Which Hitch? 5th Wheel or Goose Neck?

laknox wrote:

Dtank wrote:

BucknMindy wrote:
I have owned a couple of RV's, TT and Motorhomes. Just bought my first 5th Wheel. Not sure what kind of hitch. I was thinking a goose neck with an adapter so I still have my bed when not towing. Or am I better off just getting a 5th wheel hitch? All advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Check with the 5th mgr to see if use of a goose neck hitch is OK.
Some say No and "could" void a warranty!

Should be E-Z to verify via mfgr tech line.

THEN make your decision.

BTW - don't rely on what the dealer says.

~

YES! A lot of mfrs will void any warranty on their frames if you use a GN adapter.

Lyle

Correct, I just posted this on the Jayco Owners forum.



So I emailed Lippert Customer Service to put this issue to rest:

Me: Looking at purchasing a new Jayco 377RLBH and am wondering if the Andersen Ultimate hitch will void my Lippert chassis warranty.


Lippert: I would not state that this would void your warranty, however LCI does not advise the use of any extensions or adapters to be used on the king pin of our pin boxes. If this is used and causes any damage to your coach LCI will not be able to assist on the issue. Now on the other hand if you use the Reese Goose box with this Anderson hitch this would be acceptable as we have tested this Goose box hitch on our units and works well on our chassis.


Me: The Andersen Ultimate hitch does not extend the box at all, but it does use an adapter a few inches tall that converts the pin to a ball receiver.

Since the hitch point remains essentially at the same height as a 5th wheel, would there be any grounds for warranty denial should I experience frame damage using the Andersen Ultimate?


Lippert: Like I have stated. If you are using any adapters or extensions on the pin box and this causes any damage to the pin box or chassis LCI would not be able to assist on the repair.


So that seems to settle that. I guess I'm looking at the Reese Goose Box.

Dtank wrote:

BucknMindy wrote:
I have owned a couple of RV's, TT and Motorhomes. Just bought my first 5th Wheel. Not sure what kind of hitch. I was thinking a goose neck with an adapter so I still have my bed when not towing. Or am I better off just getting a 5th wheel hitch? All advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Check with the 5th mgr to see if use of a goose neck hitch is OK.
Some say No and "could" void a warranty!

Should be E-Z to verify via mfgr tech line.

THEN make your decision.

BTW - don't rely on what the dealer says.

~

YES! A lot of mfrs will void any warranty on their frames if you use a GN adapter.

Lyle

BucknMindy wrote:
I have owned a couple of RV's, TT and Motorhomes. Just bought my first 5th Wheel. Not sure what kind of hitch. I was thinking a goose neck with an adapter so I still have my bed when not towing. Or am I better off just getting a 5th wheel hitch? All advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

Check with the 5th mgr to see if use of a goose neck hitch is OK.
Some say No and "could" void a warranty!

Should be E-Z to verify via mfgr tech line.

THEN make your decision.

BTW - don't rely on what the dealer says.

~

Artum Snowbird wrote:
If you tell us what truck you have, engine, gears, tires and what the weight of your fifth wheel is it might help.

Out of curiosity, how would that help one choose between fifth wheel hitch and goose neck hitch?

BucknMindy wrote:
I have owned a couple of RV's, TT and Motorhomes. Just bought my first 5th Wheel. Not sure what kind of hitch. I was thinking a goose neck with an adapter so I still have my bed when not towing. Or am I better off just getting a 5th wheel hitch? All advice is greatly appreciated, thanks in advance.

I'll throw my thoughts in and that's the B&W Turnover Ball base and Companion FW hitch. Tough as nails, virtually impossible to high-hitch and a great company to stand behind their products. Hitch comes out and leave a clean bed, which was my first requirement when I was shopping. Since I also have a GN trailer, it was a total no-brainer, too. :B

Lyle

If you tell us what truck you have, engine, gears, tires and what the weight of your fifth wheel is it might help.

Why not look at the Anderson ultimate. Attaches to the TV via gooseball or rails and you can easily remove it, as it weighs around 40 lbs.