Gooseneck Adapter

[AaronColo]

My truck has a BW turnover ball in the bed now and I was wondering about converting a fifth wheel trailer to a gooseneck with the Anderson hitch adapter.

https://andersenhitches.com/Products/3139--ranch-hitch-adapter-with-8-offset.aspx

I have looked online and haven't read anything negative about them and it's rated for a 24k trailer and 6k pin weight. My trailer is a 24' 6500 lbs dry.

I primarily do dispersed camping and I have heard that a gooseneck is better for off-road and uneven surface travel than a fifth wheel as long as there is adequate bed clearance. I will have about 7-8".

[Clomok]

Do NOT I’ll repeat DO NOT use a ranch hand adapter, it will destroy your trailer. There’s a reason they void warranties. I personally had to deal with this on my own trailer. It puts too much rotational stress into the pin box and main cross-members. Not a matter of if but when it will fail.

I’d look into a b&w companion hitch that mounts to your current hitch or a actual gooseneck hitch like a “goose box”

[ramn4ver]

I installed one of these on my goose neck. Works great.
Pick up from e trailer.
Curt goose neck adapter.

[dayle1]

Originally Posted by AaronColo

I have heard that a gooseneck is better for off-road and uneven surface travel than a fifth wheel as long as there is adequate bed clearance. I will have about 7-8".

Not exactly correct. A ball mount allows greater side tilt and there are setups that can actually use the extra tilt. Mainly true GN trailers. Many fifth wheel hitches have side tilt capability, in the range of 8 degrees. They could be designed to provide greater side tilt, but instead are intentionally limited to reduce the risk of damaging the truck bed and trailer underside. So, if you have 7" clearance, then that is the real limitation regardless of setup type.



Also remember that both truck and trailer suspension can flex and this can be either beneficial or restrictive depending on the combination of side and forward terrain changes. Finally, consider that on a fifth wheel setup, the trailer king pin plate can also tilt on the hitch plate providing the final measure of tilt capability.


So consider, with limited clearance and a ball setup, the first point of contact will certainly be truck bed to trailer. With a fifth wheel hitch, side tilt limit will actually force the truck and trailer suspension to flex, maybe preventing vehicle damage.



To fully use maximum tilt capability of a ball setup, you need more clearance, like with a flatbed truck.

[NW Explorers]

I think you should give serious consideration to the goose neck ball-mounted version of the Andersen Ultimate 5th Wheel Connection.

I have towed 3 different heavy 5th wheels about 30,000 trouble-free miles, across our country and back, north to south over mountains, plains and everything in between on an Andersen Ultimate hitch. Our Ram dually and Mobile Suites 39DBRS3 weigh in at a tad over 30,000 lbs.

The Andersen is much easier to hitch and unhitch than a conventional hitch and you don't have to climb into the bed or strain to reach over the hips of your dually to do it. It is impossible to high hitch with the Andersen - that's thousands of damage to your truck and 5th wheel that you don't have to worry about. It is smooth and quiet under way - no clanging and banging on launch or stopping, no chucking or porpoising. I can install and remove the hitch by myself in a matter of minutes.

For whatever reason, maybe its unconventional concept, the Andersen seems to have attracted more than its share of detractors - many of whom, I would guess have never even seen one "live," let alone used one.

No product is right for every person or application. For my money the Andersen can't be beat.

Happy trails,

[W5CI]

I understand it is difficult to hook up if you are alone compared to the standard fifth wheel hitch

[Scoobert]

Originally Posted by danny285

I understand it is difficult to hook up if you are alone compared to the standard fifth wheel hitch

I think "difficult" might be a bit of an overstatement. I will give you its not as easy as a fifth wheel to hook up, but I wouldn't go all the way to difficult.

[NW Explorers]

Originally Posted by danny285

I understand it is difficult to hook up if you are alone compared to the standard fifth wheel hitch

On the contrary, I find the Andersen easy to hitch up single-handedly. A cargo camera in my truck helps and would also help with a conventional hitch.

[Curbe]

I’ve got an Andersen Hitch with a Gand Design 303. I love the hitch, easy to connect by myself on a Chevy 2500. No chucking and a great pull, but I did have to upgrade the pinbox to an air ride version . That’s all I’ve added, I love mine.

[JIMNLIN]

I have GN ....5th wheel and bumper pull trailers.
The GN has much more articulation than the others and much preferred when in a off road condition.

Not all trailer mfg recommend a GN adapter however some do and even offer them as a option. Typical around RV forums many that say don't use them have never used one.

The GN adapter is more popular around stock shows....rodeos..... equestrian events/construction folks pulling their RV's around.

[Searching_Ut]

You can count me as a Negative on the Andersen Ultimate, having owned one, had it destroy the pin box on my fiver, and having tried to deal with both Lippert and Andersen as a result.


I personally find the B&W I bought as a replacement for the Andersen to be much quicker and easier to connect. Just drop the tailgate, back up until the kingpin locks into place, insert lock pin. It works good even with truck and trailer at drastically different tilts from one another. With the Andersen, you have to worry about for and aft positioning as well as side to side while backing up. If the trailer and truck are at different angles, the ball ends up binding and dragging against the side of the pin adapter as it slides in, which sometimes makes it difficult to get all the way down and if the binding is against the portion of the adapter where the lock pin slides it will put a lip on the adapter that keeps the lock pin from sliding into position. You then have to raise the trailer and grind or sand off the lip.


The issue that damaged the pin box on my trailer is that the pin adapter puts all the pin weight onto two of the set screws that secure the adapter to the pin box. Especially when you're descending steep, often less than smooth mountain roads and have the trailer pushing hard on the truck that is in full engine braking mode, the 3800lbs of static pin weight on those two pins gets much heavier. It caused the base plate of my pin box to buckle inward. According to Andersen, not an issue it's just cosmetic but still useable with the Andersen adapter. Lippert says it was caused by the pin box being used in a way it's not designed for which I agree with, and the dealer gave up in trying to deal with Andersen after a couple weeks. Of course the mechanic said he wouldn't use it that way, but that they have to go with what the manufacture says and Andersen said no problem. I finally gave up due to time constraints and just put on an air ride fifth airborne pin box which is something I had been thinking of doing anyway. Of course I also replaced the Andersen with a B&W which is a much nicer, although heavier hitch.


All that said, although I really like the B&W and Fifth Airborne combination, I just replaced it with a Goose Box due to nose height issues I had. The pin box was adjusted as high as it would go and the hitch as low as it would go and I still had 10.5 inches of bed rail clearance and a trailer nose several inches to high. This resulted in my rear trailer axle running about 1500lbs heavier than the front which I wasn't happy with. I leave with the first real test of this setup in a in a couple days, but first impressions are that for towing it isn't quite as nice as the B&W and Airborne combination, but it's much nicer than the non suspension Andersen Hitch was. The way the ball locks into place riding almost on top of the ball the Goose Box shouldn't have the pin issues I had with the Andersen. It also doesn't move the weight of the trailer aft of the axle like the Andersen did, and you keep the same pin box length rather than ending up 4 inches shorter or longer than original. The factory length of my rig was about perfect so lengthening it cause bed rail contact, and shortening caused decreased turning radius. Without any real use of the Goose Box yet, I can't recommend it, but first impressions are that it's a great option if you already have a goose ball. Easy to remove the hitch ball when not in use, air bag/shock suspension, and all the articulation you could possibly want. Only time will tell if that articulation is a good thing or not.

[5001craig]

Our 5er came with a GN adapter. It was a very robust unit. Itwas OK with it originally as I only had a GN hitch in the bed and didn't have to buy anything at the time.



But as time went on, I was wanting a 5er hitch. So this year I purchased a new B&W 25K hitch. This thing is WAY easier to hitch-up and rides like a dream. Had a little getting used to the security as my mind wraps around a GN hitch better than jaws locking but I just check the jaws each time and am getting more comfortable with it.

[1960C182]

Originally Posted by danny285

I understand it is difficult to hook up if you are alone compared to the standard fifth wheel hitch

Old wives tale. I can see when almost there and with the funnel adapter it just aligns itself as lowering RV.

[Wild Card]

Originally Posted by Searching_Ut

You can count me as a Negative on the Andersen Ultimate, having owned one, had it destroy the pin box on my fiver, and having tried to deal with both Lippert and Andersen as a result.


I personally find the B&W I bought as a replacement for the Andersen to be much quicker and easier to connect. Just drop the tailgate, back up until the kingpin locks into place, insert lock pin. It works good even with truck and trailer at drastically different tilts from one another. With the Andersen, you have to worry about for and aft positioning as well as side to side while backing up. If the trailer and truck are at different angles, the ball ends up binding and dragging against the side of the pin adapter as it slides in, which sometimes makes it difficult to get all the way down and if the binding is against the portion of the adapter where the lock pin slides it will put a lip on the adapter that keeps the lock pin from sliding into position. You then have to raise the trailer and grind or sand off the lip.


The issue that damaged the pin box on my trailer is that the pin adapter puts all the pin weight onto two of the set screws that secure the adapter to the pin box. Especially when you're descending steep, often less than smooth mountain roads and have the trailer pushing hard on the truck that is in full engine braking mode, the 3800lbs of static pin weight on those two pins gets much heavier. It caused the base plate of my pin box to buckle inward. According to Andersen, not an issue it's just cosmetic but still useable with the Andersen adapter. Lippert says it was caused by the pin box being used in a way it's not designed for which I agree with, and the dealer gave up in trying to deal with Andersen after a couple weeks. Of course the mechanic said he wouldn't use it that way, but that they have to go with what the manufacture says and Andersen said no problem. I finally gave up due to time constraints and just put on an air ride fifth airborne pin box which is something I had been thinking of doing anyway. Of course I also replaced the Andersen with a B&W which is a much nicer, although heavier hitch.


All that said, although I really like the B&W and Fifth Airborne combination, I just replaced it with a Goose Box due to nose height issues I had. The pin box was adjusted as high as it would go and the hitch as low as it would go and I still had 10.5 inches of bed rail clearance and a trailer nose several inches to high. This resulted in my rear trailer axle running about 1500lbs heavier than the front which I wasn't happy with. I leave with the first real test of this setup in a in a couple days, but first impressions are that for towing it isn't quite as nice as the B&W and Airborne combination, but it's much nicer than the non suspension Andersen Hitch was. The way the ball locks into place riding almost on top of the ball the Goose Box shouldn't have the pin issues I had with the Andersen. It also doesn't move the weight of the trailer aft of the axle like the Andersen did, and you keep the same pin box length rather than ending up 4 inches shorter or longer than original. The factory length of my rig was about perfect so lengthening it cause bed rail contact, and shortening caused decreased turning radius. Without any real use of the Goose Box yet, I can't recommend it, but first impressions are that it's a great option if you already have a goose ball. Easy to remove the hitch ball when not in use, air bag/shock suspension, and all the articulation you could possibly want. Only time will tell if that articulation is a good thing or not.

Most likely the pin adapter came loose. The 4 set screws. Mine has.

Could probably toss out to lack of maint on your end.

My toyhauler has 3800# pin weight not a single blemish. 15000miles.