Perhaps you're irritated that your bed is all but filled with the fifth-wheel hitch. Or maybe you want a tonneau cover, but don't want to remove the cover when it's time to tow. Your pet peeve may be your crossover toolbox, which is great for storage, but blocks visibility when it's time to hook up to a trailer. Whatever the issue, we've gathered a few of the newest hitches and accessories to make fifth-wheel and gooseneck towing easier, safer, and less aggravating.
| Towing/Utility Bed If you want to dedicate your truck to towing and all-around utility, you'll appreciate B&W's Elite Towing Bed. It replaces the bed on your Ford Super Duty, Dodge Ram, GMC Sierra, or Chevy Silverado and comes standard with 36-inch-deep roll-out drawers in the headache rack, full-length toolboxes on the top of the bed, and four additional storage boxes underneath. The Elite features aluminum running boards, skirting, and rock guards between the cab and the bed and comes custom-painted to match your truck. The bed includes B&W's Turnover Ball Gooseneck Hitch, while the company's Companion 5th Wheel RV Hitch is optional. B&W Custom Truck Beds, Dept. TT, 1216 Hwy. 224, P.O. Box 186, Humboldt, KS 66748; 800/248-6564.www.turnoverball.com
| Storage with a ViewMost crossover toolboxes block the view of your bed, making it tough to hook up to a fifth-wheel or gooseneck trailer. Dee Zee's Single Lid Low-Profile box, part of the company's Competitor series, is different. It features a sloped lid, so it won't obstruct your line of sight. The toolbox is made of rugged Brite-Tread aluminum and has dampened shocks. The company says the exclusive latching mechanism opens and closes perfectly every time. Dee Zee, Dept. TT, P.O. Box 3090, Des Moines, IA 50316; 800/730-4665.www.deezee.com
| Easier Hookupsand Better MileageHooking up to your fifth wheel with the tailgate up can be tricky, if not impossible. That's why Handy Industries offers the Center-Latch Fifth Wheel tailgate with a deep V in the center. The replacement tailgate offers excellent visibility, and the company says its open-airfoil design cuts wind resistance to improve fuel economy. The tailgate is constructed of heavy-duty steel tubing with foldover louvers to fit full-size Chevy, GMC, Ford, and Dodge pickups. Handy Industries, Dept. TT, 702 S. 3rd Ave., Marshalltown, IA 50158; 800/247-7594.www.handyindustries.com
| Safety FirstWhenever you tow, it's always smart to have a backup connection between your truck and trailer, should the main connection fail. Most pull-behind trailers come standard with safety chains. Even gooseneck trailer hitches mounted in pickup beds typically include brackets to secure safety chains. But fifth-wheel trailer hitches come with no such hookup--and fifth wheels are some of the largest trailers on the road. If you have a hitch with rails in the bed, etrailer.com's safety-chain-bracket kit makes it easy to rectify the situation. When you use the included pins, the safety-chain brackets attach in seconds to an available slot in the fifth-wheel rails. Safety chains are insurance for your trailer and everyone on the road. etrailer.com, Dept. TT; 800/298-8924.www.etrailer.com
| Hide and Goose SeekWhat's the easiest way to get ready to tow a gooseneck trailer? With SurePull's Fold Down Gooseneck, just grab the oversize pull ring (with or without gloves on), then raise either a 25/16- or a 3.0-inch gooseneck hitch ball into position in mere seconds. All the framework for the hitch resides under the bed, so the folded-down ball allows for unrestricted room. The platform and ball are rated for 25,000 pounds gross vehicle towing weight and 6250 pounds vertical load. SurePull Towing Products, Dept. TT, 2686 Hwy. 270 East, Sheridan, AR 72150; 800/566-5352.www.surepull.com
| Perfect PositionThe area behind a hitch is often wasted space when towing a trailer. UWS' 5th Wheel Box is designed to make use of that space. This handy toolbox mounts at the back of the bed, keeping jacks, tools, tie-downs, rope, and other stowables within easy reach. Because the box is only 10 inches high, it'll open while a trailer is hitched. UWS, Dept. TT, 606 Industrial Park Drive, Perry, FL 32347; 800/432-4685.www.uwsta.com
| Half-MastIf you don't want to swap tailgates but want to make hooking up to a fifth-wheel trailer much faster and easier, here's another option: the Droptail from JSC Engineering. During regular driving, this microprocessor-controlled bolt-on system automatically lowers and raises a tailgate to improve aerodynamics and fuel economy at drag-inducing highway speeds, then it closes the tailgate before you come to a stop. When towing or hooking up to a trailer, the tailgate locks in any position using the remote-control key fob. JSC Engineering, Dept. TT, 26500 W. Agoura Road, Suite 102-503, Calabasas, CA 91302; 877/707-TAIL (707-8245).www.droptail.com
