bpconversion goose neck conversion

Grit dog wrote:

dsrace wrote:

Grit dog wrote:
Reading your other thread about the purchase, I’ll suggest based on what you wrote that you may have had them build a unit that they just couldn’t get the weights as you needed them to be.

I totally agree with you. And nothing against the mfg or your choice.
If anything I could make a case that they tried to balance the load vs tongue weight better rather than just making the empty tongue weight obtrusively heavy.
I never weighed the TH in my sig but air pressure and surface area makes for an easy weight calculation and based on required airbag pressure to return to unloaded ride height (didn’t haul with that much pressure I’d let the springs take some of the static load of course) the tongue weight of that I’ll call it mid size toyhauler was every bit of 16-1800lbs with an empty garage and full LP, 2 GC batteries and a “normal” amount of stuff loaded in the front storage and front bedroom.
Doing some quick math I could have put 1000lbs at the very back of the trailer (like an @ss heavy big buggy like yours) and maintained a sufficient tongue weight, > 1000lbs on the tongue.
So in a sense, my trailer had the opposite issue as yours. Even with say 4 dirt bikes or quads, I wouldn’t have taken off a great amount of tongue weight.

Back to the everything about different RVs is some sort of compromise. And yours happens to fall slightly on the wrong side of acceptable compromise for the load you’re carrying.
Which tends to happen and some considerations are required when using any equipment close to its limitations.

Will be interesting and telling to see the actual weights on your hitch.
Once you have a couple actual weights, you can use the dimensions of the trailer, axle cenrterline and estimated load weight placement to see how the gn conversion would affect the pin weight and how moving the axles aft would affect either tongue or pin.
The ultimate solution and a distinct advantage to gn/5ver trailers (all of them including semis) vs bumper pull is the ability to get the “tongue” weight over the tow rig rear axle(s) thus allowing a far higher pin weight than could be sustained as tongue weight.
That’s why there are very few high capacity bp trailers. Big tag trailers designed to haul equipment behind 10 wheel dump trucks are the only obvious ones I can think of. And in the big trailer world, they have similar limitations compared to drop decks and gooseneck trailers. Just on a larger scale.

The bulletproof solution is the GN attachment AND moving the axles aft. Which makes it a non starter and better off to just go find a 5th wheel toyhauler again. But hopefully you can find a balance that is acceptable and within practical means and expense with your existing setup.

interesting you state...."And nothing against the mfg or your choice.
If anything I could make a case that they tried to balance the load vs tongue weight better rather than just making the empty tongue weight obtrusively heavy. " ....... i didn't take that as anything against dune sport or my choice. i welcome constructive criticism.

it's interesting because during one of my last calls with the owner ( brad ), he asked how it towed. i explained it towed quite nice empty but was tongue light loaded and explained why. he replied that they have had several complaints (over time) that their toyhaulers are too tongue heavy. he stated they have tried to remedy that as much as they could. he then suggested backing the sand rail in. i explained that as the saleman was told, i ordered this custom unit so that A. i don't have to swap rear tires out for trailering and B. so i can pull it in, rather then backing it in as that is not an option. he changed the subject abrubptly, i took that as my answer ;). backing it in, requires changing tires and winching it in. a real pain but i can do it, i wasn't going to tell him that :) that is why i said that i understand that wasn't something they can or will adjust. based on his statement of lightening tongue weights due to complaints.....not sure if they are spec'ing the trailers diff from lci or just said that.

as i ordered this one built to our custom floor plan, for our specific use, i need to remedy this and keep it. this may not be the floor plan everyone would choose and i get that. it checks 98% of our box's and that is not easy to do in the camper world. a fiver would've been a lot better, clearly, but they have to be a bit longer for the same cargo length. not only that but they are a foot taller, heavier and more expensive. they built one GN version w/o an upper deck but, i wanted to keep it more standard in case of disaster and the toyhauler has to be sold. never know when one will get layed up or die especially out on the sand dunes. hind sight being 20/20..... would've towed better :)and i could've mounted a 30 gal fuel tank up there to carry e85 for my sand rail.








i can personally move the axles back, that isn't a problem. the problem would be re sale. if i move them back then the GN hitch has to go with it rather then moved to another unit. tongue weight would be excessive w/o the gn hitch at that point. well, 1600 lbs tw would'nt be imo hmmm