B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Hitch, 1973-1993 Dodge 1500 2500 & 3500, 2-5/16" Ball (GNRK1300)

The B&W Turnoverball GNRK1300 is the under-bed gooseneck hitch for 1973-1993 Dodge 1500, 2500, & 3500 Trucks, and it is the product that made B&W. Everything that carries load lives underneath the bed. The only change to the bed floor is one 4" round hole for the receiver, and the ball itself turns over and stows in that receiver when you are done towing, so the bed goes back to being a bed. Rated 30,000 lb gross trailer weight and 7,500 lb vertical tongue weight with the included 2-5/16" gooseneck ball, and never more than your own truck's tow and weight ratings. The brackets in this kit are cut for this truck platform, so the side plates land on frame holes that are already there, although this particular application does require drilling into the frame as B&W's install sheet describes. B&W ships the GNRK1300 as a single box.

What's Included:

• Turnoverball center section with machined receiver socket
• 2-5/16" solid machined gooseneck ball, stows inverted in the receiver
• 5/8" steel locking pin with spring loaded latch handle
• Two spring loaded safety chain u-bolts
• Vehicle specific under-bed mounting kit and brackets for 1973-1993 Dodge 1500 2500 & 3500
• Frame hardware pack
• B&W installation instructions

Features

A Hitch When You Need It, a Level Bed When You Do Not
This is the feature the whole product is named for. A spring loaded handle in the wheel well is attached to a 5/8" steel locking pin that passes all the way through the ball. Pull the handle toward you and rotate it slightly left and the pin locks out, which lets you lift the ball out, turn it over and drop it back into the same receiver upside down. The bed goes flat, and the ball is stored exactly where you need it next time rather than rolling around in a toolbox. Rotate or push the handle right and the spring pops the latch back into place.

Square Post in a Round Socket
Most gooseneck hitches use a round post in a round socket. B&W uses a square post in a round socket, and the reasoning is practical. Only the four rounded corners of the post touch the socket, so the fit is tight enough to tow without rattle but the open round socket still leaves dirt somewhere to go instead of packing solid. The latch pin holes line up in every orientation, and the square base is what keeps a Companion fifth wheel head or a 4" extender aligned with the truck instead of free to rotate.

Only a 4" Hole in the Bed, No Welding
The under-bed frame carries the load, so the only thing that happens to your bed sheet is a single 4" round hole for the receiver. The bed stays on the truck, and this application does require drilling into the frame, which is called out in B&W's install sheet with the hole locations. Everything below the bed floor is out of sight once the ball is stowed.

Brackets Cut for 1973-1993 Dodge 1500 2500 & 3500, Not a Universal Bar
The mounting kit in this hitch is designed around one truck platform. The side plates pick up existing frame holes in the right places, the crossmember sits at the right height for that frame, and the receiver lands where the bed hole wants to be. That is why B&W builds dozens of Turnoverball part numbers instead of one adjustable set of rails, and it is the difference between an install measured in hours and one measured in a weekend.

Rated 30,000 lb gross trailer weight and 7,500 lb vertical tongue weight with the 2-5/16" gooseneck ball
Capacity on a gooseneck depends on which ball is in the socket, so the number always carries the ball with it. With the 2-5/16" gooseneck ball supplied in this kit the rating is 30,000 lb gross trailer weight and 7,500 lb vertical tongue weight. B&W's own position, printed in the Turnoverball owner's manual, is that the hitch is rated to tow what your truck is rated to tow. Look up your truck's GVWR, GCWR and maximum tow rating before you load a trailer, and treat the hitch numbers as a ceiling you work under rather than a target.

The Socket Takes the Whole B&W Accessory Range
The same square socket accepts a single point Companion or Companion Slider fifth wheel hitch, so a gooseneck truck becomes a fifth wheel truck without a second set of rails in the bed. B&W also builds a 4" extender that moves the pivot point 4" rearward for turning clearance, an Extend-A-Goose coupler that offsets the trailer 10", plus a 3" ball, kingpin, inverted ball and eyelet for the trailers that need them. Note that the accessories carry their own ratings: B&W publishes 20,000 lb gross trailer weight through the 4" extender and 24,000 lb through the Extend-A-Goose coupler.

Spring Loaded Safety Chain U-Bolts
Two safety chain u-bolts are built into the frame and sit down in the lower corrugation of the bed wherever the truck allows it. They are spring loaded, so with nothing hooked to them they drop flush and the bed floor stays usable. Lift the top of the u-bolt to hook a chain, and leave only enough slack for full turning, since excess slack is what stops chains doing their job if the hitch connection ever fails.

Made in the USA, Built by B&W in Humboldt, Kansas
The hitch is manufactured in B&W's own plant in Humboldt, Kansas, from American steel, by a workforce that owns the company. It is tested to SAE J2638, the gooseneck and fifth wheel standard, with B&W's stricter internal rule that one sample has to pass all three 300,000 cycle dynamic tests and then the six static tests as well. It carries B&W's Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty.

Fitment & Compatibility

Specifications

• Model: Turnoverball GNRK1300
• B&W Part Number: GNRK1300
• Hitch Type: Under-bed gooseneck, turnover ball
• Fits: 1973-1993 Dodge 1500, 2500, & 3500 Trucks (Requires Drilling into Frame)
• Gooseneck Ball Included: 2-5/16", solid machined, stows inverted in the receiver
• Gross Trailer Weight: 30,000 lb with the 2-5/16" ball, and not more than your truck's rating
• Vertical Tongue Weight: 7,500 lb with the 2-5/16" ball, and not more than your truck's rating
• Ball for Loads Over 30,000 lb: B&W 3" gooseneck ball GNXA2025, sold separately
• Latch: Spring loaded handle, 5/8" steel locking pin through the ball
• Bed Modification: 4" round hole in the bed floor
• Frame Attachment: Bolts to the frame, drilling into the frame required
• Safety Chain U-Bolts: Two, spring loaded, sit flush when not in use
• Finish: Powder coat
• Fifth Wheel Upgrade: Accepts B&W single point Companion and Companion Slider fifth wheel hitches
• Testing Standard: SAE J2638 for gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches
• Shipping Weight: About 49 lb
• Shipped As: One box
• UPC: 852089001559
• Country of Origin: USA, built by B&W in Humboldt, Kansas
• Warranty: B&W Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty

Installation

Type: Bolt-in under the bed, with drilling into the frame required, plus one 4" round hole cut in the bed floor  ·  Time: About 2 to 4 hours for most installers  ·  Tools: Socket set and torque wrench, 4" hole saw, drill, measuring tape, marker, plus a frame drill bit set for the frame holes this application requires; a floor jack or a second person to hold the frame up  ·  Difficulty: Intermediate, DIY-friendly with normal hand tools

The under-bed frame goes up against the truck frame first, bolted to the frame at the locations B&W's template gives, which on this application means drilling into the frame. With the frame in place, mark and cut the single 4" round hole in the bed floor for the receiver, drop the center section in and torque everything to the values in the printed instructions. Check that the latch pin passes fully through the ball and that the handle in the wheel well is reachable before you tow. A spray-in bed liner can go on before or after; doing it after has the advantage of sealing the cut edge of the hole.

Watch the installation walkthrough:

Resources

Everything you need for your B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Hitch, 1973-1993 Dodge 1500 2500 & 3500, 2-5/16" Ball, in one place.

• B&W GNRK1300 Installation Instructions (PDF), the manufacturer's step-by-step guide covering mounting, included hardware and adjustment.

Warranty, Shipping & Returns

Warranty. B&W covers this product under its Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty. B&W's published terms cover defects in material or workmanship for the original consumer purchaser, for as long as that purchaser owns the product, with B&W choosing to replace the product or, at its option, repair it or refund the purchase price. Installation, removal and shipping costs are not covered, and normal wear, finish aging and damage from accident or misuse fall outside it. A return authorization from B&W is required before sending anything back; a claim starts with a message to our support team. B&W does not authorize dealers or distributors to create any other warranty on its products, so the terms above are B&W's own and are described here rather than extended by us.

Shipping. This item ships to the lower 48 states and typically arrives in 3 to 7 business days. The shipping cost is shown at checkout before you pay.

Inspect on delivery. Please inspect the packaging before signing. If you see any damage, note it on the delivery receipt and contact us right away, and we will make it right.

Returns. Unused items in their original packaging can be returned within 30 days of delivery. If an item arrives damaged, defective or wrong, return shipping is on us. See our Returns & Refunds Policy, or email support@prestigetruck.com with any question.

About B&W Trailer Hitches

B&W Trailer Hitches started in a Humboldt, Kansas garage in 1987, with two men and an idea. Roger Baker and Joe Works, the B and the W, were building custom truck beds when they got tired of the one thing every gooseneck customer complained about: a ball welded permanently into the bed, in the way every day of the year for the few days a year it was actually towing. They designed a hitch that mounted underneath the bed and a ball that turned over and stowed in its own receiver, and the Turnoverball Gooseneck Hitch was born. A few years later the same under-bed mounting system became the single-point Companion fifth wheel hitch, which is why a Turnoverball socket still accepts a Companion today.

Everything B&W sells is still made in Humboldt. Roger retired in 1999, and in 2007 Joe began transferring ownership of the company to its employees, so the roughly 600 people working in the plant today are also its owners. They buy American steel on purpose and say why: the sheet steel comes out of Burns Harbor, Indiana, and the round bar that becomes the gooseneck ball is drawn at a mill in Norfolk, Nebraska, because when the strength of a piece of steel is the only thing between a truck and a loose trailer, B&W wants a mill it can hold to a specification.

Their testing story is worth knowing before you compare hitches on price. SAE J2638 is the performance standard for gooseneck and fifth wheel hitches, and B&W is blunt that it is only a recommended practice, not a legal requirement to sell one. The standard allows a manufacturer to use a fresh sample for each of its nine tests. B&W's own engineering requirement is stricter: a single hitch has to survive all three 300,000 cycle dynamic tests and then still pass the six static tests, because, as their director of engineering puts it, an accident rarely happens when a hitch is brand new, it happens after years of wear from the road.

Prestige Truck is an authorized B&W dealer. Every hitch we ship is new, in the factory carton, and covered by B&W's Lifetime Exclusive Limited Warranty direct from Humboldt.