Ok Guys what do you think.

I need a gooseneck hitch, I have a shortbed 2500HD, would like to get a bed mounted aux fuel tank as well.

I hear sliders, no sliders, offset, no offset. Please offer your experience.

Rich

the best gooseneck hitch i have seen is the turnover ball type. had one in my last truck and will put one in this one as soon as i have time.

i don't know of a gooseneck hitch that is a slider type unless you are meaning a fifth wheel hitch.

I have a B&W turnover hitch. The advantage of the, "dissapearing" type hitch is it's easy to hide the hitch when you want to put something in the bed. All you have to do is pull a pin located near the rear drivers side wheel and have someone else pull out the ball and turn it over. It takes two people but is otherwise very convenient. You will be surprised how frequently the ball is in the way when you can't move it.

People generally use an offset hitch with a short bed pickup. A quad cab short bed has relatively little clearance between the standard ball mounting point and the rear of the passenget compartement. The offset hitch is designed to move the attachment point rearward a few inches to allow for clearance when, "jacknifing" the rig during turnaround.

The offset hitch gives you a few more inches of clearance but also moves the pressure point back and disrupts your weight distribution. If you're pulling a heavy trailer, I would beware of an offset hitch.

Erik

The B&W release lever will lock out if you pull out the lever and turn the lever 90 degrees.

B&W also makes their Companion, which is a fifth wheel hitch that mounts into the hole for the gooseneck. That will give you the best of both worlds, and all with a clean bed when you need it.

As for what Erik said, the offset ball will not change the load distribution on the truck. The offset ball is rated for a lower weight due to the stresses on the adapter, not on the truck.

B&W is the best hands down simple to install and operate

I have a reese signature series
the install kit basicaly leaves 4 holes in a rectangle shape on your bed...
Then you can install a Gooseneck hitch or 5th wheel...I use both so this was a great product for me..when you dont need the hitch, take it out and you have a clean bed to use :)

I Agree with the others that the B&W turnover ball is the way to go for a gooseneck. They are very strong and practical. (Mine is rated for 30,000 lbs if I remember correctly.) More than strong enough for most normal loads.

Guys thanks.. Look like I am gonna check out that BW.. Never having a goose before, can I swap between the offset and a regular ball to see if I even need the offset?

Thanks again

B&W is the only way to go. I was in an accident about 5 months ago coming home from a pull in Mendota, IL. It was foggy and didn't see a T road, ended up going down and then up a 6 foot ditch with a 25 trailer and my 03 CC duramax on it. Needless to say I totaled out the 2004 CC duramax with the B&W. The trailer went through the back of the cab, truck did not have a straight piece of sheet metal on it, but the B&W stood the test of time and held together, the neck of the trailer was the weak link!! It snapped like a twig. When I got the truck home I pulled the ball out and hung it in the shop to use as a spare, did have a scratch on it!!!!

Yeah you can swap out with just the pull of the lever, the offset ball (Part # BW4085) costs about $185.00.

B&W is all I will use anymore. I love the set up, and they are tough.

http://www.etrailerpart.com/lockandload.htm

thats the one i use. only holes in bed are the 3" for the ball and 4 1/2" holes for the u-bolts. one man operation of ball retraction and pop up. pretty nice set-up and fairly easy to install. i did it by myself in about 4 hours with no removal of the bed. and it has a 25,000# rating. i think the best part was the price. $299.99

also, heres an offset coupler for the shortbed...http://www.textrail.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=catalog.prodInfo&productID=727&categoryID=86

Crewzinmax

That offset coupler looks pretty hi tech. Have any experience with that? BW's offset ball is 4 inches and its just a ball. Id be interested to hear how it would tow with the weight 9 inches back.

i dont have any experience with it. and ive really just run across it when i was looking for gooseneck couplers. but after looking at it more, after the trailer gets to a certain degree to the truck, it becomes useless. you need to keep the trailer at the back of the bed through the whole turn. when you reach 90 degrees to the truck, youre sitting at the same place you would be without the extended hitch. but i could see you getting a little more angle out of a turn though.

someone needs to design a slider for the gooseneck

I just bought my second B&W. Strong, tough, well made, great instructions, easy install.:)

i used the offset ball to tow a horse trailer. the setup was only about 10K lbs, but i did not notice a difference in towing at all. the piece itself is very stout and heavy, traveled about 800 miles one way with it over highway and rougher roads, it did not seem to move at all.

another vote here for B&W