My truck had a retractable ball so my due diligence was to go with a well-made superior Gooseneck Adapter.
Structurally, it doesn't matter whats between the truck bed and the Fiver Kingpin if all the components are strong enough to handle the forces and will not permit bending unless extraordinary stresses are introduced as I described.
Umm, I towed for 7 years and many miles successfully with a Gooseneck, Again, most reported frame failures are with ordinary hitches (see likely reasons below).
TRAILER LIFE Reviewed them a few years ago.
How many campgrounds have you ever been in without any Fivers with Gooseneck adapters? Very few for me.
Lippert and Reese endorse the GOOSEBOX
The real fault most likely lies with the TX DOT for bad roads and high speed limits (was posted at 65, my usual towing speed - down from 80 MPH) and Lippert for making a frame that's sufficient, but couldn't handle one very big jolt. And possible Reese for an adapter that really doesn't reduce forces/stresses as much as it needed to.
A lot of my towing is for "Laborers for Christ" (Lutheran Builders) - aka going to WI from south AL next month.
