Forum Discussion

laknox's avatar
laknox
Nomad
Jun 20, 2016

GN adapter

First off, and for the record, I'm not a fan of these and would never recommend one.

I recently towed a small FW up to Durango CO for a friend and it had a GN adapter installed. This was my first time towing a FW with one installed, though I've towed a couple =real= GN trailers over the years. Total weight was =maybe= 5k. On the roads in NM and CO it gave me a rougher ride than my own FW, with my Companion hitch, which weighs in at 10k+, usually, and puts me solidly on my overloads. I could =feel= a distinct difference in how it towed vs my own FW, and could feel a bit of "springiness" that I don't feel when towing my Komfort on the FW hitch. I can only attribute this to the leverage being placed on the FW frame by the adapter. I will admit that I'd like the chance to tow this trailer sans the GN adapter for comparison.

This is just a comment on an actual tow, and strictly anecdotal. I'm probably going to go back to CO this fall to bring it back, so will have some "back up" to go with this.

Lyle
  • Me_Again's avatar
    Me_Again
    Explorer III
    Jun 20, 2016
    SoCalDesertRider wrote:
    After you and your DW have an accident on the I5 in CA, the CHP may do a CSI to determine if your CC SRW SB TV was over it's GVWR or GAWR's, while pulling your BH TT, that you ran into someone else's GN LQ, being pulled by an HDT, in the HOV lane.


    Say what??

  • csamayfield55x's avatar
    csamayfield55x
    Explorer
    Jun 20, 2016
    I don't think it is a product of the gooseneck. I have the only factory gooseneck 5er available right now. I can tell you the ride is great with the gooseneck. There is no chucking at all and the whole combo feels solid. What I do get is a transfer from the trailer to the truck when the road is very rough. It is not harsh like when the 5ers I have pull chucked in the hitch head. It is more of a knudge.

    I am so sold on the goose that if I ever do go to a larger 5er it will have a goosebox on it

    Chris
  • ksbowman's avatar
    ksbowman
    Explorer II
    Jun 20, 2016
    I have an old Coachman 19' FW that I made a GN adapter for and it pulls better with the GN than with the FW. It weighs 3800# and without the GN adapter and a full tank of fresh water (tank behind axles) it wants to fishtail. With the GN it has enough pin weight it pulls great. It is an 87' model that I restored and use to hunt out of and I like it. It will spin on a dime unlike our 31' newer FW that takes more room and it pulls very smooth. The old timer has a very heavy frame and has never shown any ill effects from the GN. I wonder if I've voided the warranty?
  • SoCalDesertRid1's avatar
    SoCalDesertRid1
    Explorer
    Jun 20, 2016
    After you and your DW have an accident on the I5 in CA, the CHP may do a CSI to determine if your CC SRW SB TV was over it's GVWR or GAWR's, while pulling your BH TT, that you ran into someone else's GN LQ, being pulled by an HDT, in the HOV lane.
  • RoyB's avatar
    RoyB
    Explorer II
    Jun 20, 2016
    I had to read down to finally figure out what 'GN' stood for...

    Must be a Gooseneck Adapter: Gooseneck Hitch...

    Roy Ken
  • laknox's avatar
    laknox
    Nomad
    Jun 20, 2016
    This is a 90's vintage Tahoe Lite, about 25-26' OAL, with a single =manual= slide, so no warranty to worry about. Empty weight shows < 3,600-3,700 lbs. The owner has towed it for decades with the GN adapter, so I think the frame is OK, but there was a definite fore/aft "springiness" that I could feel, that I can only attribute to having it on there. As I said before, I'd really like to tow it on the FW hitch for comparison.

    The roads had as much to do with the rough ride as anything. :-) NM and CO really need to do some work on their secondary roads. 491 N out of Gallup and 550 N out of Farmington were terrible and would have been bad even running empty. Indian Rte 5 between 491 and 371, S of F'ton, wasn't too bad, but had =miles= of road with virtually no lane or shoulder markings. Just scary; thank goodness there wasn't much traffic on it.

    Lyle
  • Second_Chance's avatar
    Second_Chance
    Explorer II
    Jun 20, 2016
    SoCalDesertRider wrote:
    It sounds to me like the difference in ride had more to do with your truck being barely on the overloads and therefore bouncing on and off them with bumps in the road, than with what kind of hitch it had.

    I think the trailer frame would really have to be flexing ALOT, to create such a noticeable feeling in the truck, as you describe. If it's flexing that much, the frame is probably broken by now...


    And "...broken by now..." is the operative concept. A gooseneck adapter on a fifth wheel voids the frame warranty with most manufacturers due to the torsional forces exerted on the pin box and front of the trailer frame. The only "officially approved" combo that I know of is the GooseBox on a Lippert frame - and that's because Reese and Lippert are in bed with each other.

    Rob
  • SoCalDesertRid1's avatar
    SoCalDesertRid1
    Explorer
    Jun 20, 2016
    It sounds to me like the difference in ride had more to do with your truck being barely on the overloads and therefore bouncing on and off them with bumps in the road, than with what kind of hitch it had.

    I think the trailer frame would really have to be flexing ALOT, to create such a noticeable feeling in the truck, as you describe. If it's flexing that much, the frame is probably broken by now...

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