Back in the market for a 5th wheel

[81Sprint]

Well after having many travel trailers, couple 5th wheels and living in one for a year we were burned out and sold everything. Planned to leave Vegas when the remote work thing was happening during Covid but that never panned out. We have been looking at cabins up in the Duck Creek and Panguitch area but kinda hard to swing 2 house payments, so me and the wife decided to start looking at RV's again. We still like to travel and see places and have been doing AirBNB but with 2 dogs it is getting kinda of a PITA. 1st problem, my truck. I had a 23 Silverado 1500 baby Dmax, while it was a really nice truck, just couldn't tow very much, soo found a new '24 Ram Cummins with heavy manufacturer rebate to fit the bill. And it matches my Daytona so even better

I will be putting in a B&W turnover gooseneck cause I really don't like the puck systems. Has anyone converted their 5th wheels to the Goosebox system? I like the idea of keeping the bed clear and not a giant hitch to deal with being as I went with a short bed.

 

[81Sprint]

This is the trailer so far we are looking at- 2025 Cardinal 35FL front living room.

 

[propcheck]

One of our friends has a 5th wheel trailer and swears by the reese goose box says he will never have anything else, less of the “chucking” and other tow issues he had with the Anderson set up and loves having the bed open.

 

[25Elmn8r]

The goosebox is worth every penny! It smooths out the ride and having the whole bed available without dealing with the big heavy hitch is awesome.

 

[Icky]

Is that a short bed? You may need the offset ball to make tight turns

 

[DoughBallin14]

Well after having many travel trailers, couple 5th wheels and living in one for a year we were burned out and sold everything. Planned to leave Vegas when the remote work thing was happening during Covid but that never panned out. We have been looking at cabins up in the Duck Creek and Panguitch area but kinda hard to swing 2 house payments, so me and the wife decided to start looking at RV's again. We still like to travel and see places and have been doing AirBNB but with 2 dogs it is getting kinda of a PITA. 1st problem, my truck. I had a 23 Silverado 1500 baby Dmax, while it was a really nice truck, just couldn't tow very much, soo found a new '24 Ram Cummins with heavy manufacturer rebate to fit the bill. And it matches my Daytona so even better

View attachment 1480172

I will be putting in a B&W turnover gooseneck cause I really don't like the puck systems. Has anyone converted their 5th wheels to the Goosebox system? I like the idea of keeping the bed clear and not a giant hitch to deal with being as I went with a short bed.

Nice looking tow rig!!

Any reasons for the factory puck system hate?
I have had both and can’t think of a reason to prefer either one. Currently factory gm puck system with gen y offset ball.
They are almost the identical system? Square hitch hole vs round hitch hole.

As for gooseneck i am a Gen Y hitch person and my new trailer will have one on it also heard good things about the reese like mentioned above

 

[81Sprint]

Nice looking tow rig!!

Any reasons for the factory puck system hate?
I have had both and can’t think of a reason to prefer either one. Currently factory gm puck system with gen y offset ball.
They are almost the identical system? Square hitch hole vs round hitch hole.

As for gooseneck i am a Gen Y hitch person and my new trailer will have one on it also heard good things about the reese like mentioned above

Not really any hate for the puck systems, they have a purpose if you are using a standard style 5th wheel hitch, but if you use a B&W style gooseneck system the safety chains hookups are right near the ball. I don't like the spread out holes in the bed with covers that can be lost. But I haven't had one so I may be overthinking it.

 

[81Sprint]

Is that a short bed? You may need the offset ball to make tight turns

Possibly, will have to cross that bridge. Modern fifth wheels have better angles and not the flat faced ones of the past so gives better turning radius. I've had shortbed trucks with 5th wheels and bought the slider hitch cause someone said I would "definitely" need it, and never once used it.

 

[81Sprint]

The goosebox is worth every penny! It smooths out the ride and having the whole bed available without dealing with the big heavy hitch is awesome.

Ya that's my thoughts. I had the B&W Companion hitch in my dually with my 43'er and that thing damn near needed a crane to get it out

 

[DoughBallin14]

Not really any hate for the puck systems, they have a purpose if you are using a standard style 5th wheel hitch, but if you use a B&W style gooseneck system the safety chains hookups are right near the ball. I don't like the spread out holes in the bed with covers that can be lost. But I haven't had one so I may be overthinking it.

I gotcha just curious!
I can say i took the covers off and they got tossed in the garage somewhere haha. With the offset ball, that i found i dont need but still use it anyways, It takes 2 of the mount holes.
Then the other two have my chain points that i never remove from the truck.

Great not having a huge hitch in the truck though gooseneck all the way for sure!

 

[81Sprint]

Well put a deposit down this morning on this one, 2025 Forest River 371RK. 6' shorter than the Cardinal so coming in at 37' overall. Decided 43' just to damn long. Getting it transported from Oklahoma next week. Only one I could find on a lot with the optional 3rd AC, which was surprising being in OK versus the ones on the west coast. And they gave me a smokin deal

 

[CLdrinker]

Oh Jesus you bought it without looking at it or having it inspected?

You better start praying.

 

[81Sprint]

Oh Jesus you bought it without looking at it or having it inspected?

You better start praying.

I’ve bought 3 from out of state dealers. I’m looking for an inspector in the area

 

[LAVEYNICK]

congrats!

 

[81Sprint]

So the new 5th wheel is getting picked up by the delivery company or transporter monday, and I should have it mid next week. Now, I am trying to figure out a hitch. Got the B&W Turnover on the way for my Ram, been watching reviews on the GooseBox, Gen Y and Anderson. Trying to keep the weight down, the Goosebox is the heaviest at almost 220 lbs, the Gen Y is about 170 and the Anderson is 37. Anderson doesn't offer any dampening and takes space in the bed but the weight savings is a great feature. I've always been critical of that hitch being as its aluminum but sounds like the gen 3 has been certified by the SAE. Anyone have any thoughts on these 3 or criticisms from experience? I had to call Lippert to get the model of the frame and pinbox. I have the Rhino frame with a Curt rota flex on there now, the rota flex weighs in at 112 so won't gain a bunch with the gen y.

 

[CLdrinker]

I don’t have much experience with the gooseneck setups. But I have seen videos where the gooseneck contacts tailgates in some situations.

 

[rivermobster]

She's a beauty Clark!

I'm still stuck on your Duck Creek comment though. Hope it makes it's first trip up there.

 

[81Sprint]

She's a beauty Clark!

I'm still stuck on your Duck Creek comment though. Hope it makes it's first trip up there.

DC will be one of the first on the list of destinations! First one will probably be to a local park for a shakedown run

 

[rivermobster]

DC will be one of the first on the list of destinations! First one will probably be to a local park for a shakedown run

Take lots of pics please?

 

[25Elmn8r]

I don’t have much experience with the gooseneck setups. But I have seen videos where the gooseneck contacts tailgates in some situations.

When traversing a crazy breakover angle where the front of the truck drops it is a possibility, I don't see where there would be a difference between a gooseneck setup and a traditional 5th wheel.
We have that breakover situation at our property and while it comes close with one of our trailers, it doesn't hit the tailgate.

 

[CLdrinker]

When traversing a crazy breakover angle where the front of the truck drops it is a possibility, I don't see where there would be a difference between a gooseneck setup and a traditional 5th wheel.
We have that breakover situation at our property and while it comes close with one of our trailers, it doesn't hit the tailgate.

Maybe I didn’t phrase it right. I saw a video where the hitch portion contacted the tailgate. Not RV contacting the truck.
I looked for it and can’t find it now.

As long as you are aware you will know if you have a problem the first time you hook up.

 

[81Sprint]

Well LAM! showed up today! Didn't get real good pics, had to deal with the dumbass transport guy who went to the wrong address then got mouthy when I asked him what street he was on. Ya dude wrong address not even close, had to go to where he was to get him and low and behold inside the truck smelled like weed, I won't go into to the other stereotypical thing what "kind" of driver he was. Anyhoo it made the trip just fine!

 

[81Sprint]

I decided to go with the Gen Y hitch, after watching more Youtube videos on it then I care to count it had great reviews. Didn't really see anyone with a negative video on it

 

[DoughBallin14]

I decided to go with the Gen Y hitch, after watching more Youtube videos on it then I care to count it had great reviews. Didn't really see anyone with a negative video on it

Good call i love mine and even still use the goosepuck offset ball they have for my gmc which is not really needed for my application anymore but peace of mind i guess having a couple extra inches of space between cab and trailer..

my trailer bracket that the gen y mounts to does get a bit close to my tailgate at times but has not touched and thats really only when i use the offset ball. Which i attached some photos of that, i can drive with my top half tailgate down also. These are pics before adjusting the hitch

Regular ball no problem plenty of space. I did adjust my hitch down one hole to raise the nose closer to 6.5” bed rail space instead of 5” since i have a tonneau cover. Which also gave me another inch of space between my tailgate and hitch brackets when using the offset ball

 

[81Sprint]

Ya that is pretty close, I haven't bought the offset ball yet. Going to wait and see how the hitch sits in the bed first

 

[DoughBallin14]

Ya that is pretty close, I haven't bought the offset ball yet. Going to wait and see how the hitch sits in the bed first

Ya before it was about 2 inch clearance. Then i raise the trailer tongue(lowered hitch) gained an inch so 3 total.

If i go with a regular ball its like 6-7 inches bug thats gm for you. They already set the puck system behind the rear axle. My old trailer had plenty of room. But the mount bracket was straight down where the bolt holes were where this trailer is way beefier and hand an angle on it you can see from the pics

 

[81Sprint]

Put the JT Strong Arm kit on this weekend, took a couple hours not to bad of an install. Man, what a difference, I have always eyeballed this kit and decided to pull the trigger for the new 5ver. Definitely worth the $$

 

[81Sprint]

Ok, this upgrade was a little bit of a PITA. Probably because I did it by myself, so it was a little bit of wrestling this thing around to get it in to place. Initial reaction is hardly any bed space taken up, haven't pulled the RV yet so time will tell on how it feels on the truck. There seems to be quite a bit of clearance between the cab and camper so thinking I won't need the offset ball

 

[DoughBallin14]

Ok, this upgrade was a little bit of a PITA. Probably because I did it by myself, so it was a little bit of wrestling this thing around to get it in to place. Initial reaction is hardly any bed space taken up, haven't pulled the RV yet so time will tell on how it feels on the truck. There seems to be quite a bit of clearance between the cab and camper so thinking I won't need the offset ball

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View attachment 1496210
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View attachment 1496212

Welcome to the Gen Y club! I have about 500-600 miles on mine so close to the supposed “ break in period” its been smooth and great for me.

 

[81Sprint]

Well first tow over the weekend, nothing exciting just to the DMV for a VIN inspection. Never towed it with a regular hitch so can't compare, but I will say the Gen Y is very smooth riding on the truck. Really liking it so far. I may have to get the offset ball to get a little more turning radius, but after our first trip Mother's day weekend I will know better

 

[81Sprint]

A must for my RV's, Installed LED strip lighting underneath after the trip to the DMV. Did the length of framerails on both sides of the camper, easy install with a creeper and smooth concrete to roll around.

 

[LBsuperJET]

A must for my RV's, Installed LED strip lighting underneath after the trip to the DMV. Did the length of framerails on both sides of the camper, easy install with a creeper and smooth concrete to roll around.

I also want to do the underglow for my 5'er. Did you go with the boogie lights kit or do it yourself?

Also plan to get the gen y gooseneck setup on mine too. Which pin weight version did you get? My 5'er is a similar size with about 2400lbs pin weight on avg.

 

[81Sprint]

I also want to do the underglow for my 5'er. Did you go with the boogie lights kit or do it yourself?

Also plan to get the gen y gooseneck setup on mine too. Which pin weight version did you get? My 5'er is a similar size with about 2400lbs pin weight on avg.

I ordered a kit from amazon, was like $60, and it works just fine for me. There are more expensive kits out there but I don't see the need. Prep is the key, wipe the surfaces down with alcohol or acetone and it will adhere. On my Travel trailer, I had the kit on there for several years with no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB85QF84?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

My hitch is the 4.5k for the Rhino pin box, I weighed the trailer on my way to the DMV and I am right at 2200.

 

[LBsuperJET]

I ordered a kit from amazon, was like $60, and it works just fine for me. There are more expensive kits out there but I don't see the need. Prep is the key, wipe the surfaces down with alcohol or acetone and it will adhere. On my Travel trailer, I had the kit on there for several years with no issues.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CB85QF84?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title&th=1

My hitch is the 4.5k for the Rhino pin box, I weighed the trailer on my way to the DMV and I am right at 2200.

Awesome thank you. Confirms my need for the 4.5k also.

 

[81Sprint]

Awesome thank you. Confirms my need for the 4.5k also.

Spud wrenches are your friend for installing that hitch!

 

[LBsuperJET]

Spud wrenches are your friend for installing that hitch!

Good to know. Any chance you wave warm white on that led strip kit? Cant find info on the amazon page on that.

 

[81Sprint]

Good to know. Any chance you wave warm white on that led strip kit? Cant find info on the amazon page on that.

The LEDs are RGB so they have a ton of different colors they will change to using the app

 

[LakeMead Boater]

The LEDs are RGB so they have a ton of different colors they will change to using the app

Could you post the link to what you bought? I want something for my MH

 

[81Sprint]

Could you post the link to what you bought? I want something for my MH

check out post #33

 

[LakeMead Boater]

check out post #33

Whoops, my bad. Posting half asleep lol

 

[81Sprint]

Shakedown Run! lakeside rv park in Pahrump. Everything working great, hitch rides amazing, so glad I waited to find one with 3 AC’s. Was over 90 when I pulled in, inside the camper was down to 72 in 20 minutes and froze us out last night

 

[81Sprint]

Quick run to Walmart and I can watch hockey now while grillin!