Hello my wife and I are about to purchase a fifth wheel camper for the first time. Our truck is a 2015 f250 diesel crew cab so we have a shorter bed truck. I have a goose neck turn over ball in the bed and was looking for advice on the options for gooseneck to fifth wheel adapters. I am leaning towards Convert-A-Ball C5GX1216 Adjustable 7 1/2" Offset Cushioned Fifth Wheel to Gooseneck AdapterAnyone have any experience with this product. I dont want to hit my cab on turns and was looking for the best options.Thanks youScott

I use the Andersen Ultimate and like it. My truck is like yours.

You may want to confirm with your fifth wheel manufacturer that there are no issues with the goose neck conversion on your particular fifth wheel.

SBERRY wrote:Hello my wife and I are about to purchase a fifth wheel camper for the first time. Our truck is a 2015 f250 diesel crew cab so we have a shorter bed truck. I have a goose neck turn over ball in the bed and was looking for advice on the options for gooseneck to fifth wheel adapters. I am leaning towards Convert-A-Ball C5GX1216 Adjustable 7 1/2" Offset Cushioned Fifth Wheel to Gooseneck AdapterAnyone have any experience with this product. I dont want to hit my cab on turns and was looking for the best options.Thanks youScottThe general rule of thumb is to avoid the gooseneck adapters like the one you're referring to. There's at least a zillion posts on here about the reasons why, so I'll implore you to read some of them.If you're hung up on the gooseneck adapter style, then the Andersen UH is the closest suitable compromise between that and a traditional fifth wheel hitch. Its in the same basic price range as the gooseneck adapter and generally considered to be a much more suitable option. There's not a hitch product on the market that will keep you from hitting the cab. That comes from paying attention. Yes, we're all prone to mistakes or lapses in judgement from time to time, but anyone that has ever hit their cab could have avoided it.

Good post WTP-GC, hitting your cab is avoidable in most cases, especially with the newer rounded nose FWs.The OP does not say what FW he is considering, or if he has the FW prep package on his 2015 Ford. It is hard to beat the factory setup, using a hitch designed for the puck system.Jerry

You say you have a "turn over ball" gooseneck in the bed. If you're referring to the B&W Turnoverball gooseneck hitch, B&W makes the Companion 5th wheel hitch that utilizes the Turnoverball gooseneck. It's an excellent hitch - I've towed with the B&W Companion 5th wheel hitches since 2001, although the one in the current truck utilizes the Ram factory pucks for mounting.Rusty

New to rving. Trying to pick the right hitch. | Good Sam Community

34 Replies

rhagfo
Explorer III
Jun 09, 2016
Cummins12V98 wrote:
bpounds wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Just wait till you pop your break away cable with all that "stuff" in the back!

Probably won't happen. It could have. But I went to a coiled cable a few years ago. It doesn't sag into the cargo area.

Got it! I had it happen going slow in a tight turn to the left and about put me in the windshield. Worse part was having to climb into the bed to get it plugged back in.

I need to invest in a curly cable also, caught mine on the hitch plate backing to the blind side, it was like backing into a brick wall!!
Took two trips from the cab to figure what happened!! Second trip out noticed the plunger sitting in the bed!!!
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jun 09, 2016
bpounds wrote:
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Just wait till you pop your break away cable with all that "stuff" in the back!

Probably won't happen. It could have. But I went to a coiled cable a few years ago. It doesn't sag into the cargo area.

Got it! I had it happen going slow in a tight turn to the left and about put me in the windshield. Worse part was having to climb into the bed to get it plugged back in.
IdaD
Explorer
Jun 09, 2016
Nevadastars wrote:
IdaD wrote:
csamayfield55 wrote:
With my FIL's 5er and Andersen I was able to turn as close to 90deg as I ever would want to! The tires looked like I was going to roll them off the rims so I stopped and still had clearance.Your results of course may vary but from what I have seen the Ultimate gives people with at least a little common sense plenty of room to crank a 5er around. Heck, if I wanted to I could smacl my Light into the cab of my long bed flatbed ram with a gooseneck!! I just have to try hard enough

Chris

This exactly, and my opinion is based on first hand use with a short bed Ram and a fifth wheel with a flat front.

Is yours a goose neck or rail mount? It appears that the ball on the goose neck mount sits back a few inches compared to the rail mount.

edit: After seeing a better pic on youtube, it looks like both are offset about the same.

Rail flipped back.
talonhead
Explorer
Jun 08, 2016
laknox wrote:
. . . . There are any number of people on here who freely admit to having a slider, then never using it, to the point of having them rust in place. :-) . . .

Lyle

That's a good reason to have a PullRite SuperGlide;), if you're towing, it's moving. The one I had in my Ford only got a little rusted when I left it in the bed over winter!
Had to upgrade with new Ram. As the double adapter makes the already too tall truck even worse to hook up the older trailer. As I really didn't care for cutting up the new Picture Frame adapter and weld new cross tubes to allow the old SG to mount on them lower in the bed. The top of my tailgate is about 60", with the trailer is down in the storage position, the pin is about 1" above the bed floor. I still have to flip and raise the axles to get the nose out of the clouds.
bpounds
Nomad
Jun 08, 2016
Cummins12V98 wrote:
Just wait till you pop your break away cable with all that "stuff" in the back!

Probably won't happen. It could have. But I went to a coiled cable a few years ago. It doesn't sag into the cargo area.
SabreCanuck
Explorer
Jun 08, 2016
Nevadastars wrote:
Good thread I am watching with interest. I just picked up an 07 Ram 2500 short bed that has had a hitch in it, but the PO took it out. So, the holes are there for rails. We don't have a 5'er yet, but will try and find one with the cut out corners and will most likely be a light weight model under 30ft.

I would like to find a hitch as light as possible since I am a small guy in my 60's with a back that likes to give me trouble. Don't really want to go the Andersen route as I am not crazy about setting up for a gooseneck since I already have existing rail holes in the bed.

Anderson has an rail version of the same hitch... you don't HAVE to have a ball.
Nevadastars
Explorer
Jun 08, 2016
IdaD wrote:
csamayfield55 wrote:
With my FIL's 5er and Andersen I was able to turn as close to 90deg as I ever would want to! The tires looked like I was going to roll them off the rims so I stopped and still had clearance.Your results of course may vary but from what I have seen the Ultimate gives people with at least a little common sense plenty of room to crank a 5er around. Heck, if I wanted to I could smacl my Light into the cab of my long bed flatbed ram with a gooseneck!! I just have to try hard enough

Chris

This exactly, and my opinion is based on first hand use with a short bed Ram and a fifth wheel with a flat front.

Is yours a goose neck or rail mount? It appears that the ball on the goose neck mount sits back a few inches compared to the rail mount.

edit: After seeing a better pic on youtube, it looks like both are offset about the same.
IdaD
Explorer
Jun 08, 2016
csamayfield55 wrote:
With my FIL's 5er and Andersen I was able to turn as close to 90deg as I ever would want to! The tires looked like I was going to roll them off the rims so I stopped and still had clearance.Your results of course may vary but from what I have seen the Ultimate gives people with at least a little common sense plenty of room to crank a 5er around. Heck, if I wanted to I could smacl my Light into the cab of my long bed flatbed ram with a gooseneck!! I just have to try hard enough

Chris

This exactly, and my opinion is based on first hand use with a short bed Ram and a fifth wheel with a flat front.
csamayfield55x
Explorer
Jun 08, 2016
With my FIL's 5er and Andersen I was able to turn as close to 90deg as I ever would want to! The tires looked like I was going to roll them off the rims so I stopped and still had clearance.Your results of course may vary but from what I have seen the Ultimate gives people with at least a little common sense plenty of room to crank a 5er around. Heck, if I wanted to I could smacl my Light into the cab of my long bed flatbed ram with a gooseneck!! I just have to try hard enough

Chris
Cummins12V98
Explorer III
Jun 08, 2016
bpounds wrote:
The Cougars all have sculpted front caps, and I don't believe you would ever need a slider.

I would avoid the gooseneck adapters. They are hard on frames.

I understand your desire to pack stuff around your hitch. I do that too. The B&W is just an okay hitch, but the base is ridiculously large. That might be a good thing for larger fivers, but certainly not needed for Cougar sized rigs.

You can see how I pack stuff around the small base on my Reese. And usually much more than this, with gas cans, firewood, etc.

Just wait till you pop your break away cable with all that "stuff" in the back!