Goose Neck to 5th Wheel Adapter?

[Brett Maverick]

The BW Turnover Ball is a cool lookin' set up, but to tow my 5th wheel with it, I'd need to use one of those Goose neck adapter units that clamp on the Kingpin, and I've never used or known anyone who used one. I sure dislike that honkin' 5th wheel hitch in the bed, even if it pulls out easily, it still has to live somewhere.

I know BW has a 5th wheel hitch, but I don't see the sense in installing a Goose neck hitch, to sit a 5th wheel on top of it.



If anyone has used one of these adapters (Camping world, Pullman, Etc. ) please drop me a line.

Thanks,

Brett

 

[Boldt's Wagon]

Before you install a fifth to goose converter on your fifth wheel trailer, check with the trailer manufacturer. The goose neck hitch will double the twisting forces on the trailer frame. Usually, the fifth wheel manufacturers keep the trailer frame fairly shallow in the hitch area as they are trying to keep total trailer height down in the bedroom area. This shallow frame depth is carried out to the outside where it goes down to tie into the real trailer frame. Notice that the goose neck frames have a deep section A-frame that is extended back to the trailer frame with triangular gussets to handle the torque/twisting loads. Most fifth wheel frames will not handle the twisting loads put on by a goose neck hitch. What is not noticed in a goose neck frame is that there are internal gussets at frame corners to prevent buckling, reinforcements like these are not in fifth wheel frames.

 

[Brett Maverick]

The adapter's a bolt on unit

The adapter is a heavy wall pipe unit that is about 14-16" long, and makes up to the King pin on the 5th wheel box, (locks onto the pin itself, then there are some bolts that keep it from getting loose) and it drops down into a ball coupler. I'm not thinking about actually cutting the 5th wheel kingpin box off and welding a different set up onto the trailer. The adapter seems like it would transmit the stress and load just like the 5th wheel hitch would.



If you go to the following site, and look at the Cody connector, and the one underneath it, you'll see the adapter. I'm just curious if anyone's using something like it... ... .



http://www.hitchcorner.com/gooseneck-hitch.htm



Brett

 

[Whitmore]

Brett,

I use this setup for the exact reasons you state , the 5th wheel in the back of the truck takes up too much room evan with the hitch removed you still have the mounting brackets to contend with. I ordered my adapter from camping world because it was the heaviest I could find, the unit is very safe and I feel that its just as safe and strong as a Reese 5th wheel for example but beware the straign is transfered to the trailer frame just like stated above, I have only towed my 5er few times with this setup and YES I do need to get under there and weld in some reinforcment as it does flex some, if I didnt do this it would end up in failure sooner or later, I do have an open frame on the camper so it will not be a big deal to do but I just want you to know that what everyone has said is very true. I do think that after I beef it up a bit that I will actually have a stronger setup than the 5th wheel deal has to offer and it will also be much more convient not having my bed space taken up . JMO



cheers, Kevin

 

[Fireman]

Brett,



You would get more info in the Towing and Camping forum. I posed a similar question recently, and the replies convinced me to stay with a 5th wheel hitch. Check out Pull Rite's super rails, they can be removed completely in a matter of minutes (about 2 min) and leaves a clean bed

 

[GeneralMachine]

Goose Adapter

Wow you guy's have sure got me woundering, for with this new fifth wheel i hadem put on the adapter so i would have the extra bed space. looking at it i can see what you'll are refering to as exstra stress on the king pin, this adapter tighten's to the kingpin has a flat surface larger than the surface that the king pin is fasend to and then has four eight grade fasteners holding the two flat plate's together, seem's the stress is off the king pin, the only problem I see is like you'll said the leverage of the 14" exstention. Sure has me thinking.

 

[GeneralMachine]

UpDate on the GooseAdapter

I emailed the factory asking there opinion on the adapter the enginer said the frame would handel the added stress and that they see this type of adapter installed all the time and have had no problem. Harv

 

[merryman]

Bret

It WAS THE CODY adapter that I used----bolts right onto the pin box------then it applies tremendous additional torque to the point where the pin box attaches to the frame; thats where the problem occurs

On another BB some engineer did a math explaination of the way it generates the additional stress. I can not repeat that explaination, but the adapter does not add to the stress, it multiplies it.

In my case after installing the Cody adapter, we left on a 3000 mile trip. About 2500 miles into the trip, I noticed by way of the rear view mirror that there was movement between the pin box and the body of the trailer. I stopped to investigate and found that the welds holding the pin box to the frame were more than half torn out of the frame-----the welds were tearing apart.

The most frustrating thing for me was that I too inquired on an RV BB about the adapter and was warned by a couple guys who had this very problem; I was skeptical and tried it for myself-not a fun think to discover when we were 500 miles from home, nowhere near a large town, and on the Saturday of labor day weekend.



Vaughn

 

[RustyJC]

This has been discussed many times on this and other forums. Some people use these adapters and get away with it. Others use them and experience structural damage to the 5ver's pin box/frame area.



As an engineer, I will guarantee you that torque loading applied to the trailer frame is substantially increased by the gooseneck adapter. Can the frame take it? Depends on how it was originally built. If you're not equipped to do a FEA or at least a rudimentary applied mechanics analysis before using one of these adapters, you're just gambling that you'll be one of the lucky ones. Caveat emptor!



Rusty

 

[John Berger]

Personally, I wouldn't do it, but if you must I'd reinforce the frame of the trailer. I was at the Savannah KOA when another Montana owner came by to talk to me. He has the conversion kit and says he likes it. He didn't seem too concerned about the frame flex when I asked him about it. The little extra effort it takes to pull the hitch out and the space to store it is very much more conducive to peace of mind than ruining my trailer frame or worse, having it come apart while pulling down the road. That may be a long shot, but the chance that it could happen is enough for me to stay away from that kind of conversion. Good luck and safe travels whichever way you go.

 

[GeneralMachine]

Im with Witmore I like the room in the bed so, that im going to look in to getting some support's welded in, after a revisit with the dealer, he told me that he has installed the same adapter on a lot larger 5ver's and the repore has been trouble free, he think's it has to do with the way some driver's like the fast start's and run at high speed's with the resone to have to make fast stop's. But don't get me wrong I agree that the mechanic's of the set up need some att. I also looked at some of the 5ver hitche's and if you think about it there not so strong looking the way they are built, not much iron there, and a few bolt's to hold it in the bed of the truck.

 

[RustyJC]

Before finalizing your decisions, those considering the use of a gooseneck adapter might want to take a look at THIS discussion.



At the end of the day, it's your 5ver. Ya pays yore money and ya takes yore choice. All I can do is give you the information to make an informed decision.



Rusty

 

[GeneralMachine]

Rusty Ive been thinking on all the info you have offered, and am not disagreeing at all, look at it the other way the goose adapter put's stress on the trailer frame due to the 14" exstintion, where the 5ver hitch is up high where you can see it and your king pin, it is at least 14" from the hitch to the bed of the truck look at the leverage there for the 5ver to put in your truck and frame, and the few bolt's that are holding it in. Like you said im trying to make the right choice. Right now the dealer said he would pull it off and install the 5ver hitch if i wanted him to. Harv

 

[Boldt's Wagon]

Remember, the gooseneck is a large ball hitch. You have to back the ball under the hitch and then lower the hitch onto the ball. Not easy if you can not see the ball or else you have the wife giving you directions. The gooseneck hitch requires raising and lowering the trailer about 3 inches more than a fifth wheel hitch to clear the hitch off the ball. The notched tailgate for fifth wheel hitches does not work with the goosenect hitch, you have to get out to lower and raise the tailgate for both hookup and unhooking. Then you get into the bed and hook up the safety chains that are required for the gooseneck hitch (remember, the tail gate is up again at this point so you get to climb over the side of the bed).



Hooking up a fifth wheel hitch is faster and easier.



The gooseneck hitch is an advantage for agricultural and commercial trailers using a pickup as the towing vehicle. These users will tow 20,000 to 30,000 lbs routinely. It easier to reinforce the extended hitch on the trailer than it is to reinforce the pickup frame for a vertically extended fifth wheel platform on a pickup. When is the last time you saw a pickup fifth wheel hitch rated at 30,000 lbs?

 

[GeneralMachine]

All opinion's are appreciated, but im gona give this adapter a try, I like it! I mounted a convex mirror on the hitch and can wach it get right over the ball, get out and let the 5ver down on it. It lock's it's self clip on a saftey chain Light's and your off, didn't take more that five minite's a lot less time than the old tt. The RV dealer said give it a whirle and if I changed my mind he would put the 5ver in at no charge. So here we go. HarvOo.