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Get a grain of salt ready to take with the following:
You describe your friend's mobile home like it's an anvil on wheels, it sounds so heavy. I factor my 350 to weigh about 8,000 pounds loaded with stuff, leaving about 12,000 pounds towing max. Many tow more, but I don't recommend it for many reasons - and a lot of it is safety/liability related.
Gooseneck for sure for lots of reasons, I have one. I also have the gooseneck-to-5th wheel adaptor that fits in and can be removed from the bed without tools. I haven't used the adaptor yet, so I can't regale you with a bunch of adaptor adventures - just know that sumbich will crush your hand if you lose balance while storing it.
Never-ever-ever use a 5th wheel-to-gooseneck adaptor. This device pivots on the gooseneck, instead of being "embedded" atop the gooseneck ball. That design introduces stress on the 5th wheel trailer that it was not engineered to withstand, and warrantees are voided through the use of them.
[QUOTE=Tugly;20286364]
Never-ever-ever use a 5th wheel-to-gooseneck adaptor. This device pivots on the gooseneck, instead of being "embedded" atop the gooseneck ball. That design introduces stress on the 5th wheel trailer that it was not engineered to withstand, and warrantees are voided through the use of them.
I've thought the same thing. The stress on the now extended adaptor, can not be good on where it connects to...i familiarize it with offset wheels/wheel adaptors....the original studs are taking on a very different type of load
Never-ever-ever use a 5th wheel-to-gooseneck adaptor. This device pivots on the gooseneck, instead of being "embedded" atop the gooseneck ball. That design introduces stress on the 5th wheel trailer that it was not engineered to withstand, and warrantees are voided through the use of them.
I've thought the same thing. The stress on the now extended adaptor, can not be good on where it connects to...i familiarize it with offset wheels/wheel adaptors....the original studs are taking on a very different type of load
I ran a goose-5th adapter for about 10k miles towing a 13k 5th and had zero issues with the setup. Worked quite well actually.
I'm not sure why you're having such an issue getting answers to this question. Those are not factory, they were added in after the fact. Obviously somebody that previously owned the truck wanted to keep the rails and just cut them off before selling it. Makes sense to me. I pulled the gooseneck hitch out of my truck before selling it so that I could use it in the next truck. You have a layout for the Reese fifth wheel rails. Google image search that and you will see that it is just two rails that are bolted through the bed either into the frame or that mounting setup you have under the bed. Separately you buy either the 5th wheel hitch that mounts on those rails or the gooseneck ball that mounts on those rails. They come off so in regular day to day life you just have two rails in your box. it really is a pretty good setup.
Get a grain of salt ready to take with the following:
You describe your friend's mobile home like it's an anvil on wheels, it sounds so heavy. I factor my 350 to weigh about 8,000 pounds loaded with stuff, leaving about 12,000 pounds towing max. Many tow more, but I don't recommend it for many reasons - and a lot of it is safety/liability related.
I do not recall saying it was super heavy. I'm sure it is somewhat heavy but, we have mobile home parks around me a lot and most of the people in there are pulling it with 3/4 tons. I'm sure if I went and looked I'd see a ton of trucks just like ours. Of course, I am not stupid and would not pull something the truck could not handle. But unfortunately, I do not own the mobile home yet so I cannot wait in at a scale. Of course the next problem is finding a scale near me. I will have to go off of what is written on the tongue of the trailer, assuming that it shows the gross weight of the trailer. I will just have to see when the time comes.
Gooseneck for sure for lots of reasons, I have one. I also have the gooseneck-to-5th wheel adaptor that fits in and can be removed from the bed without tools. I haven't used the adaptor yet, so I can't regale you with a bunch of adaptor adventures - just know that sumbich will crush your hand if you lose balance while storing it.
Never-ever-ever use a 5th wheel-to-gooseneck adaptor. This device pivots on the gooseneck, instead of being "embedded" atop the gooseneck ball. That design introduces stress on the 5th wheel trailer that it was not engineered to withstand, and warrantees are voided through the use of them.
Personally, I don't like the idea of the adapter. I was thinking it was going to be a small thing. I did not know that it was going to be 2 ft tall. Or however tall it is. That seems like it would lift the trailer up higher than intended and, make everything different. As you said change everything and put stress on the trailer that it is not recommended for. I will worry about that later right now I just need you to decide if I'm going to get a fifth wheel or a gooseneck or, preferably rails that can do both. I'm hoping to turn this thing into a travel trailer for my trip to Georgia in the future and who knows, I might decide to travel other places. But of course that comes down to how heavy it is.
Gooseneck for sure for lots of reasons, I have one. I also have the gooseneck-to-5th wheel adaptor that fits in and can be removed from the bed without tools. I haven't used the adaptor yet, so I can't regale you with a bunch of adaptor adventures - just know that sumbich will crush your hand if you lose balance while storing it.
Never-ever-ever use a 5th wheel-to-gooseneck adaptor. This device pivots on the gooseneck, instead of being "embedded" atop the gooseneck ball. That design introduces stress on the 5th wheel trailer that it was not engineered to withstand, and warrantees are voided through the use of them.
I’m sorry Tugly. You lost me in the middle. I think you are saying a gooseneck to fifth wheel adapter is ok but a fifth wheel to gooseneck is not. Can you clarify please?
I ask because my truck came with the BW gooseneck hide a hitch from the PO but I’ve never used it. I’ve always considered getting a fifth wheel adapter in the future if I would ever have a need for one down the road.
On that subject, a friend of mine took one look at the new to me truck’s hitch and said “hand me that ball”. He then proceeded to put it inside my truck toolbox. He told me they can rust into place if not used often so don’t store it flipped inside the hitch unless using regularly. I’d say he had a point since it hasn’t been back in the hitch in the last 10 years…
Edit: I think I figured this out after using Brokestroke’s link. He shows an adapter designed to go onto the fifth wheel trailer itself (I assume in place of the other hitch style) and hook to the ball like a normal gooseneck. I can see how this could cause incorrect stresses. I’m glad it worked well for Brokestroke though.
Tristan,
I think Tugly (and myself) get the impression of it being very heavy partially due to your description as a mobile home. I would typically say “camper” for something designed to be pulled by a truck (that’s just me, I have no knowledge in camping). To me a “mobile home” is something designed to be moved by a professional and lived in at one location until professionally moved again.
They actually have some pretty fancy 5th wheel to gooseneck setups now...the air-ride Reese Goosebox which basically replaces the whole pin-box assembly, so this only works if it's your own trailer and you're allowed to make a modification like that. For me, I use my truck as a dedicated tow vehicle pulling a variety of different 5th wheels, none of which I own, so I have no choice but to have a 5th wheel hitch, but there are some advantages to not having one and doing a gooseneck adapter. Keeps the truck bed much more usable when unhooked. Of course the 5th wheel hitch can be removed also but they are heavy and awkward to move around compared to a gooseneck ball.
I'm not sure why you're having such an issue getting answers to this question. Those are not factory, they were added in after the fact. Obviously somebody that previously owned the truck wanted to keep the rails and just cut them off before selling it. Makes sense to me. I pulled the gooseneck hitch out of my truck before selling it so that I could use it in the next truck. You have a layout for the Reese fifth wheel rails. Google image search that and you will see that it is just two rails that are bolted through the bed either into the frame or that mounting setup you have under the bed. Separately you buy either the 5th wheel hitch that mounts on those rails or the gooseneck ball that mounts on those rails. They come off so in regular day to day life you just have two rails in your box. it really is a pretty good setup.
It all seems to spiral out of hand! While I do believe you, I am having trouble finding a Reese rail bracket that looks like mine. There are some similar but none that look just like mine. They're all a little bit of a different shape. I would think it wouldn't matter too much. Once I put the rails on there I should be able to mount most fifth wheels. From the looks of it most of the brackets are about the same length. It seems that most of them would be very close. Although I could be completely wrong about that. Anywho, I could not find any Reese brackets that look like mine on google. Were you able to? Just for shape comparison. Thanks
It all seems to spiral out of hand! While I do believe you, I am having trouble finding a Reese rail bracket that looks like mine. There are some similar but none that look just like mine. They're all a little bit of a different shape. I would think it wouldn't matter too much. Once I put the rails on there I should be able to mount most fifth wheels. From the looks of it most of the brackets are about the same length. It seems that most of them would be very close. Although I could be completely wrong about that. Anywho, I could not find any Reese brackets that look like mine on google. Were you able to? Just for shape comparison. Thanks
Measure the distance between the bracket holes in a square. Regular Curt rails might bolt right up to the brackets with no modifications. The bracket locations are pretty consistent because they have to fit around the square bed rails.
It all seems to spiral out of hand! While I do believe you, I am having trouble finding a Reese rail bracket that looks like mine. There are some similar but none that look just like mine. They're all a little bit of a different shape. I would think it wouldn't matter too much. Once I put the rails on there I should be able to mount most fifth wheels. From the looks of it most of the brackets are about the same length. It seems that most of them would be very close. Although I could be completely wrong about that. Anywho, I could not find any Reese brackets that look like mine on google. Were you able to? Just for shape comparison. Thanks
Sorry. I think I am the one that precipitated the whole gooseneck/5th wheel kerfuffle. I have no good info on what 5th wheel rails match the holes in your bed.
Measure the distance between the bracket holes in a square. Regular Curt rails might bolt right up to the brackets with no modifications. The bracket locations are pretty consistent because they have to fit around the square bed rails.
35 inches apart from side to side in 22 inches front to back.
That's what I figured about the rails having to sit around the same area.
Sorry. I think I am the one that precipitated the whole gooseneck/5th wheel kerfuffle. I have no good info on what 5th wheel rails match the holes in your bed.
Not your fault in the slightest. We are all just trying to figure this out!
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