Fifth Wheel Gooseneck Adapter

[elipski]

I have read many posts on why not to use a fifth wheel gooseneck adapter, but not one from anyone who has experienced trouble first hand. If you have had trouble was your trailer and extended pin box and what adapter were you using? What trouble did you have?

[JimTJr]

Well I apoligize for chiming in,,(I have not used one) You are talking about the adapters for an RV 5er to the gooseneck ball? I guess the concern is the way the trailer is made. 5er trailers are made to have the weight spread out and stable on the trailer front. (The plate on the hitch holds the weight over a bigger area.) Maybe some are concerned with the way the connecting point on the gooseneck is farther away from the trailer and could have added stress? I am sure someone will chime in that has experience with it,, just wanted to help you keep this to the top of the thread too... along with my 1/2 cent worth of opinion!

[nacep]

Me too. For two years now I've been hearing horror stories about the gooseneck adaptors from people that don't use them. I pulled our 31 1/2 Hitchhiker over 6000 mi. in '05 with a Colibert adaptor. A friend of mine pulled a 30'+ Jayco 20,000 miles last year. Another friend from central texas pulled his 29 footer to Alaska twice with no problems. While we were shopping for our rig, the owner of a west Texas RV dealership admitted he couldn't stay in business,(as he pointed out the dozen or more GNs on his lot), if it wasn't for the adaptors. My adaptor was installed by the dealer in Mesa, AZ. It was centered correctly and welded on. (Welded on an extended pin box, another no-no to some.) My take on this is talk to the people on the street that are using the adaptors and not the arm chair engineers that have nothing to do but hang around the internet and give free advice on issues in which they have had no personal experience. That being said, MY personal experience and that of my friends above, has been satisfactory using properly installed adaptors on 5th wheel rigs up to 32 ft. or so.

[navistar45]

after 4 yrs of towing my trailer with an adapter,i have had zero probs.the worst part is getting hooked up,but when you learn the 'tricks' to the process,it becomes a simple process.all my trucks are goose neck ball equipped,and spend lots of time towing said trailers.i didnt want a fith wheel hitch in the way,nor one i had to swap out every time to tow different trailers.the travel trailer gets towed the least,so it was a logical choice to me.besides finding a truck mounted swapable fithwheel/gooseneck hitch with enough weight capacity was an issue also.if i were a full time rv'r, i would prefer a fithwheel hitch however.

[JimTJr]

I would just keep a close eye on the adaptor. Looking for any cracks or signs of stressing.

[nacep]

A couple more comments and then I'll move on: I have the Draw-tite Remove a Ball in the truck. It is 7500# pin wt. and 30,000# towing cap. The Colibert adaptor is rated 30,000# towing. I'm not anywhere near these limits when I tow. Not even half. The comments about checking for cracks and loose items are very important. A through check should always be done before heading out.
As a passing note, there is only one way to hook/unhook a gooseneck: Straight up and straight down with an air gap inbetween. I have witnessed numerous Rvers (with regular 5th whl. arrangements) hook up their trailers by banging into the kingpin/pinbox often at odd angles to insure the latch closes, and stressing the landing gear as it still carries the front weight of the rig. I suspect these actions can, over time, do the same damage some people fear the GN adaptors are capable of incurring on the trailer while towing. Some people even spend more $ for a bracket to keep the pin box from crashing down on the tailgate should the latch not engage and the truck is literally driven out from under the trailer [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif[/img] . With the GN system you are literally forced to slow down, get out, and look where you are or have a helper to line things up. Once the GN is on and pinned, it's on.
In any event, best of luck to you and happy RVing. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Mike_Costello]

I've been using a gooseneck adapter on my 31' 5th wheel for a couple of years now with no problems. One thing for sure, you're either hooked up or you're not--nothing in between. As far as hooking up, no big deal with a little practice. Armchair engineers--I read quite a lengthly post on the structural damages being done to 5th wheels by gooseneck adapters and have come to the conclusion that our highways should be littered with dead 5th wheels. But I'm having trouble finding any along side the road! However, I HAVE read some scary stories concerning 5th wheel hitches coming unlocked or lock pins breaking outright. Thank goodness for those bed protector things that grab the 5th wheel by its pin before it gets away. A loose 5th wheel can sure ruin your vacation, not to mention giving your insurance agent a bad case of indigestion. To each his own--I'll stick with the goose.

[massidc]

Cert, One of the bigger concerns is what the manufacturer of the fifth wheel will allow under warranty if this is an issue. Most problems arise in the steel framing of the 5th wheel near the pin. A gooseneck hitch imparts harsher stress loads than a 5th wheel design. That is why the goose neck frames are heavier. The stress/yield will generally occur under the skin and not be visable.
I have seen some used and worked fine. I have seen a couple used and had frame failures. I have also seen frames failures on regular fifth wheel trailers.
This is a laymans answer to your question not a scientific disertation. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shrug.gif[/img]

[Bob C.]

I work for an RV dealer & we will not install or fool with those adapters. We had a failure on a customer’s trailer (the pin box tore off the frame) & the threat of a lawsuit was enough.
When a trailer frame is designed & built specific loads are calculated & the frame is built to handle them.
When you add additional leverage to the end of that pin box you will most likely exceed the strength of the pin box / attaching frame work & experience a failure.
When will that happen? Who knows… depends on how much of a safety factor the engineer figured when he designed the frame, how good of a day the welder was having when your frame was built.
Dont forget, if you install one of those adapters, your trailer frame warranty is gone along with any "liability" help you might have gotten from the manufacturer in the case of an accident related failure.

[JimTJr]

These above two posts are exactly what I was trying to relate in my post above,, they were NOT DESIGNED for this type hitch,, (Why they dont have that kind? I dont know,, cheaper I bet,,,) But the stress points will be exagerated, and in different places with the contact point 2ft or more lower from the plate on the trailer.

[Fishhook]

Is this adapter for adapting a fifth wheeel to a goose neck ball or vice versa??

I wouldnt adapt a fifth wheeel to a goose neck as the added length of the hitch will put strains on the hitch box that it wasn't designed for.

I might go the other way as it would tilt up the goose neck for lowering the tail for easier loading and unloading in unusual circumstances.

[JimTJr]

He is adapting a 5r to the gooseneck,,on an RV.

[nacep]

uhhhh.....Where do you get "contact point 2 ft or more lower from the plate on the trailer" [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img] I just measured mine and the working distance is 12 1/2" from the plate to the top of the ball. We are heading out tomorrow and I had the rig (described in my posts above) at the house hooked up and ready to go. If a 12 1/2" extension has the potential to rip the front off a 5th wheel RV , I'd Run like H. from any trailer mfg. who spec'd his design parameters on the low side not to allow for a fudge factor that, lends itself, right or wrong to some, the used of properly sized and installed GN adaptors .... Now that's Cheap with a capital C. Man, where is the common sense in all this?????? : Do a Google on Gooseneck Adaptors and look around...These guys would not be making payroll by tearing up well designed 5th Whl. frames and spending time in court........

[JimTJr]

Ok,, I was guessing because I have never seen one of them installed. BUT if you take the actual numbers and I AM NOT an engineer,,,think of the multiple of torque that you would have on a 15k lbs trailer with the anchor point even 12" lower than designed. ALSO as mentioned above,,the "Plate" on a 5er is a totaly different design than a Gooseneck,, two totaly different animals. I would LOVE to know what the adapter companys say about their liabilities on those things,,,if one were to fail. I BET they would immediately blame it on the "USER"...or improper installation.
JUST A WAG!!!!

I am NOT saying I HATE them,, but it would raise some serious questions in my mind,,before I used one.
I mean ,,if you have the B&W turnover ball,, then the 5er plate insert is not that much money,,and I BET they pull better off the plate anyway,,since that is what they were designed for to begin with.

[oldmikegraham]

I pulled a GN adapted 5W without giving it a thought, fairly heavy, 12.7k empty. Can anybody post pictures of a GN adapter failure they were involved in?