How's It Work? The gooseneck setup is much easier to hook up over a traditional fifth-wheel coupler because of the round shape of a gooseneck ball. Even with a slight misalignment, the coupler tends to slide into position with little or no fuss as you lower the tongue of the trailer. Once connected, the trailer has a slightly freer feel to it. With significantly more side-to-side range of motion available, the trailer has a tendency to rock more easily when traveling on the highway in high crosswinds. However, we got used to that quickly. We like the fact the adapter remains attached to the trailer when not in use. It provides us with peace of mind about the security of our coach when unattended, thanks to a built-in provision for a padlock, as shown at right. Also, due to the fact that the unit hangs down quite a bit lower than the trailer's original kingpin, youngsters tend to notice it much easier and therefore do not bump their heads on the kingpin while playing around the coach in the RV park. We regularly inspect our adapter before towing use to ensure the tightness of both the adapter collar and coupler extension bolts, but we have never found them to come loose. We also like the fact that our friends with gooseneck hitches can rescue us if we experience a breakdown with our tow rig while on the go. We towed up to the unit's rated 20,000 pounds on several occasions, and have still to find cracks or signs of fatigue on our trailers pin box. The bottom line: Convert-A-Ball has developed a win-win solution to a common problem for those of us who own fifth-wheel trailers. Next, position the coupler extension under the hitch and slide it up until the adapter collar is completely covered. The unit is heavy, so it helps to have a second set of hands.Next, position the coupler extension under the hitch and slide it up until the adapter col Once the top of the coupler makes contact with the base of the kingpin, simply tighten up the three set bolts as shown. Once tight, a jamb nut ensures that these bolts do not come loose.Once the top of the coupler makes contact with the base of the kingpin, simply tighten up Looking at the setup from the rear driver side of the pickup with the tailgate down, this is how the arrangement should look. Notice the red locking latch on the driver's side of the bed.Looking at the setup from the rear driver side of the pickup with the tailgate down, this With the latch locked in place, the included safety chains were attached to the hitch provisions.With the latch locked in place, the included safety chains were attached to the hitch prov For the ultimate in trailer articulation, we added a B&W Turn-Over Ball setup under the deck of our Project Baja Bomber's custom aluminum flatbed. With 30 degrees of side-to-side articulation afforded by the gooseneck hitch and virtually no worry of pinch points between the bottom of the coach and the flatbed, we were able to traverse a 15-degree angle without binding. This simply is not possible with a typical fifth-wheel hitch setup.For the ultimate in trailer articulation, we added a B&W Turn-Over Ball setup under the de Another reason we like the idea of running a gooseneck-style hitch over a traditional fifth wheel setup is cargo capacity. With a gooseneck ball, you have more room in the pickup bed for bulky items such as coolers, firewood, and other camping essentials. Plus when you arrive at the campsite, you can easily remove the gooseneck ball and take full advantage of the vehicle's entire cargo box-no need to remove or store a heavy fifth-wheel hitch.Another reason we like the idea of running a gooseneck-style hitch over a traditional fift SOURCES Convert-A-Ball 955 Ball Street Sidney NE 69162 800-543-1732 www.convert-a-ball.net « | 1 | 2 | View Full Article By Robin Stover Enjoyed this Post? Subscribe to our RSS Feed, or use your favorite social media to recommend us to friends and colleagues!
