I recently got a killer deal on an F250 to pull the 5er that I'm buying soon but I've run into a snag and could use some advice. The truck has a gooseneck hitch in the bed. Not a Companion turnover ball; rather, a little plate that the hitch ball rotates down into. It looks a lot like this:Am I correct that this will prevent the use of a Companion 5th wheel hitch because it's not a Companion turnover ball? Or will that hitch work with any gooseneck ball?If not, are there any other gooseneck-ball-to-5th-wheel hitches? For many reasons, I'd like to avoid hooking the RV itself up to the gooseneck ball with an adapter on the kingpin. Am I going to be stuck removing the gooseneck hitch and its frame mount so I can install conventional 5th wheel rails?Thanks for your advice.

I would bite the bullet, pull the goose neck hitch and install a proper hitch once you patch the gaping hole left when you pull it out.

Nope. The companion doesn't actually hook to the ball: it fits into a square hole in the box. Their ball is on a square pole. When removed and "turned over" and reinstalled, it leaves the box flat.

So that leads to the complication that the gooseneck frame mount has been welded to the frame. Thankfully, they're just spot welds, only four of them and they're very small. I guess it's time to bust out the angle grinder and the kroil...

Why not go to a Anderson ultimate hitch that fits right onto the ball, pretty slick and light weight.

alboy wrote:Why not go to a Anderson ultimate hitch that fits right onto the ball, pretty slick and light weight.What's the consensus on that? Would it be safe enough?

5th wheel hitch that attaches to gooseneck ball?

avvidclif1
Explorer
Dec 27, 2013
Dayle1 wrote:
If you decide on a straight fifth wheel setup, then get the custom, no drill frame brackets for your specific truck.

Un-huh. I bought the custom No Drill brackets for my truck and the second or third line of the installation instruction said to drill a hole???? The front brackets bolted on but the rear brackets required drilling holes. Go figure.
mowermech
Explorer
Dec 27, 2013
OffTheRoadAgain wrote:
I recently got a killer deal on an F250 to pull the 5er that I'm buying soon but I've run into a snag and could use some advice. The truck has a gooseneck hitch in the bed. Not a Companion turnover ball; rather, a little plate that the hitch ball rotates down into. It looks a lot like this:

Am I correct that this will prevent the use of a Companion 5th wheel hitch because it's not a Companion turnover ball? Or will that hitch work with any gooseneck ball?

If not, are there any other gooseneck-ball-to-5th-wheel hitches? For many reasons, I'd like to avoid hooking the RV itself up to the gooseneck ball with an adapter on the kingpin. Am I going to be stuck removing the gooseneck hitch and its frame mount so I can install conventional 5th wheel rails?

Thanks for your advice.

When I got my old Dodge 3500 dually, there was a hitch quite similar to that one already installed in the bottom of the box. I installed a Husky 15K fifth wheel hitch right over top of it, no trouble at all. I could pull four pins and remove the fifth wheel hitch, and the gooseneck ball was readily available for use. The rails for the fifth wheel hitch did not interfere with using a gooseneck trailer. I even built a 1 1/2 inch spacer to fit over the rails and hauled a huge truck camper on there!
If I really HAD to have a flat floor, it took about 10 minutes to remove the four bolts that held the rails in.
Dayle1
Explorer II
Dec 26, 2013
Greyhound Gaggle wrote:
Hi All:
We are considering purchasing a 2011 Heartland Landmark Augusta with only 2000 miles on it.
Would like some feedback as to hitches. We are moving from a TT to a 5th wheel.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to the Anderson Ultimate versus the Reese for this 5th wheel?

Any comments on the August would also be appreciated.

Donna in NC

If you don't need or already have a GN mount, then get a conventional fifth wheel hitch. During hook-up, misalignment tolerance with a king pin is much better than any ball connection.
Dayle1
Explorer II
Dec 26, 2013
OffTheRoadAgain wrote:
alboy wrote:
Why not go to a Anderson ultimate hitch that fits right onto the ball, pretty slick and light weight.

What's the consensus on that? Would it be safe enough?

The Anderson Ultimate is a good choice for your situation, but if the existing GN frame mount is only tack welded and no frame bolts, you should beef up that mount before towing. The height of the Ultimate hitch will put a greater lever on the ball mount than the normal ball and could easily lead to weld failure.

Or, you can add fifth wheel rails in front and back of the GN ball and use any fifth wheel hitch you wish. Although getting the additional frame brackets installed might be challenging. Or, grind off those welds and remove the GN ball mount entirely. If you decide on a straight fifth wheel setup, then get the custom, no drill frame brackets for your specific truck.
Greyhound_Gaggl
Explorer
Dec 26, 2013
Hi All:
We are considering purchasing a 2011 Heartland Landmark Augusta with only 2000 miles on it.
Would like some feedback as to hitches. We are moving from a TT to a 5th wheel.
Does anyone have any suggestions as to the Anderson Ultimate versus the Reese for this 5th wheel?

Any comments on the August would also be appreciated.

Donna in NC
Charlie_D_
Explorer
May 17, 2013
As NC Hauler said, speak to your RV manufacturer before using it. If you can get it in writing, that would be the best but even that may not help. Even in writing, it is only as good as the length of the 5er warranty. Even if Lippert approved it doesn't mean your RV builder would.

Call me anything you want but I would never use a GN hitch on a 5er. I have seen a few in campgrounds and the RV appears to be O.K. I have also seen a few with gaps between the cap and side walls. One campground I was in had a beautiful Heartland Landmark with gaps between the cap and walls that you could stick your fingers in to.
wedge542
Explorer
May 16, 2013
that one in your pict is rated for 30000,if installed right with frame brackets that one is fine for a gn setup, after reading your orig starting post i see now you got a reg 5th wheel =kingpin=type camper but a gn ball in your truck, you better call manf before useing any adapters at all. edited after rereading op first post again.
Endricken
Explorer
May 15, 2013
I had the same situation with a nice rotating ball in my truck bed
Look up the STAR Performance Kingpin Adapter (Gooseneck adapter).
Have towed my 13K Fiver since late 07 successfully with it. It includes a glider motion that attenuates most likely encountered stresses and eliminates chucking except under the roughest conditions (slow down to stop it).
Very rarely have we been in a Campground without at least one other fiver with a lesser sophisticated gooseneck adapter.
Keeps the truck bed free, never have to worry about dropping the trailer, gentler raising and lowering hookups, but is slower contingent on the speed of your jacks.
NC_Hauler
Explorer
May 14, 2013
spindrift wrote:
NC Hauler...I thought by reference I was making my original post clear...apparently not. I was specifically addressing what Me Again had written about Band Aids, and also implying that your trailer couldn't be towed if broken down. I'm quite sure he doesn't have an Andersen nor does he know anyone that does. I could be wrong, however.

Me Again wrote:
BAND AIDS come to mind here a lot! If you are going to tow a 5th wheel trailer, do it on a good 4 way tilt 5th wheel hitch. That way if you break down your trailer can easily be moved by a friend or a trip to a near by RV park/camp ground and ask someone for help getting your rig off the highway.

Chris

OK, no big deal, wasn't trying to start anything one way or the other, my only suggestion to any of this is to call the manufacturer of the 5er first and ask about towing their 5er with a GN, if they say, "not a problem", have at it...if they say they don't recommend it, "I" personally wouldn't do it.. nothing more implied
spindrift
Explorer
May 14, 2013
NC Hauler...I thought by reference I was making my original post clear...apparently not. I was specifically addressing what Me Again had written about Band Aids, and also implying that your trailer couldn't be towed if broken down. I'm quite sure he doesn't have an Andersen nor does he know anyone that does. I could be wrong, however.

Me Again wrote:
BAND AIDS come to mind here a lot! If you are going to tow a 5th wheel trailer, do it on a good 4 way tilt 5th wheel hitch. That way if you break down your trailer can easily be moved by a friend or a trip to a near by RV park/camp ground and ask someone for help getting your rig off the highway.

Chris