tr4petty wrote:
Over the years I've heard lots of folks say, "don't pull a 5th Wheel with a gooseneck ball and adaptor." I've heard folks say that it puts too much stress on the frame of the 5th Wheel. Well, I've pulled a 5th Wheel for several years with a 5th Wheel hitch but I'm contemplating trading trucks and using a ball and gooseneck adapter instead this time. I called the folks at Thor because my camper is a Crossroads Cruiser. They said there was NO problem with the adapters. It would NOT void my warranty. Also, the engineer said there was actually NO additional stress on the frame, provided the gooseneck adapter is properly installed with all torque specs followed. He said the ONLY way that there could be a problem is if the adapter wasn't properly torqued down and therefore allowed some flex, which would put extra stress on the frame. This is current info because we had this conversation only 3 days ago.
Since you have been pulling that Cruiser for "several years" it is already out of warranty, so there is nothing to void. However, anyone that does have a rig still in warranty would be well advised to get things in writing, especially when it comes to a Lippert frame. Any claim that there is no additional stress on the frame is just wrong. The fact that Andersen developed their Ultimate hitch is good proof that a GN extension does increase stress on the fiver frame, since the Ultimate moves the connection point back to as close to the king pin as possible.
