Reese Goose Box installed on Toy Hauler (Mega Cab with 75 Gallon Aux Tank)

[DHayden]

Pic below is good as it gets IMHO. Front to back absorption and up and down absorption. I would wager the "slop" in the gooseneck connection is no more or less than the Companion that is near nothing. The picture shown will not void the frame warranty as many gooseneck adapters will with the additional stress placed on the pin box frame support.

I have nothing against the gooseneck setups but they are not perfect either.

View attachment 126595

I had the TrailAir pin box you have on my toyhauler. It was nice, I just wanted to clear my bed and shed some weight of the actual hitch. I would not use a gooseneck "adapter" You can see it is more like the 5th wheel hitch than an adapter. Again, the Goosebox is the only gooseneck conversion approved by Lippert, it will not void your warranty.

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[DHayden]

Internal view:

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[Cummins12V98]

I believe the GooseBox is made by Lippert?

Dawg I am only 24k

 

[DHayden]

One other benefit I forgot to mention. Though the trailair pin box was nice, the far forward leaning shock absorber would crush my hard cover if I left it in place. Now I can fold the last two sections up on the first and leave it in place with no issues.

Cumins12V98, I'm not a spokesperson or a cheerleader for the goosebox. I'm not trying to sway anyone to go this route. I made this thread to show what I did that works for me and to show some megacab guys this is a possible option if they have the same dilemmas I had. Any other explaining was just to get the facts out there that this was not a traditional "gooseball adapter" and would not void your warranty.

 

[Whitewolf]

I've had a Goosebox since our 5r was new. Wouldn't have anything else.

 

[bcbender]

I believe the GooseBox is made by Lippert?

It is made by Reese, very good build quality IMHO

 

[pwr2tow]

Just traded off my toyhauler for a new one and removed my goosebox so it's just sitting here.

The only downside I have to the goosebox is I like to carry a full load of firewood to camp and being the goosebox articulates lower to the truck bed floor I can't carry much wood behind the hitch. Due to that I'm pretty sure I'm not going to install it on my new toyhauler.

If anyone wants to drive to Cooperstown North Dakota to try it out you're more than welcome.

 

[tgrfan2]

I really like my Companion, but have found the lateral limits of its movement on a couple camping trips. I wonder if I would get more articulation with a goosebox.. then again the limit seems to coincide with my bed/5er contact.

I really like my B & W RVK 3670 too. Unfortunately with the short bed and hitch in the position basically centered over the wheels I found out I have only 1.25 inches of clearance over the tailgate with the hitch slid back! I slid it back to back in to our site Tuesday and I looked at the "roll" I was going to get and the clearance and slid it back forward. I have almost 8 inches of clearance at the bed rail on level ground. I am going to move my hitch 2 inches forward and up the 1 inch in height and see if the pin box will safely clear the tailgate then.
I have a Reese 16K slider on my 98 and had a problem only once without sliding it back. I was backing out into a busy road and the fiver rocked and kissed the cab. Once is enough though! I sure don't want to tattoo the new one.

 

[SnoKing]

Yes, its a simple force balance equation and by adding some of the "adapters" that are out there you add a moment load higher than the pin box would normally see. This may be fine for lighter smaller trailers but the big girls could see potential problems. The Reese Goose Box is the only one that replaces the entire pin box and is designed to account for the offset by moving the pivot point lower. Add to that the fact the trailer MFG & Lippert components sell it and it will not void the frame warranty and it has built in air ride it was a no brainer.. My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner. I put the 20K on my trailer, it is a well built unit and significantly beefier than the 16k pinbox I took off (1/4 plate vs 1/8 plate)

Smoke and mirrors. It is the length of the lever that matters, and if the old style adapter and the new GB reach the same ball in the bed of the truck then they both place the stress on the trailer frame. One is sold by Lippert and the others are NOT. Scratch my head, which one do you think Lippert warranties?

 

[bcbender]

One is sold by Lippert and the others are NOT. Scratch my head, which one do you think Lippert warranties?

Just saying....

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...y-cequent-performance-products-127893378.html

 

[SnoKing]

View attachment 127050
Just saying....

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-rel...y-cequent-performance-products-127893378.html

That is what I said, "Smoke and Mirrors"!

 

[DHayden]

/yawn

 

[AH64ID]

Smoke and mirrors. It is the length of the lever that matters, and if the old style adapter and the new GB reach the same ball in the bed of the truck then they both place the stress on the trailer frame. One is sold by Lippert and the others are NOT. Scratch my head, which one do you think Lippert warranties?

The leverage is quite different between the two styles of gooseneck adapters, even if the attachments points are the same. One is a direct line and the other has a 90° bend.

It creates an application of force difference.

 

[SnoKing]

The leverage is quite different between the two styles of gooseneck adapters, even if the attachments points are the same. One is a direct line and the other has a 90° bend.

It creates an application of force difference.

A physics class on levers? Assume the pin box and goose neck adapter form a rigid single piece the force between the truck and the trailer is the dotted line. Just the same as the force of the goosebox between the truck and trailer. In the adapter case the truck and trailer do not know that the route between the two locations took a detour between the two points.

 

[AH64ID]

A physics class on levers? Assume the pin box and goose neck adapter form a ridge single piece the force between the truck and the trailer is the dotted line. Just the same as the force of the goosebox between the truck and trailer.

View attachment 127154

No assuming, the way each of those apply the force (didn’t say the force was different) to the frame is different, not to mention the way the kingpin feels the force with a adapter vs sitting in a 5th wheel hitch.

 

[SnoKing]

No assuming, the way each of those apply the force (didn’t say the force was different) to the frame is different, not to mention the way the kingpin feels the force with a adapter vs sitting in a 5th wheel hitch.

I do not think so. The only advantage is the air cushion in the Goosebox that would soften the up and down force placed on the goose neck ball, for and aft is the same.

 

[Wiredawg]

I believe having a longer and angled leverage arm applies less stress to the RV structure. I'm pretty sure we could prove it mathematically that changing the angle of the moment arm reduces the stress, the same as moving the pivot point applies more or less force or stress on a lever.

At any rate, this LOOKS like the best solution for folks wanting to get rid of the big towing hardware in their truck beds.

Cheers, Ron

 

[JR]

A physics class on levers? Assume the pin box and goose neck adapter form a rigid single piece the force between the truck and the trailer is the dotted line. Just the same as the force of the goosebox between the truck and trailer. In the adapter case the truck and trailer do not know that the route between the two locations took a detour between the two points.

View attachment 127154

Sounds like you are ready to make the worlds first 90° standard pin box! Think of the extra bed space and clearance you would have.
I'm sure there is no good reason it has not been done yet....

 

[SnoKing]

I believe having a longer and angled leverage arm applies less stress to the RV structure. I'm pretty sure we could prove it mathematically that changing the angle of the moment arm reduces the stress, the same as moving the pivot point applies more or less force or stress on a lever.

At any rate, this LOOKS like the best solution for folks wanting to get rid of the big towing hardware in their truck beds.

Cheers, Ron

Any long arm provides more force/stress on the trailers pin box mount, not less. Just think about a shorter ratchet wrench vs a flex bar, or putting a pipe on a wrench handle. My only point in this debate is the fact that Lippert only supports what they sell.

 

[AH64ID]

My only point in this debate is the fact that Lippert only supports what they sell.

That was not your only point, but are you surprised that a company supports what they sell?

Many frames are Lippert too, so they are supporting both ends. There shouldn't be any surprise here, it's not smoke and mirrors physics it's basic warranty. It's uncommon for a company to warrant something they don't manufacture.

I'll take real physics over "smoke and mirrors" physics any day. There will be less strain across the board utilizing a goosebox than a gooseneck adapter, period. There would also be less stress even if the goosebox didn't have the air cushion.