New to me fifth wheel and hitch solution
Hi All New to the Fifth Wheel Forum. Previously owned truck campers. My wife and I were gifted a 2003 Fleetwood Pride 31-5G fifth wheel from her mother. It has been stored inside and unused sinc...
Forum Discussion
I appreciate all the comments. Thanks!
The frame may/may not be made for this hitch. It is not actually designed and manufactured by Fleetwood. These campers were designed and manufactured by Pride Coach Company (or something like that) in Louisiana I believe. Marketed by Fleetwood for 5 or 6 years. Don't know if that is good or bad. It was sold with a 2" receiver hitch on the rear.
I did call Fleetwood and talked to their technical support. They referred me to dealer in Michigan to whom they refer all the fifth wheel questions they receive. The dealer technical support person told me they could not officially approve the gooseneck conversion, but they were aware that this modification was common. They did not expect it to be problematic, but said to watch the hitch for any out of plumb after towing.
Anecdotal: The certified welder that attached the gooseneck tube to the pin box has done this for 6-7 other campers with no issues to date. Four of the employees at Eby (the flatbed people) have campers with this conversion with no issues to date.
I guess if it breaks in half I get to keep both pieces!?!
For me it seemed the only workable solution.
The frame may/may not be made for this hitch. It is not actually designed and manufactured by Fleetwood. These campers were designed and manufactured by Pride Coach Company (or something like that) in Louisiana I believe. Marketed by Fleetwood for 5 or 6 years. Don't know if that is good or bad. It was sold with a 2" receiver hitch on the rear.
I did call Fleetwood and talked to their technical support. They referred me to dealer in Michigan to whom they refer all the fifth wheel questions they receive. The dealer technical support person told me they could not officially approve the gooseneck conversion, but they were aware that this modification was common. They did not expect it to be problematic, but said to watch the hitch for any out of plumb after towing.
Anecdotal: The certified welder that attached the gooseneck tube to the pin box has done this for 6-7 other campers with no issues to date. Four of the employees at Eby (the flatbed people) have campers with this conversion with no issues to date.
I guess if it breaks in half I get to keep both pieces!?!
For me it seemed the only workable solution.
