Use a gooseneck adapter in pulling a fifth wheel?

I would call your trailer manufacturer, or the manufacturer of your trailer chassis, and ask their opinion. Or, take a look at the Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel Connection.

Some people say using a gooseneck adapter may void warranties and put more torque on the front of the trailer chassis. Other claim they used and never had an issue.

I am pretty close to what you are planning. I use the Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel and am satisfied it was the right solution. Its easy to put in and take out (weighs 32#) and saves you some payload for your 5ers hitch weight.

hbillsmith wrote:
I am pretty close to what you are planning. I use the Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel and am satisfied it was the right solution. Its easy to put in and take out (weighs 32#) and saves you some payload for your 5ers hitch weight.

Another happy Andersen user here .

Thank you all for the advice. I will definitely look into the Andersen Ultimate Fifth Wheel option.

Too bad you can't see some of the 5ver to gooseneck mod 5vers in rural areas first. In ruaral areas lots have been modified because they also tow horse and stock trailers so they modify their 5vers. Lots of 5vers for sale with rippled and damaged front end because of the mods.

Got it. We do a lot of horse trail camping with friends in IA. We noticed all their Lakotas and other brands were strictly built as gooseneck.

12lightsacrossthebay wrote:
Hello Friends, we are in process of upgrading from 23' Thor Scamper TT to a fifth wheel to go cross-country. We are newbies with just 1 year of trailering experience. Our TV is 2009 GMC 2500HD Duramax, (40k miles) K&N air Intake and EGT Gauge. full fifth wheel accessories. 9200 GVWR. 3.73 rear gear ratio. Looking at ~ 30' unit. Any advantage to gooseneck attachment other than being able to use the truck bed when unhooked? Thanks kindly for advice regarding this question. Carl & Peggy

A lot of mfrs =expressly= void a warranty if a GN adapter is used. Lippert =will= warrant =some= frames if a Reese Goosebox is used, though. You need to check with the mfr, and get the answer IN WRITING!

I'm in the same size boat as you, wanting to stay around 30'. My top 2 choices are the Jayco Eagle HT 27.5RLTS and the KZ Durango 1500 D284RLT. Both are "half-ton-towable", but don't let that fool you; they really need a 3/4 ton to comfortably tow them. The Jayco Eagle HT's all gross out at 9,950 lbs and the Durango 1500's gross out at 10,500. While the KZ is my #1 choice overall, the fact that there's exactly 1 KZ dealer in all of AZ means that I'll likely go with the Jayco.

FWIW, I use the B&W Turnover Ball base with their Companion FW hitch and love them both. B&W makes several different versions of the Companion, so there's one that will fit your needs.

Lyle

The Andersen Ultimate may be a good compromise in your case. All other gooseneck setups, besides putting more stress on the trailer frame are also difficult to hookup since the driver cannot see the floor mount ball. The Ultimate elevates the ball mount, but you still have to align the ball to the trailer pretty close, both front-to-back and side-to-side.

But nothing beats a true fifth wheel hitch for ease of hookup, get it within about 1 inch side-to-side and back under the pin. So if the truck already has a gooseneck setup, then a good choice is the B&W Companion fifth wheel hitch. If the truck has no hitch setup and you want a clean bed, then there are multiple fifth wheel hitches with underbed mounting that provides a clean bed once the hitch is removed.

As a newbie, you won't experience one of the big benefits of fifth wheel towing unless you have a true fifth wheel hitch.

Dayle1 wrote:
The Andersen Ultimate may be a good compromise in your case. All other gooseneck setups, besides putting more stress on the trailer frame are also difficult to hookup since the driver cannot see the floor mount ball. The Ultimate elevates the ball mount, but you still have to align the ball to the trailer pretty close, both front-to-back and side-to-side.

But nothing beats a true fifth wheel hitch for ease of hookup, get it within about 1 inch side-to-side and back under the pin. So if the truck already has a gooseneck setup, then a good choice is the B&W Companion fifth wheel hitch. If the truck has no hitch setup and you want a clean bed, then there are multiple fifth wheel hitches with underbed mounting that provides a clean bed once the hitch is removed.

As a newbie, you won't experience one of the big benefits of fifth wheel towing unless you have a true fifth wheel hitch.

Good advice, I would never put a Goose-neck adapter on a standard 5th Wheel. Many have without issues, but I took vector Algebra in collage and understand too much about rotational forces.

This is about a 34' 5er with a GN adapter, not a lot of strength, and a lot of leverage already in the extended pin box! GVWR of the 5er likely 14,000#



This is the GN hitch on our 2 horse slant load trailer GVWR 10,000#. Do you notice a difference in inherent strength.

I have about the same tow vehicle setup that you have and I use the Andersen Ultimate hitch. I'm very satisfied with it. I tow a Big Horn 5ver and I'm sure that Heartland would not have allowed my dealer to use this hitch unless they approved of the Andersen Ultimate.

Dumboldles