another hitch ?

[Fireman]

Is there any reason not to pull a 5th wheel trailer with a goose neck hitch. My brother has an adaptor that you attach to the king pin and box on your trailer enabling you to pull the trailer with a goose neck hitch. Good idea or not? Why?



The other question is, has anyone owned or used a B&W companion 5th wheel hitch (that mounts in the goose neck ball socket) ? How do you like it ? Does it have any shortcomings ? Strengths ?etc...



TIA Fireman

 

[GAmes]

My first 5er, 5000 lbs had a gooseneck. No problem. My second one weighed about 9000 lbs. I had to make a panic stop one day and the pin plate literally tore, putting the reinforced tube at about a 45 degree angle. OH, I did have a 2200 lb boat behind it, so make that 11,000+ lbs pushing on that fulcrum. A very nice mobile welder repaired it by welding a 3/8 inch plate where the original was, then welded the the reinforced tube to it. Only charged me $100 on that fine Sunday evening. My current 5er ,13,000 lbs, has a conventional hitch. The expense of reinforcing the pin box is more than I want to pay. I do like goosenecks better though.

 

[Fireman]

Thanks

GAmes,

That is exactly what I was afraid of, I thought trailer brakes might prevent it though. We do pull a 10-12k trailer so that would be a concern.
Anyone else? How about Barry I know he knows.

Fireman

 

[RustyJC]

This has been discussed a number of times here, on iRV2.com and a number of other RV forums. The gooseneck adapter that bolts to the 5ver's pin box adds substantial torque loading to the 5ver's frame. 5ver frames are not built like gooseneck frames - they aren't designed to take this torque loading. A number of individuals who have used these adapters have reported the 5ver's pin box tearing loose from the frame. In response to your question, from an engineering perspective - a bad idea!



I have the B&W gooseneck with the companion RV hitch. Many users have reported no problems with this hitch, but I had a severe case of our 13,500 lb 5ver bucking and surging under braking. After a lot of investigation, the problem turned out to be the adapter post that attaches the B&W 5th wheel hitch frame to the gooseneck receiver - it was flexing under braking. In my case, it flexed back and forth enough that the feet of the 5th wheel hitch frame dented the bed floor in the truck. I cut some 3"x3" angle iron runners that reach from the toolbox in the front of the bed to the tailgate in the rear. When installing the 5th wheel hitch frame, I set these runners on the bed floor, set the 5th wheel hitch frame on top of them and then torque the 5th wheel hitch frame to the adapter post. The runners spread out the rocking forces over the length of the bed and stiffen the area under the 5th wheel hitch frame where the loading is applied.



I've passed this "fix" on to other B&W users who have had the same problem, and we agree that it makes the B&W about 95% as rigid as a Reese or other conventional 5th wheel hitch. In other words, we can live with it now when we couldn't before.



Having said the above, I still like the flexibility (no pun intended) of the B&W design that gives both a gooseneck and 5th wheel hitch capability. The clean bed floor when neither hitch is in use is nice, too.



Rusty

 

[Fireman]

I was afraid of that

RustyJC,

Thanks for your reply, I thought this had probably been discussed before. The goose neck adaptor didn't look that good to me, but it seems that more people are using them now, and I'm seeing them in more RV stores. The fact that my brother used one should have told me something.

The single post mount attached by two U bolts had me concerned about the B&W hitch. I've always used Pullrite 5th wheel hitches and really like them. Their super rails are very strong and come out of the bed completely. Their customer service is second to none also. It just may take a while before they have mounts available for the 'o3s.

Guess I'll just have to be patient, because what ever I do I'll have to live with fr quiet a while.

Thanks
Fireman