Recommended Equipment to Tow 41-Foot 5th Wheel With 2012 F-450 Long-bed with Gooseneck Hitch

Question:

We are purchasing a 2018 Keystone Alpine 3701FL that comes with the ROTO FLEX pin box. We tow with 2012 F-450 8ft bed no factory installed fifth wheel components Andersen Ultimate Connection aluminum B and W Hide-a-ball purchased from E-Trailer We plan on a lot of traveling over the next few years. Our questions are 1 Is the Andersen and the ROTO FLEX a SAFE towing application? 2 What other components are needed to make it safer? 3 Would the upgrade to the Air-ride pin box, using the same Andersen hitch configuration work better? Thank you so much.

asked by: Frank

Expert Reply:

Towing a 5th wheel as large and heavy as the 2018 Keystone Alpine 3701FL, which has a length over 41-feet and a dry weight of 13,640-lbs, will be best done without use of any towing adapters. Your truck being a powerful long bed makes it an excellent towing vehicle.

Since you already have a B&W gooseneck hitch installed in the truck I suggest you consider replacing the 5th wheel pin box on the trailer with a Goosebox from Reese. The Gooseboxes offered are direct replacements for many of the more popular 5th wheel king pins in use and they offer advantages over other set-ups. They directly couple to the goose neck hitch ball.

A Goosebox does not add stress to the trailer's frame or the hitch the way other adapters do. The Andersen is certainly lighter than a standard 5th wheel hitch, but it still weighs more than no hitch and it does add more stress to the new trailer's frame. Since you have a B&W gooseneck ball hitch in the bed already a Goosebox would let you tow without having to buy a 5th wheel hitch or use any adapter.

All available models are shown on the linked page. If the OEM pin box were a Lippert 1621 for instance you could use Reese's 20K Goose Box Air Ride Coupler # RP85FR.

expert reply by: Adam R