Goose neck vs traditional hitch

[consolenut]

Clearence issues are real. I have issues with my newmar.kountry aire being pulled by my 4500 kodiak chevrolet. Its better with the kodiak over my 3500 that i had. Granted 4k of pin weight is probably on the low side of actual pin weight. And many with the lighter trailers will never run into this issue. Be glad you wont run into it. Its an expensive issue to deal with

[Whitewolf]

Sorry Norman for the late reply. I don't have a pic (units in storage for the winter). If you haven't looked at the videos yet, the stock pin box is unbolted and the Goosebox is bolted in its place. The Goosebox is very heave and will require help installing. When the dealer installed ours, they didn't have the clearance set correct (it was set where they always it). Well,that was too low and some damage was done to the underside of the overhang as well minor damage to my tannou cover rails. The dealer said they were not responsible until I showed them where in the instructions, Reese calls for a 7" to 8" clearance. Bottom line, whatever you install, clearance, clearance, clearance. BTW, ours cost $1000.

[Quad]

I have about 5"-6" of clearance using the Goosebox on the lowest bolt holes on the Pin box. My truck is leveled also.

[Whitewolf]

The dealer lowered the Goosebox one set of holes and it made all the difference in the world. BTW, do you have to run safety chains in your state?

[Quad]

I've never checked local laws to know if I actually needed them. But I did install a set of coiled cables I bought from Amazon just to not have to worry in case I did. They keep it nice and clean looking and don't make any noise while traveling. I really like them.

[SkiSmuggs]

I saw this on another forum:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?featur...&v=V5Q96agMFbg
The description in the video says the following
"2008 Dutchmen Denali fifth wheel trailer flip-over accident at Hwy 436 & Hwy 434 in Altamonte Springs, FL. The trailer leaned over in a left hand turn at an intersection, and the locking mechanism on the gooseneck adapter sheared off the rear of the ball. A deeper locking mechanism or a fifth wheel hitch would have prevented the flipover, as the lean would have been corrected by the truck's weight."

[normanmcgill]

I see tons of 5ers here in Florida and I've never seen one with chains. In the case of the flip-over I'd say the driver took the turn too fast. However perhaps some restraining device could have prevented the trailer from going all the way over even though the weight of the trailer far exceeds the weight of the truck. Then again if the speed was too great the trailer would just take the truck with it and flip the whole rig. Go slow out there and be safe.

[MnTom]

Fifth wheel hitches do not require safety chains. Since a gooseneck hitch is a ball type hitch they would require safety chains.

[Whitewolf]

MnTom- I found this. Quite interesting. Most but not all states require chains.
Trailer Hitch/Signals | AAA/CAA Digest of Motor Laws

Quad- Really like the looks of the coiled cable. Gotta get me some. I made some alterations to my setup. Don't know if they'd work for you or not. I spliced in about 12" of cable in the unlocking mechanism cable. Then added a small I-bolt to the Goosebox at the back. I can now unhook without climbing in the bed. I also moved the safety switch towards the back and added a key ring to the switch. Then looped in a clasp to the cable. Again, I can hook and unhook without climbing in the bed. When I say back, I mean towards the back but on the side. The last thing I did was reverse the safety chains. I hook them up at the back. You know why.

[dayle1]

Originally Posted by Whitewolf

MnTom- I found this. Quite interesting. Most but not all states require chains.
Trailer Hitch/Signals | AAA/CAA Digest of Motor Laws

Whitewolf,
While I agree with what is stated regarding safety chains and it certainly creates confusion or misunderstanding, the reality is that an RV fifth wheel hitch is identical to those used by every semi. And none of those require safety chains. If you look at any trailer factory equipped with a king pin, there is no provision for attaching safety chains. And no fifth wheel hitch is sold with chain attachment points either.

This is just my opinion, but I believe there is a real technical reason for the difference in requirements. There is only one size of king pin and every hitch is therefore compatible with every king pin. However there are multiple ball sizes and the lock on a larger hitch will not provide a secure connection with a smaller ball, plus there is no visible evidence of the mismatch. Hence, safety chains.

[Quad]

Those are some good ideas whitewolf. I'll have to look at adding some cable to my latch. I added a pressure gauge to my bag so I didn't have to use a tire gauge or break out the tire inflation gauge every time I wanted to check pressure. It works well.

[Quad]

As far as safety chains go, Reese has met the standard requirements for test CSA and SAE J2638. So no safety chain is required at all. But in any case, even if you have a copy of this in your hand while talking with a Officer that has pulled you over for this. It's gonna be a hard one to explain to get them to understand. Do you want your vacation or plans stopped because of a misinformed local municipality or just throw some $30 chains or cables on and head down the road and never be stopped???? So many different state and local laws it's hard to keep up with them and even know them. It's just easier to add them and keep trucking.

[Whitewolf]

I like the idea of the gauge. Something else to add in the spring.
The reason I added the chains (soon to be cables) (soon? Soon is May!) is for the very reason you explained. I figure that IF and that's a big IF, something comes apart, I'm gonna have a lot of problems, chains or no.
Totally unrelated to this conversation (but kinda not really), I know a fellow who was ticked for not having his safety chains crossed.

[Whitewolf]

I'd post picks of what I did but our unit is in storage behind 18" of snow.