves a towing capacity of 2340kg.
Making the trailer lighter will be more benificial to increase payload.

 

[Justme]

I think there pickups are bigger & almost truck like & have air breaks. I am sure that the weigh limits are much higher too but do vary state to state.

All that steel work would be heavy on its own.

This is the only UK site I could find making them in the UK http://www.fifthwheelco.com/index.html They are very negative about imports.

Justme

 

[shenion]

Most pickups that can accept a gooseneck have a 5 ton payload capacity. Usually have dual rear wheels.

 

[Hitch]

Most pickups arn't like that here in the UK- about 1ton capacity is the norm

Nice build none the less!!

 

[Justme]

Looked at the nivara & it only allows it to tow 3000kg A landy does more than that on a 50mm ball hitch.

 

[Puddles]

The big advantage to these gooseneck trailer is, you put the weight right over the rear wheel of the truck. My understanding from several truck forums here in the states, most state DOT, (Department of Transportation) could care less what the truck manufacture says the weight rating is, they look at the tire rating, axle weight, and the gross combined weight. If you do not have a CDL, (certified Driver’s License) like me, you cannot go over 26,000-pounds gross combined. If you do have a CDL, they it gets down to how much weight you are certified to drive.
Look at this first picture, (have no idea who this belongs to) That 1-ton dually pickup is way over the manufacture’s weight rating, but the driver has a CDL so he is perfectly legal!

During the installation I got the A-frame out of alignment with the centerline of the trailer, and one of the verticals out of plumb, so I used my O/A torch to heat shrink the beams back in alignment. 2nd picture shows which way the beam had to go to be plumb, the 3rd picture shows the heat marks. The 4th picture shows where I heated the horizontal beam to bring the A-frame back in alignment.