How Do You Hook Up Your Gooseneck?

[444Powerstroke]

Do you climb in the truck bed every time and connect/disconnect the latch or hook-up chains?
I've always had a standard tongue pull or RV style 5th wheel, now I have a horse trailer that will primarily be used by my wife. I don't see anyway of hooking it up or disconnecting it without climbing in the truck bed to do so. I didn't find much on the internet except a poorly marketed over priced "Ez-Latch System".
I have a couple of ideas on making something, but thought I would ask here first.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I climb in the bed every time to hook-up the safety chains, so I do it all while I am there.

 

[Deere Dude]

I have a redwood bench with semi sturdy legs to stand on. I then can reach over the bed and do my hookups.

 

[mjw357]

Lower trailer down onto the ball. Step on rear tire and climb in to close hitch and connect chains.

 

[WM75Guy]

After knee replacement I can't crawl in to hook everything up. I have a small stool to step up and sit on the tailgate, then just lay over on my side to reach everything. You can rotate the hitch 180 degrees so the latch faces the back if needed.

 

[BobG_in_VA]

Lower trailer down onto the ball. Step on rear tire and climb in to close hitch and connect chains.

What he said...+1 BobG in VA

 

[Xfaxman]

I put a magnet stick in front of the gooseneck ball, then looking in the center rear view mirror, back up, centering the stick on the hitch tube. Stop as soon as the stick moves from contacting the hitch.

Lower on to the ball, then I step on the Bed Step and into the bed to latch and hook the safety chains. :thumbsup:

 

[topbuilder]

When I unhook from the trailer, I do not raise the hitch all the way up off the ball . When backing up to reconnect I can feel the ball slide under the hitch. Lower it down, stand on the tire to lock it in. Screw the chains. Never used them.

 

[bdog]

When I unhook from the trailer, I do not raise the hitch all the way up off the ball . When backing up to reconnect I can feel the ball slide under the hitch. Lower it down, stand on the tire to lock it in. Screw the chains. Never used them.

You will make the DOT's day someday when they write you a ticket for that. I have never seen or heard of a gooseneck coming loose but the law states you must have them. I got a ticket back in the ninities for no safety chains on a gooseneck. The pickup had no provisions to connect them and the trailer I was pulling didn't even have chains.

 

[civilian]

You will make the DOT's day someday when they write you a ticket for that. I have never seen or heard of a gooseneck coming loose but the law states you must have them. I got a ticket back in the ninities for no safety chains on a gooseneck. The pickup had no provisions to connect them and the trailer I was pulling didn't even have chains.

So what makes a GN need chains, but a fifth wheel doesn't? Just wondering. Jon