Gooseneck balls

[Farmboy]

Has anyone ever seen those gooseneck balls that have the safety chain straps attached to the bottom of the ball and you screw it down into the frame under the bed? Kind of like a big wingnut, if you will. I am thinking about building a goosneck hitch for my truck while I have it apart painting it. That is the design that I am currently leaning towards but I can't find a ball anywhere. Worst case, I will just take a long shanked ball and tack on the safety strap/wingnut part. So, if anyone knows where to get them please inlighten me.

[KTA]

Yeah Redneck trailer sales in Sikeston Mo had those last time I was there.

[Mark Nixon]

Technically the safety chains are supposed to be connected to a point that's on the frame, or ball securement structure.
Most frame-type 5th wheel plates have a pair of high tensile strength U-bolts that pass through the bed, via the 5th wheel plate, to attach the safety chains to.

The reasoning is that a 5th wheel ball, like a tagger ball, is actually the weak link, in that the threads are a fracture point, therefore are not the place for any apparatus to attach in the event of a breakaway.

Your breakaway brake lanyard is technically also supposed to be connected to a point with a frame-related attachment.

Mark.

[txs]

breakaway landyard, you mean a trailers supposed to have BRAKES! What a concept, I should try it sometime.

[Mark Nixon]

If you've ever had a trailer WITH BRAKES, try one with a good set.
You'll never want one without them.
Federal Law requires braking axle(s) and a breakaway system for trailers over 3,000 pounds and they require it on ALL WHEELS TOUCHING THE GROUND.
Most STATES require at least 1 braking axle on a muti-axle trailer, along with a breakaway system.

Trailer brakes, electric or hydro-surge, aren't the most responsive, nor the strongest, but the control you have with them, after having not had them, is definitely noticeable.
It also stands to reason, would you drive a car/truck that had no brakes at all?
Then why pull the same vehicle and weight with no brakes, behind a truck designed to carry only half again it's own weight in braking, too?

The biggest mistake I've seen is people not keeping them maintained.
If you go long distances all the time with your trailer, when you grease and change oil on the truck that pulls it, you should adjust the brakes and lube the trailer, too.
They are extremely sensitive to adjustment.
Pull hubs and re-pack wheel bearings AT LEAST once a year.

Remember, with the absolute control of Law Enforcement, you can get stopped for ANYTHING, and getting tickets for faulty equipment in the process isn't unheard of.

Mark.

[txs]

hell my trailer tags have been expired for a year, I can get anywhere around here within a 75 miles radius by going the back way, I call it avoiding the dot game.

[GO OVRIT]

hell my trailer tags have been expired for a year, I can get anywhere around here within a 75 miles radius by going the back way, I call it avoiding the dot game.

That only lasts so long.