Flatbed and gooseneck compatibility - Diesel Forum

NickKent · 03-24-2007, 10:17 PM

I am thinking of building a flatbed for my truck. A few days ago I was thinking through the details, and realized that there might be an issue with my B&W hitch. At the moment, it is flush with the floor of the truck bed. If I put a flatbed on it, the bed will be way above the height of the hitch. I figured this must be why flatbeds often have a rather large access plate to the gooseneck hitch. Flip up the plate and the coupler on the trailer mounts below the flatbed floor. Or am I wrong? Do they make an adaper kit that would raise up the hitch.

tjbeggs · 03-24-2007, 10:34 PM

most if not all flatbeds with goose neck hitch have been set up like you said with the access panel and the ball recessed

ryanPSD · 03-25-2007, 05:31 AM

I don't think there's many OBS flatbeds here. I have a 96 super cab as do you. My truck was ordered from the dealer as a cab and chassis by my father, and he had the flatbed custom made at a local shop. They put a metal plate in the middle of the flatbed (the rest is wood) bolted reinforced to the steel crossmembers of the frame of the flatbed where the gooseneck went for our fifth wheel could be mounted in two places (we had a gooseneck to 5th wheel adapter), farther forward towards the cab or farther back, depending on the load of stuff on the bed.

For what it's worth...? [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

I can take any pics you want of the setup if you'd like.... [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] Let me know.

barebackjake · 03-25-2007, 12:01 PM

i put some real heavy channel between the hitch and the framerails on mine since i have a b&w also. the deck of my flatbed was 3" higher than the top of the hitch so i just used 3" channel and boxed it all in. but im gonna end up dropping the hitch back to the frame and build a recess in the bed but im not gonna build a plate to cover it. the recess is similar to the c&m beds but i didnt make the recess channel go all the way to the back of the truck. just right around the hitch so you have enough room for the coupler your chains and electrical hookups

NickKent · 03-26-2007, 08:43 AM

Thanks for the replies guys. Having never seen one, I kind of figured it was recessed with a large access plate.

CTS · 03-26-2007, 09:36 PM

Nick, many guys like the recessed “trapdoor” ball because of the lower ball height. B&W will build a bed with the turn over ball mounted flush in the bed, or they will build a trapdoor and lower the ball in the recessed area. A coworker has a B&W bed on a 2000 F350 CC dually (stock height), and he was going to have them build a bed with the turn over ball mounted flush in the bed. They already had the bed he wanted at a discounted price, but it had the trapdoor recessed ball. He bought the discounted bed and he is now glad that he did. Even with his gooseneck shortened as low as possible, his trailer is still just a tad too high in front. Many trailers will not allow the gooseneck to shorten enough for the trailer bed to be level behind a tall truck with the ball mounted higher than a flatbed.