5v'er to gooseneck solution

ok...im back. My name is matt hickman, I'm 53 years old and have been pulling rv's for over 30 years as I travel the country chasing the oil and gas payroll which has served me very well through the years. I started at 20 yrs old with an old Fleetwood unit and a chevy gasser. today I travel with my 2011 F350, 6.7,DRW, 4x4 CC long box pulling a 2011 40' stoneridge made by KZ at 11,760 lbs dry, & 2,190 hitch weight dry. and in the middle of those years were various trucks and rv's of many makes and models. you see, when you pull one around as much as I do, you have to trade in often, they just don't hold up well with the miles I put on them, and at 53, I have never owned a home in my life to date. have always been in an rv since 20 out on the road. and I can tell ya that I have had my share of misfortunes and mishaps that comes with full timing. I shudder to think of actually how many miles I have pulled an rv for the last 30 years!....

I was not looking to start an argument over what hitch is better folks, I simply was sharing my! personal experience having pulled with a fifthwheel hitch for 30 years and now have went to a gooseneck and I like it. I love the clean bed and not having to get up in the bed to remove the hitch, I just push the lever in the wheel well and the ball drops out of sight, reverse to pop it up, how simple is that! its just my preference that's all. the bed hitch was heavy!, awkward and frankly out of date. it was a 20k reese, a dinosaur. I banged my shin for the last time going in and out of my tool box.
with the goosebox, I have to pay attention to horizontal rotation, no big deal. its really very easy to hook up myself, I placed a strip of white duct tape down the center of the pinbox, I simply back up and align that with the head rest mounts on the back seat and it positions me nearly perfect every time, so no big deal there either. there is very little chucking ever, but occasionally some, the airbag and shocks do a very good job of dampening this out. there are pros and cons to everything rv related and I chose to go gooseneck and I like it. just my observations.

Endricken wrote:
Other Benefits:
1.You will never drop your Fiver, its either on the ball or not.
2.Hookup is slower but gentler as you raise and lower the trailer onto/off the ball to hookup or disconnect without ramming or need for wheel chocks (in most cases).Wheel chocks should be used regardless of hitch type.....gooseneck, 5th wheel, tongue/ball, pintle.
Wheel chocks 1st ON...last OFF. And I don't have to 'ram' into my hitch. Just back up, king pin plate slides up 5vr hitch plate, king pin trips latch...jaw snaps closed.
3. If necessary you can hitch from 0 degrees (straight back) to any angle your truck can reach relative to the Fiver and uneven terrain doesn't matter.My 4 way pivot hitch allows me to hookup at most any angle

Just me but I'll use a gooseneck ball for a gooseneck trailer, a 5th wheel hitch for a 5vr and a tongue ball for a pull behind.

Others can do what they choose.....it's their rig, their $$, their problem/concern.

Other Benefits:
1.You will never drop your Fiver, its either on the ball or not.
2.Hookup is slower but gentler as you raise and lower the trailer onto/off the ball to hookup or disconnect without ramming or need for wheel chocks (in most cases).
3. If necessary you can hitch from 0 degrees (straight back) to any angle your truck can reach relative to the Fiver and uneven terrain doesn't matter.

mdamerell wrote:
Personally I like the clean bed and not having to move/store hitches.

Ok, so 1/2 of that is a benefit of a gooseneck vs. a fifth wheel hitch. I, too, have a completely clean bed with my B&W setup. But, I do have to move/store the hitch.

Any other benefits?

mdamerell wrote:

pipeliner345 wrote:
This is the route I went. I love it! The only drawback is it is a little more effort to hitch up but worth it to me. Well I can't seem to be able to post a photo. But do a search on

Reese goose box. And pop up ball.

Lippert offers the Reese Goose Box on its website after it tested and certified it for its frames. When I talked to them they said the plan was to offer it as OEM equipment.

Each to their own but if the frame manufacture says its OK and will honor the warranty what's the issue?

Personally I like the clean bed and not having to move/store hitches.

Key part of a phrase, (IF the frame manufacture says it's ok and will honor the warranty"). I'd have to see it in writing...Lippert isn't doing much different to their frames than they did some years back and issues that one could read about for hours on here by doing the search, "lippert frames"...

.....won't go there...anyway....don't care what the frame company states, I will go by what the manufacturer of the 5er say's...if they say you can use a GN or whatever it is Reese made....I personally still wouldn't use it, but that's just me...I've towed with both and it's a lot easier hooking up to the 5er hitch....

again...only cost the amount of a call to find out what the warranting manufacturer say's about it.....I don't trust Lippert just from all that I've read about them on these forums, with a ton of it being backed by facts....

ependydad wrote:
This sounds persnickety, but I'm really actually curious-

Can someone explain why you would want a gooseneck hitch up instead of a 5th wheel?

I certainly would not! Yes, I had both hitches in my Dodge 3500. Yes, I towed both types of trailers.
IMO, the fifth wheel hitch is definitely superior! Easy to hook up, not as critical about alignment, no "safety" chains to connect and disconnect, and easy to unhook.
If I ever buy a cargo trailer, I will custom order it with a fifth wheel hitch instead of a gooseneck. I do not anticipate that ever happening, though.

This sounds persnickety, but I'm really actually curious-

Can someone explain why you would want a gooseneck hitch up instead of a 5th wheel?

pipeliner345 wrote:
This is the route I went. I love it! The only drawback is it is a little more effort to hitch up but worth it to me. Well I can't seem to be able to post a photo. But do a search on

Reese goose box. And pop up ball.

Lippert offers the Reese Goose Box on its website after it tested and certified it for its frames. When I talked to them they said the plan was to offer it as OEM equipment.

Each to their own but if the frame manufacture says its OK and will honor the warranty what's the issue?

Personally I like the clean bed and not having to move/store hitches.

Have the setup for my 30ft Jayco. I have taken the precaution of re-inforcing my pinbox area. Just be aware of possible issues and check your frame. Happy trails.
I'll sit back now and grab the pop corn.

Ahhh - if you've a small 5er, this might work. Problem is that 5th wheel trailers aren't built for goose neck hitches - the frame isn't reinforced enough for the type of stresses they have. My new/old truck came with one and I was thinking about doing the same as you until I did some research. You might do the same.