5th Wheel to Gooseneck Adapters
Hey all! We are getting close to purchasing a used 5th Wheel from a dealer and was thinking maybe they would throw in the hitch since they seem firm with the price-not sure they will go for it but fi...
Forum Discussion
Moon8211 wrote:
Okay so you are saying I can't use an adapter? I think I am confused. I got etrailer and there are all sorts of options.
Sure, you can use an adapter, but you need to know that you =could= break the trailer frame. Since you're in construction, what do you do when you have a stuck bolt or pipe? You put a cheater on your wrench for more leverage. Now, look at where the forces act on a FW frame with a standard pin box; mostly fore and aft, right? Attach a GN adapter to the pin and move the attachment point 12 to 18" =lower= down and it's pretty clear that you're now adding a huge amount of rotational force into the equation, just as you do when you put a cheater on a wrench. This is why most mfrs will immediately void any frame warranty if you add a GN adapter. Their frames simply aren't engineered to handle these types of stresses like a purpose-built GN trailer. I recently towed a small (~26') FW that did have an adapter on it, and I could =feel= the difference between how it towed and how my larger FW tows. Yes, it =could= simply be the difference in the trailers, but =IMO=, it was mostly due to the GN adapter.
Spend the money and buy a proper FW hitch. It's a =whole= lot cheaper than a frame fix. I'm a die-hard B&W fan, and that's what I always recommend, but there are a lot of options, too.
Lyle
