Buying used truck with gooseneck hitch

[JasonH]

Looking at a used truck ('00 Chevy 2500, 6.0) that has a gooseneck hitch in the bed.
Is it wrong to assume that this truck as been worked hard? It only has 44K miles on it.

Would you avoid a used truck if it had a gooseneck hitch? It doesn't look abused.

[bwright]

I wouldn't worry about it if the truck appears to be in good shape, especially since it only has 44k miles.

[MattS]

I have a goose neck in mine. 22K on my truck and less than 800 of that has been pulling the gooseneck.

It really depends on what they used the truck for. See if you can get some info on the previous owner and ask them. I always look in the glove box for left over insurance cards or other info. If all else fails you could check the title or run a carfax.

[gunracer1]

i just check the hitch out, you can tell how much work they have really done, most trucks don't get that much pulling time. i also look at the overload springs, see if they have much wear. mike

[FYRMAN]

Originally posted by gunracer1
i just check the hitch out, you can tell how much work they have really done, most trucks don't get that much pulling time. i also look at the overload springs, see if they have much wear. mike

What he said.

Look at the top of the bal, and about 1" down the sides of the ball. Look for galling, scoring, etc...

What kind of hitch is it? If it's one of the fold over kind, does it have much play in it? If it's a Pop-Up or other such hitch, does it work freely? Remember, when you have a gooseneck hitch in, 9 times out of 10 you have to replace with an identical hitch.


Another spot to look on a used truck is the insides of the frame rails. I've learned that from installing hitches in used trucks that were just bought. The detailers never clean out the insides of the frame rails.
I did a hitch on a truck that had 8000 miles on it. It was beautiful on the outside, but the frame rails were packed with mud.