Mega Cab Dually 5th Wheel Towing Recommendations

[tchur1]

Hey all, looking for feedback on gooseneck setups in short bed trucks. Im sure this has been previously discussed but I wasn't able to find a thread so point me elsewhere if this is redundant.

My wife and I are planning to buy a 5th wheel and live full time traveling North America starting next summer. I am planning to order a mega cab dually to better support the size 5th wheel we are looking to purchase (we really like the Riverstone 442 MC and 39RKFB). We want the mega cab for a variety of reasons which from my understanding presents some issues when towing 5th wheels/goosenecks due to bed length.

The truck will also be our daily driver while on the road so having full access to my bed is important and I dont want to deal with taking a 5th wheel hitch in and out of the truck all the time. All this is leading me to a goosebox option but I have 2 main questions here.

1) Does the reese goosebox provide additional turning clearance vs the gen y?

2) Is an offset ball needed for clearance or can I get away with the stock gooseneck prep setup and standard goose ball?

3) If an offset ball is needed, does anyone have feedback on the B&W vs the new gen y offset ball that plugs into the factory puck system?

I would really prefer not to need a slider hitch but if everyone here thinks thats the best way to go Ill deal with it.

Appreciate any feedback yall have.

 

[Brutal_HO]

2) You will need an offset with anything less than an 8' bed.

3) The B&W requires their square hole GN mount.

If you have a factory GN/puck setup you would have to swap that plate for the B&W.​

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If factory GN, personally, I'd just get the gen-y mount.​

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5" should give you plenty of clearance, but with a widebody, you may want to get confirmation from someone already running an offset ball.​

Please just don't consider the AUH, IMHO it's just not suitable for those heavy 5th wheels.

 

[tchur1]

2) You will need an offset with anything less than an 8' bed.

3) The B&W requires their square hole GN mount.

If you have a factory GN/puck setup you would have to swap that plate for the B&W.​

​

If factory GN, personally, I'd just get the gen-y mount.​

​

5" should give yo plenty of clearance, but with a widebody, you may want to get confirmation from someone already running an offset ball.​

Please just don't consider the AUH, IMHO it's just not suitable for those heavy 5th wheels.

Appreciate the feedback. I figured I would need to swap the plate for the B&W so thank you for confirming.

Im leaning towards gen y as that seems like the simplest solution.

Absolutely will not consider the AUH, based on your feedback and others, Ive written that off for my application.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Personally i would go with a slider but if you are dead set against it the Gen-y would be the one to go with

 

[tchur1]

Personally i would go with a slider but if you are dead set against it the Gen-y would be the one to go with

Curious why you say that RE the slider?

 

[AH64ID]

I agree on a slider, since you want the pin weight forward of the rear axle and behind it.

I would also reconsider the short bed for a big 5th wheel. Have you been in and around a CC vs a MC? To me the benefits of the MC don’t offset the short bed.

 

[tchur1]

I agree on a slider, since you want the pin weight forward of the rear axle and behind it.

I would also reconsider the short bed for a big 5th wheel. Have you been in and around a CC vs a MC? To me the benefits of the MC don’t offset the short bed.

Makes sense on the offset vs being directly over the axle.

I have a CC now and have spent limited time in the mega cab. The larger cab is really nice with our dog vs the current setup in the crew cab.

I used to have a long bed and have really appreciated the shorter wheelbase of my current truck for daily driving and maneuverability. I might be trying to have my cake and eat it too here but was hoping an offset gooseball setup would be a good enough compromise in all areas.

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Curious why you say that RE the slider?

I prefer connecting a 5th wheel vs GN and pushing the ball back is not as nice to tow thats where a slider makes the biggest difference as your pin weight stays over the axle and the slider gives you even more clearance to the cab when its really needed

 

[tchur1]

I prefer connecting a 5th wheel vs GN and pushing the ball back is not as nice to tow thats where a slider makes the biggest difference as your pin weight stays over the axle and the slider gives you even more clearance to the cab when its really needed

Makes sense. I appreciate the input.

I don't know how to quantify this but how much of a difference does it makes in towing experience to have the pin weight back 5" vs over the rear axle. My towing experience has always been with bumper pull in the 10-15k range so this is new territory for me.

 

[Grateful Dad]

I run a Gen-Y with no offset and have all the clearance I need HOWEVER, my camper is a “150 series or 1/2 ton towable” so the front cap is supposedly designed for more clearance…………….

And to save all the side bar I’ll add my disclaimer, no way in hell would I tow this with a 1/2 ton truck!

 

[H3LZSN1P3R]

Makes sense. I appreciate the input.

I don't know how to quantify this but how much of a difference does it makes in towing experience to have the pin weight back 5" vs over the rear axle. My towing experience has always been with bumper pull in the 10-15k range so this is new territory for me.

Depends on the pin weight the heavier it is the worse it will be some have no issue but i just dont like the feel

 

[tchur1]

I run a Gen-Y with no offset and have all the clearance I need HOWEVER, my camper is a “150 series or 1/2 ton towable” so the front cap is supposedly designed for more clearance…………….

And to save all the side bar I’ll add my disclaimer, no way in hell would I tow this with a 1/2 ton truck!

When you say you run a gen y, are you referring to the goose ball or their gooseneck pinbox?

Depends on the pin weight the heavier it is the worse it will be some have no issue but i just dont like the feel

RVs we are looking at will have a pin weight between 3500 and 4200 lbs probably. 18k-21k GVWR

 

[BAT3500]

I have a 2022 megacab dually, pull a widebody new 5th wheel on a regular basis (about 15K mile last year) and wouldn't personally consider anything else other than a slider hitch.

Losing your bed space to haul things suck, but it is what it is. You basically have a 6' bed with the axle roughly in the middle. Wide body RV trailers are 8' wide. That leaves at roughly a 12" deficit from being able to turn 90 degrees. The B&W offset reduces this number to about 8", but also shifts a bit of weight behind the truck axle. I don't think i have ever actually used near the full 90 degree turn to park my trailer but even with a slider my trailer corners have come to within 6-8" of the cab. So sooner or later, without the slider hitch, I am fairly certain my clearance would come up short.

I did carefully consider and tried to measure clearances to use a gen-Y box and 4" B&W offset hitch but, in my case, couldn't convince myself that the clearance was there for my trailer. Your results may vary.
The final straw in not getting a goose neck style pin box for me was the difficulty most people report in hooking up the trailer. The truck cams do not allow a good view of the ball so a good is extremely helpful...

 

[tchur1]

I have a 2022 megacab dually, pull a widebody new 5th wheel on a regular basis (about 15K mile last year) and wouldn't personally consider anything else other than a slider hitch.

Losing your bed space to haul things suck, but it is what it is. You basically have a 6' bed with the axle roughly in the middle. Wide body RV trailers are 8' wide. That leaves at roughly a 12" deficit from being able to turn 90 degrees. The B&W offset reduces this number to about 8", but also shifts a bit of weight behind the truck axle. I don't think i have ever actually used near the full 90 degree turn to park my trailer but even with a slider my trailer corners have come to within 6-8" of the cab. So sooner or later, without the slider hitch, I am fairly certain my clearance would come up short.

I did carefully consider and tried to measure clearances to use a gen-Y box and 4" B&W offset hitch but, in my case, couldn't convince myself that the clearance was there for my trailer. Your results may vary.
The final straw in not getting a goose neck style pin box for me was the difficulty most people report in hooking up the trailer. The truck cams do not allow a good view of the ball so a good is extremely helpful...

Awesome feedback, thank you. Curious, what hitch you do use and what trailer you are pulling?

 

[BAT3500]

Awesome feedback, thank you. Curious, what hitch you do use and what trailer you are pulling?

Pullrite superglide. Chose this hitch simply because it was an auto slider. No need to get out of the truck to engage the slider.
First trailer was a keystone product, just traded in for an Alliance, both 40' toyhaulers.

 

[Icky]

I have the pullrite superglide in my 22 megacab srw. While it's a heavy pig and takes up a lot of bed space, I don't have to worry about make uturns with my 40' toyhauler. I thought about going the goose box route, but its an expensive experiment if it doesn't work quite like I expect it too. There is a thread in here that someone has a short bed with the goosebox.

 

[Grateful Dad]

When you say you run a gen y, are you referring to the goose ball or their gooseneck pinbox?

Im running their executive pin box, connecting to a B&W goose.

Looked up the models you mentioned above, not sure if those big boys would have the clearance running my setup.

 

[bmidd31]

Double check the Gen Y setup. I'm pretty sure Reese Goosebox is only goose conversation that keeps your fifth wheel frame warranty. If this matters for you.

Also, plenty of folks use Resse Goosebox on a short bed without offset ball. Just need to be a little more alert on turning angles and not expect to get a full 90 degrees.

 

[tchur1]

Double check the Gen Y setup. I'm pretty sure Reese Goosebox is only goose conversation that keeps your fifth wheel frame warranty. If this matters for you.

Also, plenty of folks use Resse Goosebox on a short bed without offset ball. Just need to be a little more alert on turning angles and not expect to get a full 90 degrees.

This is correct. Im probably going to buy used so not sure if warranty will be in play or not.

All that said, yall have turned me and i'm leaning towards either ordering a CC LB dually w/ goosebox or going slider in a mega cab. We are probably going to travel full time for about a year and then this truck becomes my daily driver and tow vehicle on weekends which leads me to the mega but i'm not sure.

 

[AH64ID]

This is correct. Im probably going to buy used so not sure if warranty will be in play or not.

All that said, yall have turned me and i'm leaning towards either ordering a CC LB dually w/ goosebox or going slider in a mega cab. We are probably going to travel full time for about a year and then this truck becomes my daily driver and tow vehicle on weekends which leads me to the mega but i'm not sure.

I've had both of those wheelbases and I haven't felt like the longer CC LB wheelbase is any more difficult to park or maneuver.