I've got a FREE gooseneck hitch........

[gotdiesel?]

Used gooseneck hitch for my truck

Okay, I've got a free gooseneck hitch from my fathers '93 F250 since he is gonna scrap the rotted pickup bed in favor of a used 8' Reading service body I found him. Since he has only had the truck hooked to a trailer twice since the hitch was installed, he figured he didn't need it any more. My question is this; I will have no problem getting my truck into the shop for a day for fabrication of new or modified mounting's, probably even using existing frame holes if I'm lucky. In the event that I do have to drill holes, is there any advice on this(where to drill or not to drill)?, and do I need to do like the install instructions for my truck say and fish bolts into the frame and then out through, or could I just through drill and through bolt to the other side of the frame? Any advice would be great, thanks

Josh

 

[2500cummins]

You can not drill and bolt through the hydroformed tube frame like on the old C channel frames, without spacers the sidewalls of the frame collapse before the bolts are tight enough to prevent movement, all of the current 3rd gen kits clamp the frame. Dodge does not recommend welding the hitch to the frame but I have seen it done on several 3rd gen trucks, if not done perfectly I think welding to a hydroformed frame could cause problems.

 

[Kimber]

Pretty good info here.....http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2003/13-001-03.htm

 

[BMF]

When Installed the fiver hitch in my truck I just drilled though one side of the frame. I then wrapped a piece of piano wire around each bolt and fished them through the open space in the back of the frame to the holes I drilled. Took awhile to do but I haven't had any problems.