How to Install a Gooseneck Hitch: Tools, Steps and Cost, From B&W's Install Sheets

How we made this guide: picks and specs come from our catalog and fitment data, owner quotes come from verified reviews and every guide is checked and edited by Trevor Hall.

A B&W Turnoverball gooseneck hitch bolts to the truck's frame under the bed and needs one large hole through the bed floor for the ball, plus four small holes for the safety chain U-bolts. The kits we carry start at $599.

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You need a drill, a hole saw, sockets and a torque wrench, plus a safe way to work under the truck. Owner reviews on file report anything from about an hour working alone to about 4 hours for two people, and B&W's sheets say the installer must know the hazards of a job like this.

This guide follows B&W's install sheets for the GNRK1121 (2015 to 2026 Ford F-150) and the GNRK1320 (2019 to 2026 Ram 2500 and 3500). Every kit has its own sheet, so treat this as a picture of the job and follow the sheet in your box. B&W's own Ram walkthrough below is about six years old, so the sheet wins wherever the two differ.

Which trucks can take a gooseneck hitch kit?

Each kit is made for one truck platform and span of years, built for trucks in original, as-manufactured condition.

The Not for column comes from each listing, and B&W's F-150 sheet prints the F-150 exclusions on its first page.

One of the 62 reviews on file is a 1-star from an owner who says the kit did not fit a 2017 Nissan Titan; the review does not say which kit was ordered. Our only Titan kit, the GNRK1217, lists just the 2017 to 2018 Titan XD Model S, which shows how narrow each kit's fit is, so match your exact model, trim and years to the listing before you order.

We also list Turnoverball kits for many older trucks, among them the 2004 to 2014 F-150, the 2017 to 2022 Super Duty, the 2007 to 2021 Tundra, the 2019 to 2024 Ram 1500 Classic and the 2017 to 2018 Nissan Titan XD Model S, so look for your year in our gooseneck hitches collection. If no kit lists your truck, we have none for it.

Our towing range is all B&W: see the B&W trailer hitches or all our towing hitches. Gooseneck vs bumper pull compares the two, and our guide to Turnoverball kits by truck covers what to check before you buy.

Tools and parts for a gooseneck hitch install

Both sheets also list a marking tool, tape measure, flashlight, torque wrench, eye and ear protection and a lifting device (B&W sells a simple mechanical one) to hold the hitch while you bolt it up. The F-150 sheet adds box end wrenches; the Ram sheet adds a center punch, C-clamp, pry bar, soap and water, ratchet strap and socket extensions.

The GNRK1121 gooseneck hitch installation kit comes as two boxes: the GNRM1121 mounting kit (side plates, cross members, fish wires, tape and frame hardware) and the GNRC900 center box (center section, ball, latch pin handle, U-bolts, springs and lock nuts). The GNRK1320 sheet lists the center section, handle and bracket, ball, hole template, two fastener blocks, a U-bolt guide, the U-bolts and eight 5/8 inch locking cap screws. Check every part against the parts list first.

How to install a gooseneck hitch, step by step

Step 1. Check the gap to the cab, then raise the truck

GNRK1121 (F-150). The ball sits 42-5/8 inches forward of the bed's rear edge (see Step 2). Measure your trailers against that spot to be sure the nose clears the cab in a turn.

GNRK1320 (Ram 2500 and 3500). Measure from the rear face of the frame cross member over the axle to the end of the bed (A), then the bed's length on top (B). B minus A minus 5-3/4 inches is the ball-to-cab distance. Compare it with the distance from your trailer's coupler center to its farthest front corner.

Both sheets warn that the space between a trailer's nose and the cab is very limited on short-bed trucks with some trailers, and that too little space can mean serious damage or injury, so finish this check before you cut anything.

Raising the truck makes the work under the bed easier; if you do, use only equipment made for lifting vehicles. Pulling the spare tire is optional on both trucks (the F-150 sheet makes its spare tire heat shield optional too), and on the Ram the driver's side fender liner may need to come out of the wheel well for the handle. Trace the fuel lines, brake lines and wiring along the frame first, since the sheets want none of them damaged. On the F-150, pry off and discard any heat shield on the bed above the rear axle. On the Ram, pry the exhaust off its passenger-side hanger.

Step 2. Mark and cut the hole in the bed

GNRK1121. Hook a tape over the rear edge of the bed at the tailgate end and measure 42-5/8 inches. Halve the distance between the wheel wells for the bed's center. Where the two lines cross, cut a 4 inch hole and deburr it. The hitch installs only at that spot, so an off-center hole can make the job harder or damage the truck. With a spray-in liner, add its thickness over the end of the bed to the first measurement.

GNRK1320. Push the hole template up against the bed, slide its formed flange flat against the cross member's forward flange with its oval hole lined up with the cross member's hole, and clamp it there. Mark through its round hole (the square one is only for certain 3500s with reinforcement plates). Center punch the mark, drill a 1/4 inch pilot hole, then cut the 3-1/2 inch hole from above and leave no burrs underneath. Our listing says 2021 to 2026 trucks need an updated template, so check yours.

Step 3. Hang the center section

GNRK1121. Slide the front and rear cross members into the gap above the axle until they span both frame rails. Tape the center section where the sheet shows, as a barrier between the steel and the aluminum bed. Lift it up with the latch pin on the driver's side, guide its raised portion through the hole and join the cross members to it hand tight. If the cross members will not go in without damaging paint, the sheet allows a small notch in the bed flange. On some trucks the center section also goes in more easily with the exhaust lowered: remove the two 10 mm cap screws that hold the exhaust bracket to the frame, just behind the rear passenger tire. Bolt the bracket back on once the hitch is in (the kit includes an extra rectangular frame spacer to go between the bracket and the bottom of the frame if the exhaust then sits too close to the rear cross member). Owners on file also report tapping the pieces in and notching the bed.

GNRK1320. Pull the plastic fasteners from the cross member's rear flange and set the two fastener blocks between the bed and cross member. Gas trucks need the exhaust pulled toward the driver's side so you can reach the passenger side bolts; diesels need it pulled straight down so the center fits over it, and a ratchet strap from the exhaust to the driver's side of the frame or the axle holds it if you work alone. Raise the center at an angle over the exhaust and push its raised portion up through the hole. Start the 5/8 inch bolts snug, then check the socket is centered, the hitch is parallel to the flanges and nothing touches the brake lines.

Step 4. Square it up and torque it

GNRK1121. Set the carriage bolts in the frame's mounting holes, slide the side plates over them and join the plates to the cross members, all hand tight. Square the hitch by matching its distance to the nearest bed brace on each side, then tighten in the sheet's order (cross member bolts, side plate bolts, forward carriage bolts, rear carriage bolts), because skipping it can misalign the hitch. Torque all the 1/2 inch hardware to 110 ft. lbs.

GNRK1320. Keep the center square and torque the four 5/8 inch bolts in the fastener blocks to 150 ft. lbs., then the four in the forward and rear flanges to 150 ft. lbs. An extension and swivel socket help with the hard-to-reach driver's side forward bolt. Press the plastic fasteners back in.

Step 5. Fit the latch pin handle

GNRK1121. The pin will not work if the handle is fitted wrong. Slide the handle through the slot in the driver's side end of the center section, line its eyelet up with the square hole in the pin and fasten it, snug without deforming the eyelet.

GNRK1320. Move any wiring in the way, then bolt the handle to its bracket: end holes with the handle flipped up for a 2500, holes about 4 inches in with it flipped down for a 3500. Run it in front of the brake lines and over the frame on the driver's side. Mind the pinch point where the latching mechanism meets the center section; the sheet warns of serious injury. Fasten both joints with 3/8 inch nuts at 30 ft. lbs. and tie the sensor wires clear of it.

Step 6. Anchor the safety chains and test the latch

GNRK1121. From under the bed, drill 1/2 inch holes up through the bed using the four center section holes that sit under a low rib as the guide, drop in the U-bolts from above and fit the conical springs and 1/2 inch lock nuts, tightened flush with the bolt ends.

GNRK1320. Mark the four holes with the U-bolt guide and drill them from the top with an 11/16 inch bit, square to the bed. Two of them also go through the frame cross member, so a small pilot hole helps. Fit the 5/8 inch U-bolts, springs and lock nuts the same way. One owner on file found the U-bolt template a quarter inch off on both sides, so check the marks before you drill.

Refit the spare tire, shields and fender liner, cutting a relief slot if the liner stops the handle moving. On the Ram, rehang the exhaust (soap and water help) and stick the handle label to the frame. Then grease the corners of the ball's square shank. The pin must pass through the ball and both walls of the receiver. On the F-150 kit, turn the handle counterclockwise until it engages. On the Ram kit, push the handle back with the ball out, mark the latch mechanism, retract the pin, fit the ball and re-engage; if the mark lands in the same place, the pin has gone all the way through.

After the install: checks, chains and ratings

B&W wants a visual inspection before every tow, plus regular checks that pinned connections are secure, bolts are at the torque specification and the hitch has no cracks or damage beyond normal wear. Do not tow a cracked or damaged hitch or modify it.

B&W's short video covers sizing, crossing and slack for safety chains.

The ball is 2-5/16 inch and needs a 2-5/16 inch coupler; the sheets warn a larger coupler can cost you the connection. With the standard 2-5/16 inch ball, each Turnoverball listing tops out at 30,000 lb for the trailer's gross weight and 7,500 lb of tongue weight, and your truck's own rating can lower both. Heavier trailers need B&W's 3 inch ball (GNXA2025), sold separately. The lowest rating in the chain wins: coupler, hitch, truck or trailer.

For heavy hauling take the ball out, because a ball turned over in its socket can strike the differential or drive line. On a Ram with a stabilizer between the differential housing and the frame, the GNRK1320 sheet says never to stow it turned over.

What a gooseneck hitch install costs

In our range the Turnoverball kits run from $599 to $699 depending on the truck; the table above lists the current kits. Neither sheet states an install time. Owner reviews on file give four times, from about an hour working alone to about 4 hours. Reviews on our Turnoverball listings are pooled across every kit, so the kit named under each quote is the listing it was filed under, not a confirmed truck. One 4-hour review is from a two-person job:

“Easy enough to install but needs to be done step by step 2 of us took 4hr Without lifting the bed”

B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Hitch, 2015-2026 Ford F150, 2-5/16" Ball (GNRK1121) owner · 5 out of 5 stars

Labor is a shop's hourly rate times the hours it books for your kit, so ask for both. Doing it yourself swaps that cost for tools you may not own, such as a hole saw and a torque wrench that reaches your kit's top value. Extras that can change the total: B&W's optional lifting device and the 3 inch ball for heavier trailers.

Do it yourself or hire a shop?

Do it yourself if:

• you can raise the truck safely and work under it
• you can handle heavy parts, with or without a helper
• you own or will buy a hole saw and a torque wrench that reaches your kit's values

Use a shop if:

• you have no safe way to lift the truck
• a permanent hole in your bed floor worries you
• routing the handle around brake lines and sensor wires feels like guesswork

Common mistakes

• Leaving fuel lines, brake lines and wiring in the way: both sheets warn about them along the frame rails.
• Driving with the latch open (the handle can hit the rear tire) or with a pin short of both socket walls.
• Skipping the parts check: one owner on file says a bolt was missing.

Owners say the same about the move-or-remove steps:

“Installs great if you follow the instructions. Don't take short cuts! If it tells you to move or remove something such as a heat shield or muffler, do it.”

B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Hitch, 2019-2026 Chevrolet & GMC 1500, 2-5/16" Ball (GNRK1019) owner · 5 out of 5 stars

Frequently asked questions

Can you install a gooseneck hitch yourself?

Yes, if you can work safely under a raised truck and own or will buy a hole saw and a torque wrench that reaches your kit's values; a helper makes the heavy parts easier. Owners on file have done it at home, one alone in about an hour.

Can you add a gooseneck hitch to any truck?

No. You need the kit made for your truck's make, model, years and bed. We carry B&W Turnoverball kits for the current trucks in the table above, for many older Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Dodge, Ram and Toyota trucks and for the 2017 to 2018 Nissan Titan XD Model S. A truck with replacement parts or other modifications may not fit as designed.

How much does it cost to put a gooseneck hitch in your truck?

In our range the kit runs from $599 to $699 depending on the truck. Labor is a shop's hourly rate times the hours it books, and owners on file report about 1 to 4 hours, so ask the shop for both numbers.

Are B&W hitches worth the money?

The 62 reviews on file average 4.9 stars, with one 1-star about fit and service. The case for one is practical: the ball turns over and stows below the bed floor, the same socket takes B&W's Companion and Companion Slider fifth wheel hitches on most kits (a few kits are restricted or need an adapter, so check the listing) and B&W's install sheets point to its limited lifetime warranty. Whether that is worth it depends on how often you tow a gooseneck trailer.

Which is stronger, a fifth wheel or a gooseneck?

The rating on the individual hitch decides, not the type. For our Turnoverball kits that means up to 7,500 lb of tongue weight and 30,000 lb of gross trailer weight on the 2-5/16 inch ball, with your truck's rating as the ceiling. Our guide to trailer hitch types sets the types side by side.

Related guides

• Types of Trailer Hitches: Receiver, Gooseneck, Fifth Wheel and Weight Distribution
• Best Gooseneck Hitch: Pick the Right B&W Turnoverball Kit for Your Truck
• Gooseneck vs Bumper Pull: Capacity, Stability, Cost and Which Trailer Hitch Suits You