Best fifth Wheel To Gooseneck Adapter

Last Updated on June 12, 2021

Top Pick

EAZ Lift 48500

The best fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter

If you are looking for a fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter and you don’t have the time to shop around then just go for this one. Overall its performance and build quality are unparalleled.

A lone road adventure sounds best when you can roam for days and explore city after city.

But these adventures are best if you can do that with an RV. It takes you out of the worry of finding out a hotel and saves you money too.

Sadly, RVs don’t come at a cheap price. But you can fill in that blank with a gooseneck RV trailer.

All you need the best fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter to convert your truck to a perfect trailer carrier. But the trailer is not going to be light in weight for sure.

So, you better pick one up that can keep up with that. Allow me to help you here with the 4 best fifth wheel to gooseneck adapters. All you need to do is check and pick.

4 Best Fifth Wheel to Gooseneck Adapters

There’s a lot at stake when you’re driving with a trailer. One miscalculation or one wrong turn can cause a severe accident. So, need to be cautious while picking up the right fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter. I hope these 5 will make that easier for you.

1. EAZ LIFT 48500 5th Wheel Gooseneck Adapter

When something is connecting two greater forces, it needs to be strong enough to hold them together. The same theory is completely applicable for a fifth wheel gooseneck adapter too. So, if you really want one for your truck, you should never settle with anything less than the EAZ LIFT 48500.

The first thing anyone expects on an adaptor right after the good performance level is less complication on the installation. The 48500 comes with all the parts and hardware you need to fix it up to your ride. So, rather than running for any other spare parts, you’ll have it all within your reach.

If you want your fifth-wheel trailer converted into gooseneck, then this one is what you’re looking for. It’s capable of adapting a fifth-wheel trailer to fit the gooseneck trailer hitch. The locking coupler of the 48500 can attach the ride to any of the 2 5/16-inch gooseneck balls.

The more simple an adaptor will be on hooking up and disconnect, the more it’ll be easy to utilize. Keeping that in mind, EAZ LIFT has made this one with a locking gooseneck coupler which keeps hookup and disconnection simple.

As the adaptor is rated to 30,000 lb. So, there’s no way you’d face any difficulty with all your tasks with it. Anyway, its vertical load level is 7,500 lb that keeps the bar of convenience a bit higher here as well. To match up with your truck, you can any pick any of the 15” and 17” models too.

Pros

  • Easy to use
  • Hassle-free installation
  • Great built quality
  • Comes in different sizes
  • Perfect towing capacity

Cons

  • Installation is comparatively difficult

2. Convert-A-Ball C5G 5th Wheel to Gooseneck Adapter/ Converter

Having a trailer on your back requires tons of cautiousness when you’re rolling with it on the road. But at the same time, you need to put similar importance on the gooseneck adapter. After all, that’s what keeps it all together. But if you have the Convert-a-ball C5G in mind, then I don’t think you have much to worry about.

This piece creates the perfect and sturdy bonding between your ride and the 5th-wheel trailer.  If it’s on-board, once you tag the trailer to the gooseneck hitch, then the last thing you can expect is detachment. Its coupler bolts to the trailer’s kingpin and connects the gooseneck ball.

To keep the vibration at a lower level, it has polyurethane cushions within. As they absorb the shocks, there’s a very tiny possibility remains for the trailer to bounce on the road. So, your ride will be nothing but smooth and safe.

Causing wear and tear is common in a lot of the adaptors. But this one is made a bit differently. Convert-A-Ball  designed it so perfectly that it’ll keep the wear and tear at its lowest. That’s not for one end only, for the trailer and the tow vehicle, both.

It’s quite impossible that you may have to deal with trailers of different heights and sizes. So to keep up with them, you can adjust the height anytime you want. With the 20,000 lbs. towing capacity, there shouldn’t be any issue with the weight too.

Pros

  • Easy to install
  • Good towing capacity
  • 360° cushioned feature
  • Rust-resistant finish
  • Durable

Cons

  • Some find the square head bolt hassling

3. T Built 17” Fifth Wheel to Gooseneck Adapter Hitch

Dragging a trailer with you on your vehicle’s back is completely different than riding all alone on your four-wheels. If you’ve decided to add a trailer to your ride, then you need something that can establish the bond perfectly and strongly. So, as an ideal suggestion, I’d like to ask you to check out this T Built Adapter Hitch.

At times you may fall into a situation where you’ll need to hang around with a fifth wheel. But if you want to do that without any extra hassle or extra hardware, then T Built 17” will be perfect for that. Once bring one of these in, you can easily convert the RV trailer to its pullable format with the gooseneck ball.

It’s perfectly compatible with any 2 5/16″ gooseneck hitch ball. To make the installation process easier than ever for you, it comes with all the hardware you need to get that fixed your wheels. This total package includes hardware like grade-8 mounting bolts, lock nuts, and washers.

As the T Built gooseneck adapter is not an adjustable piece, the manufacturer has added two more sizes to fit your ride. In case you need a little different size, one of them is 12” and another one 15”. So, if you think 17” is a little too big for you, then you can pick your little one from any of these.

T Built 17” has a total height of 18.5”. But if you measure it from the ball’s top to the mounting plate’s top, then it’ll be 16”. Similarly, on the 12” one you’ll get 11” and for 15” one you’ll get 14” from the ball’s top to mounting plate’s top.

The built-quality of these pieces are just too good! No matter what type of road you’re picking up to roll with your ride, they can keep up with any of them. With the 20,000 lb. rating, you can just grab your heaviest trailer and push the accelerator anytime.

Pros

  • Hassle-free installation
  • Models with different heights
  • Includes required hardware
  • Decent weight capacity
  • Good built-quality

Cons

  • Non-adjustable

4. Andersen Universal Ranch Hitch Adapter

One wrong move can cause tons of trouble, especially when you’re carrying a trailer. To maintain the steadiness there, the last thing you can compromise on is the connecting point to the trailer. So, if you really want to secure your trailer in the best way, you better get something like the Andersen Hitches 3100.

Initially, three of the aspects are considered as the scale of choosing the right fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter. They are – Fitting, weight capacity, and installation. So, Andersen Hitches has given the 3100 their best to make it up to the mark in all those criteria.

It all starts with the Fitting part. This sturdy piece can fit any 2 5/16″ gooseneck hitch ball easily. If your ride comes with a standard one with this size, you shouldn’t have a problem with adjusting to the 3100.

In case you need some sort of adjustment here, it can get you that with the 3″ vertical adjustment feature. As all the trailers don’t come with a specific height you can adjust it from 11-3/4 inch to 14-3/4 inch.

Now comes the weight capacity or what you know as the towing capacity. Impressively, this one comes with a trailer GVWR of 24000 lb. and the number on the tongue weight is 6,000 lb. Now if you’re regularly carrying trailers with different weights, this son of a gun will keep them all tagged to your ride easily.

The third one is the installation. You might’ve seen fifth-wheel to gooseneck adapters with a complicated installation process that takes hours. Well, then you better thank this perfectly constructed adaptor for being the exceptional one there.

3100’s installation is probably the easiest one you’ll see so far. Even if you’re inexperienced, its DIY type installation process won’t ask for any professional help here. You can fix that up to your ride just within one hour or even less.

Pros

  • Easy to install
  • Fits easily
  • Good weight capacity
  • Easy to adjust
  • Perfectly constructed

Cons

  • Some might face difficulty to see it from their vehicle.

Final Words

Driving a car or truck requires a ton of attention. But when you’re pulling a trailer with you, then things just jump to a higher level of difficulty on the road. The last thing you can afford there is having an unfortunate occurrence like an accident.

So, if you really want to secure the trailer to the maximum extent, then you should never go for something below the best fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter. It’ll not only keep it all together but will help you on the toughest road ahead with the trailer.

Fifth Wheel To Gooseneck Adapter Buying Guide

Worried about the common towing incompatibility conundrum problem? Looking for a solution to overcome this problem? No worries. You are about to solve the problem.

Generally, there are two kinds of trailer hitches available that are used for hauling massive loads. These are- Gooseneck hitches and the fifth wheel.

In this guide, I will be talking about all the important facts that you need to bring into your consideration while purchasing the fifth-wheel to gooseneck adapter. So, stay with my guide until the finish.

Size of the Adapter:

The adapter size is the first and foremost issue to consider while purchasing a fifth-wheel gooseneck adapter. If you are looking for an adapter that will replace the pin box of your trailer, then there will be no difficulties with the measurements. But, if you are not going to replace the trailer pin box, then you have to go through a tight measurement.

Here, measurement means the gap between the front of the gooseneck ball and the bottom of the pin box and. After the calculation, you will get the actual size of the adapter.

However, you will find the adapter in three different sizes. The sizes are- 12-inch, 15-inch and 17-inches. You can assume that the 12-inch adapter is for 11 to 12-inch measurements. The 15-inch and 17-inch adapters for 13 to 14 and 15 to 16-inches measurements respectively. You have to get the accurate measurement and adapters.

One more thing you need to keep in mind about the dimensions for a tight fit. You should not go for the adapter in which height is fixed if you are confused about the dimension. In this case, you need to go for the height-adjustable models which are pricey. So, the budget also matters here. You may need to make a negotiation.

Do I need to replace The fifth wheel hitch or the Pin Box?

Now the question is that do I need to replace the fifth wheel hitch or the pin box? The answer is up to you.

Replacing the pin box is cheaper. You have an option to bolt an adapter on the top of the kingpin’s lube plate though.  Without it, replacing the fifth wheel hitch will provide offer you a better connection although it takes more space.

Whatever replacing the Pin Box Or The Fifth Wheel Hitch will ask you for better maintenance. Without it, it may dismiss the guarantee of fifth-wheel trailers. On the other hand, bolting the adapter over the lube plate of the kingpin lube plate will demand comparatively less maintenance and will provide a solid connection.

Setup Types:

Depending on the mounting and the installation method, the gooseneck to fifth wheel adapters come in three setup types. Among them, the most compact one which is bolted on the above of the kingpin lube plate. This one will provide an average level of safety.

Then, the next one which replaces the fifth wheel hitch. Although this model occupies a lot of space, this one is more secured and safe. This type of setup needs a truck bed equal to or more than six feet.

The third and last one, this type of setup used to replace the existing trailer pin box. This type offers you an easier installation method although it requires more maintenance.

Do I need to look for any additional features?

Although all the 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter will satisfy you with your towing job, still there are some extra features that will make your adapter more efficient and effective. The features may be safety, security and cushioning as the main areas.

While parking leaving your trailer and truck unattached won’t make you feel easy and relaxed as there is a possibility of tempering your setup. In this case, a security chain and a padlock will ensure peace of your mind.

Without it, rigging and putting together your RV trailer can make an accidental issue if you are not giving proper attention. For avoiding this kind of unexpected accident, some adapters offer remote release features.

Apart from that, you may also look for an adapter that is well-cushioned. Cushioning can be pneumatic or mechanical. An adapter that is well-cushioned will ensure the quality of ride, reduces tear and wear of all of your hardware, reduces noises and so on.

Fix the Budget:

Obviously, budget matters while purchasing a product. You may have a planned budget and you won’t like spending more than this. But, still it’s better to know how much you should spend on your adapter.

In general, a common model adapter will ask you to spend around $400 to $500. It is best not to go for the adapter less than $400. Any adapter is less than it may not be worthy to buy.

On the other hand, you will find some pricey adapter that costs more than $700. You need to keep your eyes on the features that will make your adapter stand out.

You should look for an adapter that is strong, durable and made from solid steel contraptions. Check 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter pros & cons before finalizing a purchase.

Towing Capacity:

Towing capacity is an important feature to consider while purchasing the fifth wheel to gooseneck hitch adapter. Towing capacity is the highest quantity of weight the adapter can bear safely. You need to ensure that the adapter your purchased adapter has a good towing capacity. The adapter with lower capacity may lead you to damage.

Highest Tongue Weight:

Like the towing capacity, the highest tongue weight is also an issue to pay heed. Tongue weight is completely opposite to the towing capacity. Tongue weight means the greatest extent of the downward force can handle the adapter.

The maximum tongue weight should never be higher from towing capacity. It should be 10-25% lower than the towing capacity. It is better loading your trailer on the time when 60-percent of the weight is placed before the axle. A  trailer with a well-distributed weight and perfect tongue weight will make the rig form a straightaway line keeping your trailer entirely horizontal.

Product Dimensions:

Product dimensions mean the length, width and height of a fifth wheel to gooseneck adaptor. Knowing the dimension of your adapter is essential for some reasons. The reason may be having a proper plan about the storing or the amount of space it will take while using and so on.

Product Weight:

In general, the adapters are heavy and can weigh till 160 lbs. So, if you wish to remove and mount your adapter very often, then it won’t be much easy for you. In this case, the adapter which is light-weight will be the best option.

Apart from this point, a light-weight adapter will be a blessing if you wish to ride around almost except an attached trailer. However, in this kind of situation, a heavy-weight adapter may end up with dead weight and also maybe the reason for increased fuel consumption.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the working mechanism of remote release?

The remote release feature is proficient in disengaging the fifth wheel trailer from the adapter. Almost all the remote releases are made with heavily plaited steel cable and a robust handle. What you need to do is pulling, it disengages the connection between the trailer and the adapter hitch.

Is it possible to install the adapter alone?

Well, the installation process won’t be a hassle if you are dealing with a light-weight adapter. Basically, the installation process is a one or two-person job. It is better to have an extra pair of hands while installing the adapter. For more information, you should look for the installation manual that comes with the adapter.

Will the adapter put any extra stress on the frame of the trailer?

The adapter which replaces the pin box will not put any extra pressure on the frame of the trailer. Without it, almost all types of fifth wheel gooseneck adapter will put a little bit pressure on the frame of the trailer.

So, its recommended to go through some research and talk with the producers. Without it, it’s also to be considered that will it create any problem with the warranty of your trailers.

Is it important to use the safety chain while using the fifth wheel to gooseneck adapter?

Simply, the answer is yes. In fact, in some states, it is a law to use safety chains while towing. You will find the safety chains along with hook with most of the adapters. The safety chains allow the RV trailer attached to your vehicle in case of mechanism fails.

What are the benefits of a cushion?

The ultimate benefit of the cushion is an improved ride, which minimizes the tear and long-term wear on the tow vehicle. Without it, the cushion reduces the hard vibrations and noises.

Will using a fifth wheel adapter void my RV trailer warranty?

Well, this is an important fact to be considered and there is a lot of debate. Whatever there are some manufacturers that state that using an adapter for hooking up the RV will damage the warranty.

Using the fifth wheel adapter is not legal from a strictly legal standpoint. The RV trailer warranty will be voided legally if the adapters cause any damage directly following the FTC’s Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act. In this case, there is a need for proof that the adapter is responsible for the damage, which is time-consuming and tricky.

Does Adjustable Height Matter?

Well, if you use one fifth-wheel trailer and you don’t have any plan to bring another adapter in the near future, then the height won’t be an issue. But, if you are planning to tow a various fifth-wheel trailer and also plan to tow a fifth wheel RV, then the height issue of an adapter must be on your priority list.

Do I need to make regular maintenance of my adapter?

Some footling maintenance is required for your adapter. This maintenance means checking the adapter regularly for any signs of damage that can lead to failure. Actually, almost all the adapters need some regular light maintenance for minimizing the friction of their moving parts over rough terrain.

Without it, there are some models that come with an airbag inside of the cushioning system. In this case, you will need to re-pressurize each time you unhitch or hitch towed vehicles.

Best fifth Wheel To Gooseneck Adapter

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