Gooseneck Hitch Setup On Flatbed Truck Help

[frankmako]

I got a 1995 Ford F350 flatbed dually. It has a 12 foot flatbed. When the 12 foot flatbed was put on the truck they added two foot to the frame by wielding some smaller frame rails. I want to put in a gooseneck hitch in the truck. I know a 12 foot bed is too long to work. I am looking at cutting off 2 foot on the bed to make it a 10 foot flatbed. Will a 10 foot flatbed work with a gooseneck hitch setup? Or do I have to cut it shorter.

 

[powerstroke444e]

What's your wheel base? I put a ball on my f450 but has a long wheel base with 10' dump.

 

[gengine]

I don't have a flatbed, but my dodge has the ball at 54" from the outside of the bumper, and my ford is 59" from the bumper. Both have a clearance of around 18" from the corner of the bed to the center of the trailer when turned. Assuming your flatbed is wider than my SRW trucks to compensate for the duals, my 18" will be tighter with your truck. In both cases, the ball is slightly foreword of the rear axle by around 8". I don't know if that helps you at all, but it's what I can offer. Good luck!

 

[flusher]

I got a 1995 Ford F350 flatbed dually. It has a 12 foot flatbed. When the 12 foot flatbed was put on the truck they added two foot to the frame by wielding some smaller frame rails. I want to put in a gooseneck hitch in the truck. I know a 12 foot bed is too long to work. I am looking at cutting off 2 foot on the bed to make it a 10 foot flatbed. Will a 10 foot flatbed work with a gooseneck hitch setup? Or do I have to cut it shorter.

I always thought that the GN hitch is supposed to be located 6-12 inches ahead of the rear axle of the towing vehicle. Like this

 

[downslope]

I got a 1995 Ford F350 flatbed dually. It has a 12 foot flatbed. When the 12 foot flatbed was put on the truck they added two foot to the frame by wielding some smaller frame rails. I want to put in a gooseneck hitch in the truck. I know a 12 foot bed is too long to work. I am looking at cutting off 2 foot on the bed to make it a 10 foot flatbed. Will a 10 foot flatbed work with a gooseneck hitch setup? Or do I have to cut it shorter.

As long as you can place the ball at least slightly (1-2" or more) in front of the rear axle it will work and tow OK, providing that the trailer clears the corners of the shortened bed. Clearance will depend on the width of the truck bed, type of trailer, gooseneck design, etc. If it doesn't clear you may have to angle the corners of the shortened bed.

Was the F350 originally a pickup body or was it a short wheelbase chassis cab? I believe the frames were different on the chassis cabs. If you remove the welded on frame extensions will the 10 foot body overhang the original frame?

 

[mjw357]

I got a 1995 Ford F350 flatbed dually. It has a 12 foot flatbed. When the 12 foot flatbed was put on the truck they added two foot to the frame by wielding some smaller frame rails. I want to put in a gooseneck hitch in the truck. I know a 12 foot bed is too long to work. I am looking at cutting off 2 foot on the bed to make it a 10 foot flatbed. Will a 10 foot flatbed work with a gooseneck hitch setup? Or do I have to cut it shorter.

Take a measuring tape or a length of string, and measure the distance from the center of the gooseneck on your trailer to the closest part of the trailer (whatever might hit the corner of the truck in a turn).
Now go to your truck. Mark a spot with a piece of tape or sharpie in center of bed, about 2" in front of your rear axle. Now take your measuring tape or string, hold one end on the mark and swing the other end out around the truck bed corners. How much clearance you got? If it hits, mark an arc on both corners and figure out what you would need to cut off to give you 16"-18" of clearance.

 

[mjw357]

I always thought that the GN hitch is supposed to be located 6-12 inches ahead of the rear axle of the towing vehicle. Like this

View attachment 258361

Can't be sure because of the camera angle, but I'd say that ball is almost directly over the axle.