Goose Necks

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by Harrya

I installed the Reese Goosebox 20K last year on my 28.5 rsts. Love it. My truck had the BW gooseneck hitch in it. No big Fifth Wheel hitch in your bed . Takes a little getting used to when hooking up, as you need to be pretty much directly over the ball. I installed a bed camera to help see the ball.

get some reflective tape and tape the center of your gooseneck. Then place one of the telescoping trailer hitch balls and mark a spot on your bed to memorize the sweet spot. When i back into the hitch, i line up the ball with the reflective taped line, when i bump the telescoping ball, i'm dead on.. Every time..

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by Bayoutalker

Wow, you must be in some really tight terrain. I've set my 5er up with 10" of blocks under one side and had to remove the spare from under the front to get it level. I didn't have any trouble hooking or unhooking. I can't imagine going to a worse place than that. I couldn't walk on the ground.

We go to Crawley, Mead and Isabella quite often. My old hitch was a Demco Autoslide. Now if you park nosed in or nosed out from the lake, it wouldn't be a problem. Our groups park parallel to the lake where you have to drastically level one side of the coach. I typically dig a wheel drop trench about 10-12 inches on the high side of the coach to level it out. Way to much work to do the same for the truck tries, so i used blocks on the truck.. I learned the hard way and took advice from every single 5th wheel towers out there to switch over to a Gooseball and problem gone. What kind of hitch are you using.. The Demco has slightly over an inch side to side swivel tolerance, some have more but not much more.. it works for me, and i've never had to block level my truck to line up to my coach in these situations. No more truck loads of blocks.

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by kirkelli

We go to Crawley, Mead and Isabella quite often. My old hitch was a Demco Autoslide. Now if you park nosed in or nosed out from the lake, it wouldn't be a problem. Our groups park parallel to the lake where you have to drastically level one side of the coach. I typically dig a wheel drop trench about 10-12 inches on the high side of the coach to level it out. Way to much work to do the same for the truck tries, so i used blocks on the truck.. I learned the hard way and took advice from every single 5th wheel towers out there to switch over to a Gooseball and problem gone. What kind of hitch are you using.. The Demco has slightly over an inch side to side swivel tolerance, some have more but not much more.. it works for me, and i've never had to block level my truck to line up to my coach in these situations. No more truck loads of blocks.

I had a Reese 25k 5er hitch. Even pulling into steep drives at an angle it had plenty of lean to allow it to not hit the limits.

[ShotgunZ71]

Originally Posted by kirkelli

get some reflective tape and tape the center of your gooseneck. Then place one of the telescoping trailer hitch balls and mark a spot on your bed to memorize the sweet spot. When i back into the hitch, i line up the ball with the reflective taped line, when i bump the telescoping ball, i'm dead on.. Every time..

Once centered to rig, I back up until I can no longer see the "Reese 16K" in the camera with the bed cover folded up. Nine of 10 times, it's spot on. Like you said, get a reference point and use that each time. Tape, tennis balls. markings, etc. Once you know where it needs to be, it usually goes smoothly. Uneven ground can be a PIA regardless of hitch type or rig! LOL

[CA172]

Check with the manufacturer. I was planning on getting a fifth wheel from Jayco and asked if I could convert to a goose neck on the model I was set on and was told if I did, It would void my warranty.

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by CA172

Check with the manufacturer. I was planning on getting a fifth wheel from Jayco and asked if I could convert to a goose neck on the model I was set on and was told if I did, It would void my warranty.

There is a difference between a gooseneck conversion and the Reese Goose Box. A gooseneck conversion kit would not be approved but the Goose Box is. Maybe the question was not worded correctly or the person answering didn't know, who knows. My dealer was not familiar with the Goose Box when we bought our Pinnacle so he called Jayco. He was told no problem so I had them install one as part of our deal.

[ShotgunZ71]

Originally Posted by F350guy

There is a difference between a gooseneck conversion and the Reese Goose Box. A gooseneck conversion kit would not be approved but the Goose Box is. Maybe the question was not worded correctly or the person answering didn't know, who knows. My dealer was not familiar with the Goose Box when we bought our Pinnacle so he called Jayco. He was told no problem so I had them install one as part of our deal.

Mine was part of the deal as well. They asked me if I wanted the original hitch as well. Of course I kept it. If I ever trade or sell, the Goosebox stays with me to go on another rig.

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by ShotgunZ71

Mine was part of the deal as well. They asked me if I wanted the original hitch as well. Of course I kept it. If I ever trade or sell, the Goosebox stays with me to go on another rig.

Same here.

[Jeffur]

If the gooseneck & ball was that great - why hasn’t the entire trucking industry switched over to it? The flexibility in a fifth wheel hitch depends on the amount of money you want to spend and the manufacturer. Using a gooseneck negates the option for an air ride hitch. If you want your RV to last, to love you, get an air ride option.
Lastly the physics are all together different with a gooseneck and that hitch and this is why RV frame manufacturers stay away from them. But hey, that’s just my observation.

[F350guy]

Originally Posted by Jeffur

If the gooseneck & ball was that great - why hasn’t the entire trucking industry switched over to it? The flexibility in a fifth wheel hitch depends on the amount of money you want to spend and the manufacturer. Using a gooseneck negates the option for an air ride hitch. If you want your RV to last, to love you, get an air ride option.
Lastly the physics are all together different with a gooseneck and that hitch and this is why RV frame manufacturers stay away from them. But hey, that’s just my observation.

First, the Reese Goose Box has an inflatable air ride plus 2 shock absorbers. I had a Trailer Saver BD3 air ride hitch for our previous fifth wheel and the ride is just as good if not better. They were introduced by Reese in 2012 and the last time I checked I could only find one failure and that was due to a road hazard that caused other damage. Lippert is the largest manufacturer of frames, like it or not, and they approve it for use with their frames. Some will say that is because they have a financial interest in the Goose Box but if they were dealing with issues caused by it I doubt it would have their blessings.

Second, I'm no engineer but the physics are different. The Box is angled similar to a regular pin, not a 90 degree like a conversion kit. They are extremely well built, my 20K weighs 220 pounds if I remember correctly. My Trailer Saver weighed 165, again, if I remember correctly, and I could not remove it without having my son-in-law help me, at his convenience. Using a lift in my tight rv garage was not an option. I can easily remove my 5 or so pound ball.

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by Jeffur

If the gooseneck & ball was that great - why hasn’t the entire trucking industry switched over to it? The flexibility in a fifth wheel hitch depends on the amount of money you want to spend and the manufacturer. Using a gooseneck negates the option for an air ride hitch. If you want your RV to last, to love you, get an air ride option.
Lastly the physics are all together different with a gooseneck and that hitch and this is why RV frame manufacturers stay away from them. But hey, that’s just my observation.

Many reasons the trucking industry has not adapted to to Gooseball/Goseneck system.. The biggest reason would probably have something to do with safety. Think of the weight they haul vs. us RV Folks.. Then think of about the design changes in both trailers and in their trucks to come up with a Gooseball system sufficient to haul all that weight. That's like running backwards in a 50 MPH wind storm. They already have a system that works for them, why would they change??

Also, please do some more research on Goosneck hitches.. There are at least three manufactures i know of whom makes an air ride option. I own and use one of them, the Reese Gooseneck and its GREAT.

Lastly, the last time i checked, they only frame manufacture voiding their warranty for certain Gooseneck hitches is Lippert. I happen to own one fo the approved Gooseneck system they accept, the Reese Gooseneck. and its GREAT.

But Hey, just my observations.

[F350guy]

When I first started researching the Goose Box a couple of years ago what I found was putting the words goose and fifth wheel in the same sentence brought out a range of opinions. Opinions can be useful but they are just that, opinions. I narrowed my research on it to manufacturer specs, user reviews and You Tube videos.

[Roadpop]

Do any of you guys with the Goosebox have any issue with it hitting the side rails while backing into a site? I’ve got a Ford Standard Bed with Pullrite 2600 in the highest and rearmost position and I’ve damaged the bed cover rails due to the pin box hitting them. It was on level ground and was no where close to 90 degrees (very cautious of trailer to truck cab clearance). Kind of hard to tell if there is much difference in the clearance / angle of pin box from photos.
Thanks

[F350guy]

I'm not sure if makes a difference but my truck is a long bed and I've not had any issues with clearance on sharp turns or backing up. I have rails for my bed cover which set in about an inch and a half. I've watched and it gets close but I always try not to have to get it to 90 degrees.

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by F350guy

I'm not sure if makes a difference but my truck is a long bed and I've not had any issues with clearance on sharp turns or backing up. I have rails for my bed cover which set in about an inch and a half. I've watched and it gets close but I always try not to have to get it to 90 degrees.

knowing what your limits are will work every time.. My limits are about 88 degrees so i plan with that in mind.. Chatter on some Ram forums suggest next year Ram is suppose to incorporate their close proximity sensors into the rear cab sides to alert if you are getting close.. Now that would be neat.

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by Bayoutalker

I had a Reese 25k 5er hitch. Even pulling into steep drives at an angle it had plenty of lean to allow it to not hit the limits.

We met someone late last summer pulling in with a 33 ft 5th Wheel Toy hauler he was setting up next to us. He had a Mopar 25K 5th wheel hitch and ran into the same identical issues i did with my Demco. Getting unhitch was fairly easy for him, but then we watched him for awhile as he tried to re-hitch to leave.. We finally went over and showed him what he needed to do to get his truck somewhat level with the trailer so he can get her hitched.. Certainly a pain in the rear... I wonder who makes that Mopar Hitch.. anyone have a clue?????

[Bayoutalker]

Originally Posted by kirkelli

We met someone late last summer pulling in with a 33 ft 5th Wheel Toy hauler he was setting up next to us. He had a Mopar 25K 5th wheel hitch and ran into the same identical issues i did with my Demco. Getting unhitch was fairly easy for him, but then we watched him for awhile as he tried to re-hitch to leave.. We finally went over and showed him what he needed to do to get his truck somewhat level with the trailer so he can get her hitched.. Certainly a pain in the rear... I wonder who makes that Mopar Hitch.. anyone have a clue?????

I've camped on some pretty uneven ground but apparently I was lucky. I've never had any problems hooking up. Or maybe I'm just more capable than some others. How off level was he?

As for the Mopar hitch, I have no clue who makes it but I'm sure it's one of the big companies.

[mavrick0]

Originally Posted by Bayoutalker

I've camped on some pretty uneven ground but apparently I was lucky. I've never had any problems hooking up. Or maybe I'm just more capable than some others. How off level was he?

As for the Mopar hitch, I have no clue who makes it but I'm sure it's one of the big companies.

I'm pretty sure the Mopar is a Curt rebranded hitch.

In the end some 5th hitches will have more lean then other and as you said you may have been lucky with the one you have or your truck had more movement in the frame or suspension that allowed you to hook up. Every case is going to be a little different. But in the end my opinion on the Goose box is it is a better way to go and is the only reason I have a 5th wheel at all.

[CA172]

Originally Posted by F350guy

There is a difference between a gooseneck conversion and the Reese Goose Box. A gooseneck conversion kit would not be approved but the Goose Box is. Maybe the question was not worded correctly or the person answering didn't know, who knows. My dealer was not familiar with the Goose Box when we bought our Pinnacle so he called Jayco. He was told no problem so I had them install one as part of our deal.

@F350guy - I may have worded it wrong, but I did contact Jayco directly to inquire if I could use the Reese Goose Box you mentioned. The response I got from them is it would void the warranty. Maybe that has changed since I got my new trailer 2 years ago.

[kirkelli]

Originally Posted by CA172

@F350guy - I may have worded it wrong, but I did contact Jayco directly to inquire if I could use the Reese Goose Box you mentioned. The response I got from them is it would void the warranty. Maybe that has changed since I got my new trailer 2 years ago.

Make sure you read the attached memo 'Clearly', from Lippert the Giant