There has been a lot of discussion around the ?hook up? process involving fifth wheels and goosenecks. I?m sure a lot of people have seen the telescoping rods with balls on them to help you line up when hooking up your trailer. Well that?s a nice product to the tune of 25+ bucks. I went to the local hardware store and found a round magnet and one of those things you squeeze that has claws that come out to get to objects that are out of reach.(couldn?t find a telescoping rod) This particular one is about two/three feet long and is much like a spring whereby is can easily bend back and forth with no damage. I glued them together and sprayed the one end (opposite the magnet) bright orange to better see it. After lining up my trailer and getting it in the correct position (just before lowering it on the ball) I placed the magnet side down in the bed of the truck where the other end of the rod would be bent slightly from touching the hitch, and marked it?s placement on the bed of the truck. Now each time I hook up I simply place the magnet/rod in the correct position and line them up as I back up. Once the rod touches the hitch I know I?m directly under my gooseneck hitch. (Should work basically the same for a fifth wheel) I?ve got a total of three bucks in the entire thing, it can be used as two tools, it?s flexible so I can just toss it into a compartment and if it breaks so what, glue it back together or just toss it. I managed to conger up this idea to allow me to hook the trailer up without the (DW-Dear Wife?s assistance!) I nicknamed it ?The Marriage Saver?
Hooking up Fifth Wheels and Gooseneck Trailers
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Brother Bear
Well-known member
Sounds like a neat idea. I've grown up on the farm and am a farmer so backing and hitching is just second nature to me. I'd rather do it without extra gadgets/helpers in the mix, personally. I bet a lot of folk would benefit from something like this though.
X2. Thats one nice thing about growing up with a dad who was in construction/excavating and also working on farms through high school. But in my situation it also helps having a reg cab with a gooseneck, you can see everything very easily. And even my old mans supercab isn't bad. But with people who have less experience I can see it being very useful. Good job!BrotherBear said:
