Goose Neck Hitch

I used to pull with a goose neck adaptor made by Convert-a-Ball. No more, I am proof of what can happen. Pulled for three years with no issues. Then got back from the Black Hills, and realized the hitch was at an angle. The pin box flexed cracking the frame at the back side of the pin box on either side of it. Got lucky, and found a good blacksmith shop to do the repairs. The frames are made with 2 x 4 inch square tubing. They replaced it with solid stock, and braced it back with quarter inch angle iron. This was not a Lippert frame, this was a Leland. We traded the camper off, and now I tow with a fifth wheel hitch. Much easier to hitch and unhitch, better ride, easier to back up and removing the hitch is not a big deal. I will never pull with a goose neck adaptor again. I would not risk damage to your fifth wheel, do not use a goose neck adaptor.

fj12ryder wrote:
My BIL uses a gooseneck adapter to haul his 31' Keystone fifth wheel bunkhouse. In fact he usually pulls a 17' ski boat behind when he goes to Minnesota, he lives in southwest Iowa.

He has had no issues with it that I'm aware of.

To me it looks like it puts a lot of stress on the frame of the fifth wheel, but like I said he has had no issues.

After 10 years with no issues I decided to get bold and added a hitch to my fifth wheel to pull doubles too. No, I don't pull thru mud or snow with doubles but I do get off road with 1000lbs bike and trailer combined. Also pull 18% slope. Just did it two years so I won't give a definite no problem but will wait a couple years and see what happens. (See my hitch pict in above post)

Funny...the people doing it report no issues. Those that have never done it say you will have problems.

alanmikkelsen wrote:
I am always getting a kick out of reading responses on this topic. The original poster asked for experiences. I'm not seeing a lot of that here. I was visiting with a large local RV dealer in Missoula, MT, and he said fully 50% of their 5'vr's go out the door with gooseneck adapters and they didn't appear to think twice about it. I don't have a 5'ver right now, but my next one will receive a gooseneck adapter for the flipover ball I have in my truck.

Glad you get a kick out of reading responses on this topic...RE-READ the OP..."ANY AND ALL SUGGESTIONS APPRECIATED"...(see below).

Looking @ purchasing a 5th wheel trailer, at this time. Would like to install a gooseneck hitch. Due to the experince out there, what are the pros and cons of this set up? Would like to do this myself as I have the tools and a mechanical background. Trailer set up is 29'-30' range under 14,000 lbs. Have a 3500 cc drw w/flatbed that has an inset gooseneck ball installed. Any and all suggestions appreciated. ..

OK, now, MY suggestion didn't suggest Armageddon was going to happen, nor did I come on like a know it all, as you did or make fun of others....I merely stated a known FACT.....A GN, still today, in the year, 2013, soon to be 2014, if being used to tow a 5er, MIGHT, and I say, just MIGHT cause some of the warranty of a NEW, and again, I said NEW 5th wheel, and the OP gave us the impression, they were buying a NEW 5er, might just VOID some of the 5er's warranty IF something were to happen to the frame or front side wall...

ALL that being said, ALL, and again, I say, ALL I "RECOMMENDED" was for the OP, if they care about a warranty on a brand new 5th wheel, just might want to ask the MANUFACTURER, NOT THE DEALER, but the MANUFACTURER, (whose has last word on any warranty repair work), what THEY say about towing the 5er THEY MANUFACTURED, with a GN...ALL I did was recommend they make ONE phone call and get it straight from the horses mouth....didn't try to scare anyone, didn't make up stuff, didn't claim all kinds of 5er's had broken or cracked frames...just made a very, common sense recommendation that they call the manufacturer of the 5er and see what THEY say, not what I say, not what YOU say, but what the people who manufactured the 5th wheel and who will warranty it.

Doesn't have anything to do with experience, just plain old common sense after paying a pretty good hunk of money on a brand new 5th wheel. I was told years ago when I purchased my 5er new and I had to move up from a 16K hitch to the one I have now, I though about going with a GN,, (yeah, really), and was told my Monaco/Holiday Rambler that "IF" I towed my 5er with a GN, and something DID happen like causing a crack or getting de-lamination in the front side wall, or breaking/cracking the frame around the pin box, that they, Holiday Rambler would not fix it...they DIDN'T recommend a GN hitch, so I didn't buy one..I stayed with a conventional hitch because I really wasn't going to "go out of my way" to take a chance on messing up my brand new 5er.

My recommendation, laughable???? Telling someone to call the MANUFACTURER of the 5er, if you care about warranty, and find out THEIR take on towing the 5er they will do warranty repair work on, if you can tow it with a GN??? REALLY??? Hey, if they say, no problem....go for it...if they say it could void some of the warranty on your unit...hey, your money, your choice....oh, and even with the frame, the manufacturer of the 5er is normally the mediator between frame repair work if issues with the frame occur (while 5er is under warranty).

I too use a Gooseneck adapter. A very good one that provides glider action to alleviate chucking and stress - the Star Performance Kingpin (Gooseneck) Adapter. Have towed over 15K miles with it. Which has included some very rough patches of road and getting hard stuck twice. No harm yet. Rarely camp without seeing at least one other Fiver with a Gooseneck adapter. Have NEVER seen a damaged Fiver with an adapter, but have seen a few without one.

Search "5v'er to gooseneck solution " and others, this topic has been beaten to death.

With the new longer pin boxes to improve cab/camper clearance the leverage argument looses some merit in my book. A 3' arm at 28 or 36 degrees is the same leverage (as in the example). If you look in the other thread I posted pictures of the old and new pin boxes. Pretty much the same length, angle a little steeper.

Bottom line, it's your money and your camper, do what you want with it. You will never get a consensus here. Even if the all mighty passed down tablets saying it was good they would still say no. Do your homework and do what is right for you. If the frame manufacture sells the item as an option for their frames, that is good enough for me.

My BIL uses a gooseneck adapter to haul his 31' Keystone fifth wheel bunkhouse. In fact he usually pulls a 17' ski boat behind when he goes to Minnesota, he lives in southwest Iowa.

He has had no issues with it that I'm aware of.

To me it looks like it puts a lot of stress on the frame of the fifth wheel, but like I said he has had no issues.

I've had my gooseneck adaptor for 12 years and approx 50,000 miles on the same 5th wheel camper. It has been off road, gotten stuck, pulled out by a 19000lb John Deere tractor with duals (and nearly got the tractor stuck too) pulled thru snow, and it is still going, no frame breaks.

I've read a bit about gooseneck adaptors causing frame breaks on fifth wheel camper on RV.net yet over the years every frame break I've read about is on a fifth wheel that has NO ADAPTOR. At first I believed there may be something to the leverage thing and even posted a picture of mine but as time went on I started questioning why only 5th wheel and no gooseneck adaptors showed up on frame breaks.

Studying numerous 5th wheel arrangements I think I know but not 100% sure. If I am correct, I'll sit back and keep reading about all the frame breaks with a bag of popcorn or a bowl of my favorite ice cream and save my money. I do wish I could get an auto slider gooseneck but since the cab already has the dents in the proper place I'll wait.

Fairly simple the way I see it. If the trailer has a goose neck hitch, use a goose neck hitch. If it has a 5th wheel hitch use a 5th wheel hitch. Adapters are just that, they ADAPT between hitches. Not what the mfg designed the hitch for but a panacea for those who don't want to use the designed hitch. It may or may not work????

alanmikkelsen wrote:
I am always getting a kick out of reading responses on this topic. The original poster asked for experiences. I'm not seeing a lot of that here. I was visiting with a large local RV dealer in Missoula, MT, and he said fully 50% of their 5'vr's go out the door with gooseneck adapters and they didn't appear to think twice about it. I don't have a 5'ver right now, but my next one will receive a gooseneck adapter for the flipover ball I have in my truck.

I live in an area where there a lot of 5vers that use goosenecks. They tow stock trailers so it is the economical thing to do. Doesn't take a literary giant to see all the damage on the front of the 5vers that have been modifed. 5vers are not built as strong as stock trailers. Unless someone is totally blind it is pretty obvious of the damage in the front of the 5vers that has been modified. My neghbor has so much damage that the jacks finally jammed. Just too much torque caused by the goose neck hitch. Most of us learn by the mistakes of others.