New here - new to FW trailering as well... Been putting a lot of thought/research into best setup I can put together. My mind was about made up, which sliding hitch to outfit '24 Ram 3500 6.7 HO w short bed for 35' FW 14,000# GVWR. Then, I started to learn about positives with gooseneck hookup. Nothing better than 'real world experience'.... so, I'm putting the question out there.... thoughts about one hitch better than another for solid tow experience? Appreciate considering my question, thanks!
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Gooseneck or Slider with 6'4 Bed and 5th Wheel
- Thread starter JAM1263
- Start date
I’m sure you will get answers aplenty. If not here, join a FB group for your 5er and get lots of answers there too.
I tow a 34+’ 5er with my CCSB Gas 2500. I use a B&W stationary 5th wheel hitch in the factory puck system. While we don’t do much off the grid/boondocking type camping, I have maneuvered some tight parking and never had an issue. Many factors to consider including the design of the front cap on your coach. Some are much more forgiving. My bed is consumed by a monster hitch that I never take out because it is so big and heavy. I have trailers for moving things.
The goose crowd is real and for a reason. They are simple(r) and you maintain that full bed when not towing. They can be a little more cumbersome to hitch at times from my understanding but nearly everyone that goes that route loves it.
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Best of luck in your decision making and happy camping. Post some pics of your setup.
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I tow a 34+’ 5er with my CCSB Gas 2500. I use a B&W stationary 5th wheel hitch in the factory puck system. While we don’t do much off the grid/boondocking type camping, I have maneuvered some tight parking and never had an issue. Many factors to consider including the design of the front cap on your coach. Some are much more forgiving. My bed is consumed by a monster hitch that I never take out because it is so big and heavy. I have trailers for moving things.
The goose crowd is real and for a reason. They are simple(r) and you maintain that full bed when not towing. They can be a little more cumbersome to hitch at times from my understanding but nearly everyone that goes that route loves it.
. Best of luck in your decision making and happy camping. Post some pics of your setup.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
wrvond
Well-Known Member
First, goose neck is bad. Don't do it. What you want is a Reese Goose Box. Entirely different thing and the best set up I've ever had. I've got two 5th wheel hitches in the basement (one slider and one non-slider) that I'll never go back to. The towing experience with the Goose Box is remarkable. Quiet and immediate. There's no clanking and no train effect when the truck starts moving but the camper sits still for a second or the truck is stopping and the camper shifts everything forward.
One funny thing though. I was hearing a "swishing" sound in turns that had me concerned. I thought maybe a wheel bearing was going out. Turned out to be the safety chains dragging across the spray in bed liner.
One funny thing though. I was hearing a "swishing" sound in turns that had me concerned. I thought maybe a wheel bearing was going out. Turned out to be the safety chains dragging across the spray in bed liner.
2K6TBSS
Member
I was on the fence about this too when I got my 2500. After a lot of research (and the members here) I decided to go the GN route. I did the BW Turnover Ball setup.
The initial investment was a little higher in that you had to purchase the goose box setup for the trailer, but being able to fully utilize the bed was the deciding factor for me.
The initial investment was a little higher in that you had to purchase the goose box setup for the trailer, but being able to fully utilize the bed was the deciding factor for me.
I'm looking at the Goose Box, based on comments. Question, are you Ram 6'4 short bed, and if yes, did you need 4-5" offset ball? Answer probably more a trailer configuration question...but thought I'd ask. I am '24 Ram Laramie 3500 6.7L TD HO, short bed w OEM puck system, working on setup to pull Alliance Avenue 32RLS (35' 14K GVCR). New to FW and jumped right into the deep end! Doing the homework to head out with best tow experience I can start with....
KneeDeep
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This picture was taken with the B&W Companion hitch and the short bed (On level ground).
I think the adjustment on the hitch was toward the rear and gave me 4” min clearance from the window.
This was on my old 2015 2500.
I changed to the goose box later but don’t have pictures handy of the clearance, but was less than the picture shown.
Now I have a long bed 3500, big difference in ride comfort.
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wrvond
Well-Known Member
Yes, I've got the short bed. I have the Gen-Y offset ball which I have used and I've also got the B&W ball that is not offset that I have also used. I have to admit that I am more comfortable with the offset even though my brain says it isn't necessary.
My Cougar has a curved nose cap which provides essentially the same clearance throughout the arc of a turn as when the camper is centered.
When making turns and especially when backing, one really shouldn't make 90° turns. As much as it is hyped up as an important thing to be able to do, it is extremely hard on the suspension of your camper. People have broken axle hangers that way.
In reality I can't recall a time when I turned more than 45° from the camper.
A plus to using the offset ball is that when backing up to the camper with the tailgate down it gives me a little more clearance between the tailgate and the front storage locker. This can be important when hooking up on a campsite that is off camber or has poorly placed trees.
Jmonty
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Agree with the comment about joining a forum for your specific RV as the front cap design really plays the biggest part of how turning radius works, there are just so many variables to review for making the choice.
Gen-Y hitch and Gen-Y offset ball have been amazing upgrade for us, we do a ton of off grid/boondocking and love the flexibility of the goose ball. We have had many spots where we had to unhitch and hitch back up at sharp angles and unleveled truck.
Gen-Y hitch and Gen-Y offset ball have been amazing upgrade for us, we do a ton of off grid/boondocking and love the flexibility of the goose ball. We have had many spots where we had to unhitch and hitch back up at sharp angles and unleveled truck.
CharlieL
Well-Known Member
I have a 2022 2500 Laramie crew cab with the short bed and factory pucks. I bought it for upgrading to pulling a fifth wheel. After much research I went with a Pullrite Super Glide auto sliding hitch. Works great and I never have worried about backing up, etc. Downside is it’s heavy, so that must be taken into account for calculating payload. It has never been taken out since it was installed, and while that’s mostly not a problem for me, there have been a couple of times where having it out would have helped in using the bed.