Considering changing out my 5th wheel hitch setup and looking for input/experiences

[wrvond]

I've currently got a Curt A20 slider 5th wheel hitch in the bed of the truck and the Lippert TrailAir Road Armor pivoting head pinbox on the camper. I'm considering switching to a Gen-Y Gooseneck trailer hitch and the newest (Gen 3) Reese 20K Goosebox. I haven't found any negative reviews online but thought I'd check here for experiences and thought before pulling the trigger.

TIA

 

[AH64ID]

I have the 94920 20K GooseBox and love it. My trailer only needs the 16K, but I’m not sure how long we’ll have this trailer and didn’t want to buy another GooseBox. The connection is easy, and the airbag makes for infinite adjustability. The ride improvement is excellent. If frame warranty is a concern then I believe the GooseBox is your only option.

I also have access to a 5th wheel with a Gen-Y and don’t find the fit and finish of the Gen-Y to be as good, plus the Gen-Y doesn’t have shocks and the torsion bars aren’t adjustable so the dampening will vary based on pin weight. I’ve also read they take some miles to break in, which could be a long time if you don’t use the trailer much.

Either way, ditching the 5th wheel hitch for a gooseneck setup was by far the best mod I’ve done to our 5th wheel.

 

[Lerker]

This is my first fifth wheel, so I have no real frame of reference, but......

I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with my GenY fifth wheel kingpin hitch. We've had fit and finish issues. GenY was fine to work with, but the issues were resolved with my home-repaired remedy, so overall a bit dissatisfying. Also, I've always wondered if the torsion flex of the GenY actually worked against the airbags on the truck. I'm sure the torsion bars are great on a standard spring-sprung truck, but sometimes we get some bucking and I wonder if they two (air bags and torsion bars) are feeding off each other and making the bucking worse. (We also have independent suspension on the camper, so that could possibly contribute, too)

 

[Grateful Dad]

Love my GenY, coming up on 3 years this September. I’ve not had a single issue and it rides like a dream. I can’t speak to anyone else’s issues, the fit and finish on mine is perfect, the unit has been flawless since it was installed. I like not have to inflate/adjust an airbag when I hook up, my pin weight doesn’t fluctuate much to need that kind of adjustable precision, maybe if I had a toy hauler it would be of more use, to each their own.

To be transparent, GenY is the only goose option for my rig. I won’t sit here and tell anyone to choose one over the other, don’t think either is a bad option. They accomplish the same thing, just a slightly different approach.

Just snapped these pics

 

[wrvond]

Thanks for the input guys. Mostly because my 5er is relatively light (10k GVWR) I had decided to go with the Reese pin box. I'm still a bit up in the air concerning the Gen-Y hitch because the ball is always 5 inches behind the normal position. I tend to think that because of the "low" weight of my rig the weight shift probably isn't enough to worry about.

 

[Grateful Dad]

@wrvond what 5v’r do you have? I’ve got a Grand Design 278 BH 150 series, maxed out is 10,195lbs, my pin is about 1,700 lbs. Although not necessary, I run mine 4” back (B&W Turnover) and have noticed zero ride difference.

 

[Jmonty]

Gen-Y with the offset ball here, really happy with mine has been a worth every penny in my towing experience. I had to bring the 5th wheel home on a standard ball because the offset was backordered, weighing my rig loaded for camping before and after with the offset only reduced my front axle weight by ~30lbs. I only have a 3/4 ton though so we keep our rig light as possible so I'm sure that number goes up the more weight you load in the front of the RV but if we had to do it all over again I would do it exactly the same.

 

[AH64ID]

This is my first fifth wheel, so I have no real frame of reference, but......

I'm not sure I'm completely satisfied with my GenY fifth wheel kingpin hitch. We've had fit and finish issues. GenY was fine to work with, but the issues were resolved with my home-repaired remedy, so overall a bit dissatisfying. Also, I've always wondered if the torsion flex of the GenY actually worked against the airbags on the truck. I'm sure the torsion bars are great on a standard spring-sprung truck, but sometimes we get some bucking and I wonder if they two (air bags and torsion bars) are feeding off each other and making the bucking worse. (We also have independent suspension on the camper, so that could possibly contribute, too)

The goosebox and OEM auto-level worked fantastic with each other when I had my ‘22.

 

[Beldin]

I can second or third the GooseBox. It is night and day difference. The fiver hitch caused bucking back and forth when going over bumps. I also use the GenY offset ball as I had a mega cab like you. I recently went to a long bed and I am still using the offset ball in the hopes I could get a bit of sag to help with leveling the fiver. I am not sure I got a whole lot of sag. I can say I will never go back to the traditional king pin setup.

 

[wrvond]

@wrvond what 5v’r do you have? I’ve got a Grand Design 278 BH 150 series, maxed out is 10,195lbs, my pin is about 1,700 lbs. Although not necessary, I run mine 4” back (B&W Turnover) and have noticed zero ride difference.

I've got a '22 Cougar 24RDS.

Placed the pinbox, Gen-Y offset ball, chains and anchors on order. Expected delivery four days from today. Hopefully I'll get my truck back from the body shop tomorrow, too.

 

[AH64ID]

I've got a '22 Cougar 24RDS.

Placed the pinbox, Gen-Y offset ball, chains and anchors on order. Expected delivery four days from today. Hopefully I'll get my truck back from the body shop tomorrow, too.

I think I’d try without the offset, towing with the pin weight behind the axle 100% of the time doesn’t appeal to me under any circumstances.

 

[Jmonty]

4" isn't worth the risk of hitting the cab in my opinion.

 

[jetlag]

I ordered my '21, and the hopefully soon to arrive '25 Laramie, with long beds. 5th wheel to cab issues are nonexistent and I get a 50 Gal fuel tank as a bonus

 

[wrvond]

I ordered my '21, and the hopefully soon to arrive '25 Laramie, with long beds. 5th wheel to cab issues are nonexistent and I get a 50 Gal fuel tank as a bonus

I have such a dislike for the crew cab back seat when compared to the mega cab that I ended up sacrificing both the long bed and large fuel tank. Oddly, none of the long bed trucks on the dealer's lot had 5th wheel prep either. Back when I was transporting RVs the 48 gallon tank on my dually was convenient but I haven't missed it nearly as much as I thought I might.
Years back I had an F250 short bed with a PullRite auto slider - that was a heavy hitch so this time I went with a manual slider. Turned out that the only time I've ever actually used the sliding function was to be able to back in at an off angle when hitching up for tailgate clearance - a situation that can occur fairly often when camping off the beaten path. That clearance between the open tailgate and front of the camper is almost more important to me than the cab to cap clearance, especially with my Cougar with rounded cap corners.

 

[BAT3500]

I wanted to convert my trailers, but for my previous two full-bodied fithwheel (102" wide) trailers i needed and used that slider function with my megacabs for cab clearance when parking. I was tired of having the big pullrite blocking my bed, but for me just not feasible even with 4" offset. Studied the issue several times.

Our average trip is about 6 hrs one way. For us the titan 50 gallon tank replacement was an important upgrade and works very well.

 

[ammdrew]

We have a goosebox on our solitude and have the gen y offset, For us it makes the trailer to high so we usually tow with just a curt short ball which is pretty perfect. 6.4 bed and we have never had to swap the offset in to back into a yet.

 

[wrvond]

I think I’d try without the offset, towing with the pin weight behind the axle 100% of the time doesn’t appeal to me under any circumstances.

There's a couple things that potentially bother me about the Gen-Y hitch:
1. The design is still fairly large and cumbersome to store.
2. While I'm confident of the strength of the Gen-Y while towing, I have to wonder just how strong is it in an emergency stopping situation?

I've got the Gen-Y hitch coming but I've also ordered the B&W set to compare.
B&W hitch kit

 

[Jmonty]

Still way less than a 5th wheel would be to remove and store, when mine is out it just sits on the garage floor under the truck. I can't personally say how it handles in an emergency stop but comparing to the standard king pin that came off I can't imagine it to be the weak link in that scenario.

 

[Morpar]

RAM owners, We have a Grand Design fifth wheel toy hauler. Our model has had some bad press regarding frame damage. GD has a five-year frame warranty, but will not accept all pin boxes and cover the warranty.
So, we went with a cushioned hitch. These are pricey, but they work great.

I got this one on Marketplace for $ 1,200!!

 

[Jmonty]

I've never seen a fish wheel hitch with shocks and airbags, you have a chance to tow with it yet?