GOOSENECK TO FIFTHWHEEL ADAPTOR

Look at Open Range and the King Box that it comes with. Allows either fifth or gooseneck.

Lots of folks had this issue. 5th wheel trailers are designed to use 5th wheel hitches. Gooseneck trailers are designed to work with gooseneck hitches. Seems pretty obvious to me.

I have a Puma Unleashed 356, this has a Lippert frame. I have a Reese Goosebox hitch, the only gooseneck hitch that Lippert will not void the warranty if used. It has an airbag built in, which really helps the ride. I love mine. http://www.reeseprod.com/content/products.aspx?lvl=2&parentid=7300&catID=7390∂=0

Back in 2009 one of our members, richheck wrote this bit and I found it to make a lot of sense.

Just a simple matter of physics, as you drop the leverage point down around 16 inches with the gooseneck you are changing the fulcrum point also. This creates greater motion against the pin box connections (i.e. the frame work), whereas with the conventional hitch the lowest point is the pin connection area.

I work in the RV industry and have seen what can happen, especially when a person takes their unit off road like pismo etc and subjects the hitch to such greater loads. Ends up tearing the hitch box off of the frame, and sometimes this is not an easy area to get to to weld up and re-support the damage

So the manufacturer of your RV is stating with the dealer should have either known or verified. Your beef with your damaged RV needs to be with the installer of the product. Problem is it comes down to buyer be ware, I'd be sitting with the installer and letting them tell me how they plan on fixing my RV if I were in your shoes, but if not then you may want to contact your insurance company or write a check I'm afraid.

The basic concept is the same as if you had a piece of 1/4" flat aluminum say 2" wide by 8" long and you installed a 1" long bolt in one end of it while the other end is locked in a vise. When you pull on the 1" bolt, it doesn't stress the aluminum much. Now install an 8" long bolt in place of the 1" bolt and yank on the end of the longer bolt. You will easily twist the aluminum like a pretzel. The gooseneck adapter is doing the same thing to your pinbox. The adapter leverages the box in directions it is not designed to handle.

I haven't found a manufacturer yet that will warranty a pinbox used with a gooseneck adapter. It is one of those things that people do to save money maybe because a gooseneck hitch plus the adapter is cheaper than a fifth wheel hitch, maybe they already have a gooseneck hitch or maybe they are not physically able to handle a fifth wheel hitch. No matter the reason, chances are the adapter is going to cost a lot more in the long run. It's a gamble at best. Like somebody already said, some lighter trailers may never have a problem, but most heavy trailers with a marginally rated pinbox will experience problems.

Lots of threads on this subject - look here for a thread with other links

While in Alaska, we bought a 40 foot 5th Wheel Work and Play toyhauler. First thing we did was install a gooseneck adapter while it was still on the dealers lot in Wasilla. We pulled that thing from Talkeetna to Seward and all over the Kenai with no issues until we sold it a year later. I think a lot of it has to do with the specific trailers they are installed on. That Work and Play was a very stout trailer. I wouldn't put one on just any 5th wheel as some are built weaker than others. I haven't used one on the last 2 5th wheels we've had, it just isn't worth the risk.

So Biscut you are saying i made a bad mistake and i should have not went with this set up. The place i took my wheeler to so they could check out the out of line p-box says that they sell and mount these adaptors for fifthwheel customers all the time and they have seen this problems before but people still go with this setup. I maybe the only da to admit this looks like.

Why not admit it....cause folks have a tendency to NOT tell on themselves when they make a mistake especially a costly one.

Ever look at the structural design of a 'goosneck' trailer and difference of a 5th wheel pin box structural design.

Just because an item is offered for sale via aftermarket doesn't mean it is better, useful or even should be used.

Gooseneck adapters and slide out supports are two that come to mind.

Did you also put an extender on it because of your short bed truck that you mentioned in previous posts?Hitch guys aren't going to discourage a sale.