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If you’ve got a recessed 2-5/16" gooseneck ball, this setup makes it easy to pull a fifth wheel without adding rails or drilling holes. The Demco Recon Gooseneck-to-5th Wheel Trailer Hitch Adapter connects straight to the gooseneck ball and turns your flatbed into a fifth-wheel tow rig rated for 21,000 lbs GTW and 4,000 lbs vertical load. No modifications or extra parts are needed, so you can hitch up and go without changing your trailer or truck.
A single-piece wraparound jaw gives this hitch a tight 360° hold on your trailer’s king pin. It’s backed by a 3/4" thick solid steel locking bar that automatically secures when the jaw closes. That means less rattle and chucking on the road and more peace of mind that your trailer is locked in tight every time you hook up.
The head pivots both front to back and side to side, so it naturally lines up with your pin box as you back in. Built-in polyurethane dampeners cushion the side-to-side movement and help absorb road shock. The result is quieter towing and a smoother ride without all the jarring you’d get from rigid adapters.
The Recon is made from sturdy steel but splits into two lightweight pieces for easy handling. The base drops over the gooseneck ball and locks down, while the head slides in and secures with a pin. You can pick from three height settings—12", 13-1/4", or 14-1/2"—to dial in your trailer level. When you’re done towing, it lifts out quickly so your bed stays clear.
The square base measures 22" x 22" and fits flatbeds with recessed openings at least 8" long by 5" wide. It’s designed specifically for setups where the gooseneck ball sits no more than 13/16" below the bed surface. That precision fit makes it ideal for CM and similar flatbeds where clearance is tight but strength matters most.
Ratings & Reviews
Ordered this hitch for a flat bed truck that I have. Ordered it on Thursday evening and it was at my door step Monday afternoon, I would say that is very timely for how bulky the hitch is. Put it on the truck in 10 minutes and it seems to be very sturdy compared to some of the other options that are out there. Very pleased so far and excited to try it out this weekend
don't like it at all,,, turns on my flat bed with a trailer hooked up,, called company and they suggested to tighten it down tighter, and tried, it still turned. trying to find something different.
Absolutely love this hitch. Works great with my flat bed. For my setup I needed to use ball with a taller shoulder but that was an easy swap. This is so easy to take in and out when not in use. I’ve used it for 8,000 plus miles with no issues.
Haven’t towed with it yet but the install was as easy as you can get for a multi piece hitch. I upped the torque values based on research prior to the install that includes recommendations from DEMCO. Highly impressed with build quality and ease of installation.
Product works just like it's supposed to, exactly what I wanted. Product was shipped with a severely damaged box, was missing the lock bolt to attach hitch to gooseneck ball, went to the hardware store and found the correct one no harm no foul.
This is an awesome product. Installation was easy and quick, and measurement requirements were completely accurate. Very pleased with the purchase of this hitch, and customer service was great when I had an issue with shipping. Now we can take our new 34' fifth-wheel out with ease!
Very easy ordering and fast shipping. Item is heavy duty and should work well. 100% recommend.
It seems to be just what I needed, I have it mounted and will use soon.
This is absolutely the best hitch for the money, I can remove it by myself and have access to the ball of the truck or just have the whole bed of the truck for what ever reason. Haven’t had a moments problem out of the hitch. Customer service is just as great cause dumb me ordered the wrong one for my truck and one phone call took care of that. Definitely recommend to anyone looking for a hitch.
Works as intended for it use. Biggest complaint would be the moving pieces of the hitch seem to have some slack and have since it was new.
Chase
6/12/2023
Attached is a picture. It is more in the yoke assembly.
Jenny N.
6/12/2023
I heard back from the manufacturer. They advised that per the email and photo, everything looks good with the hitch. There is not much movement that can happen in the yoke. It pivots side to side but really has very little if any front to back movement. The movement may be coming from just below the yoke in the upright area. What they suggested is tighten it up after determining the proper hitch height. It would be step 5 in the install instructions. In that step you would be adjusting the #4 bolt and the #1 jam nut. I hope that this helps.
It works, it works pretty good. It’s just super bulky to store when not using cause it’s two pieces so it’s a bit of work because you have to undo all the pins and bolt. Always checking to make sure the nut is at torque. If you have pretty much any flatbed with a recessed 5th wheel hitch you’ll find that this works.
Fit and finish was awsome, shipping was as advertised. Arrived just in time to go pick up my new trailer this afternoon!!!!
Raymond
11/18/2022
still works awesome, a little over 50K miles with trailer behind me, had some looseness develop in the pivots but one call to Demco and they sent me a new yoke and pins, tightened everything up and runs quiet now. Im in the process of modifying the original yoke to take bushings.
I’m impressed with the construction, very heavy duty.
Great fit for my F-350 dually with Bedrock flatbed truck body with factory recessed gooseneck ball. Use it to haul our 42' Jayco Eagle fifth wheel which is pushing 18k when loaded. We did about 6200 miles since purchase. It's easy to install over the goose ball and has a secure and sturdy fit when mounted. I keep it lubed up and it has always worked perfectly when hooking up and detaching from pinbox on trailer.
Best investment for a gooseneck to 5th wheel adapter. Takes 2 minutes to take out when you need your gooseneck hitch back. Easy to install. I did modify mine right out of the box. Apparently, the hitch base can turn and not stay square with the bed. I welded tabs underneath on mine to keep it so it can not turn on the bed. I would recommend everyone do the same. See Pics. Excellent hitch!
Due to the offset from the ball, the center of the king pin sits about an inch behind the center of my axle. Good construction, good price. Mounted on a Bradford bed
Chris
7/16/2022
Update... grade 5 hardware that came with unit is junk. I have upgraded everything to grade 8 and increased torque on the vertical bolt to 75 ft lbs. No more spinning of the plate
Boxes arrived quite torn up from shipping. Seems to be a common theme from everything heavy in the hitch business. Much to my surprise, the hitch wasn’t damaged in any way, nor was anything missing.
Pros: Hitch is made up of three main pieces, so it’s very easy for one person to install/remove the components as needed. It’s a ‘middleweight’ as far as fifth-wheel hitches go. Jaw closes completely around the trailer pin, and the release mechanism works very well. Simple and easy to use with obvious ‘unlocked’ and ‘locked’ positions.
Installation note: Since this hitch is specifically for the recessed goose-ball of a flatbed, you must insert and tighten the yoke (two set screws, two locknuts) at your desired height prior to attaching the hitch frame to the ball; you cannot get to the set screw/nuts to tighten them if you drop the frame over the ball first.
Cons: A flaw in this recessed hitch design, is that on a CM flatbed, you cannot utilize the yoke in lowest/shortest position. This problem may be unique to the CM brand of flatbeds, but since this is a specific recessed ball hitch, I would think Demco would have at least mentioned it in the instructions; they would certainly have to know about it. The pocket where the ball is welded into the flatbed floor is not deep enough for the yoke to be put into the lowest of the three position choices. With the hitch in place, when you drop the yoke in, it hits the ‘floor’ before the pin can be installed in the lowest position. There is about .300”-.350” or so of interference preventing the pin from being installed. You can only use the middle, or highest position. Very disappointing, as I need it to go as low as possible.
Another concern is that despite being torqued to installation spec, the pin that retains the hitch assembly to the ball is visibly bent after just one 60 mile trip. Seems like the pin material is pretty soft. 7500# trailer; 1500# pin weight.
Will I keep it and use it? Yes. Would I buy it again, yes. Is it perfect? No, but it’s likely the best solution in the marketplace for adapting a 5th wheel pin to a recessed gooseneck ball.
I got a email to review this so here I am. The attachment to the bed in fantastic. I rate it at 5 stars and an it’s very easy to remove quickly. The king pin lock does not work very well after about 6 months of use. I typically have to reach into the locking mechanism to get it to release properly. Other than that is has not cracked, rusted or bent since I’ve owned it. I live is the high desert so it does not see much rain or snow.
Richard
12/29/2023
It’s been good not great but it does the job. I would order it again due to the price and because it’s a very specific type to hitch I need. I would highly recommend that they work on the locking mechanism. I have greased and cleaned it twice and still have no luck with it locking all the time. I recently sold hitch and purchased a new truck about 3 month ago but like I said. I would order it again if I needed this type.
This hitch is a life saver. If you have a recessed ball in the bed, this is the way to go. I’ve used it numerous times and lugged lots of different 5th wheels, up to a 43 ft deluxe land yacht for my father in law. I couldn’t ask for more. No complaints here.
Hitch fit great. Bradford built mustang flatbed. I did see people having issues with the hitch rotating. I added a 7/16 x 2"bolt to prevent that from happening.
Spencer
12/21/2024
Product still works great. Ive put probably 10k miles on with the setup pulling a 12k pound trailer. The jam bolt for the height adjustment does work its way loose occasionally but it doesnt cause a safety issue.
I bought this hitch about a year ago. I was looking for one that would work on my flatbed pickup with a recessed gooseneck ball. The hitch works amazing and has little to no chucking or noise when towing. It’s fairly easy to install and remove from the truck because the head detaches from the base for installation and removal. The built quality seems very good and the finish has been holding up very well over the past year. I highly recommend this hitch if you have a recessed gooseneck ball and need to tow a fifth wheel with your truck. There are two different models. One for a flat bed pickup and one without flatbed so keep that in mind and make sure you find the correct one for your needs. I would definitely buy again and etrailer is always awesome to deal with.
Excellent version breaks down into multiple pieces so that it’s easier to handle, easy to use and shipping was quick
Shipper dropped box, chipped some paint, and pin is missing. Other than that, smooth process from order to delivery. No fault to trailer at all. Seems like a well built rugged hitch!
Heather A.
3/17/2025
Well that is frustrating! I will send you a pin Jason. Thanks for letting me know.
Hitch does not support the weight on the gooseneck ball which the truck bed is structurally is designed to carry it rather the hitch places the weight on the deck of the bed over a small area. I had to weld in steel to support the bed deck and hitch. Also had to relocate my trailer wiring socket because the hitch interferes with access to it. This is not a bolt in and go hitch in some applications
Towed a 13000lb fifthwheel 3500 miles, and it never moved on me. Ive taken it apart and put it back together. Really only has a pin, a nut, and a lock nut to remove from truck. Since it comes apart with the pin, I can move it around myself. And when its not on my truck there are no slides. Great product!
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Jenny N.
5/22/2023
I was curious if you could explain in more detail what parts in the hitch have slack? Are they in the hitch head itself?