Towing a 5th Wheel Trailer with Turning Point Pin Box with 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 with Gooseneck Hitch

Question:

I have a 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 Slt and it already has a gooseneck hitch installed. The 5th wheel I have is a 90° Turning point. One of the Grand Design Reflection 150 Series. Im wondering if there is anyway I can adapt the Gooseneck to fit and tow my 5th wheel without ripping out the pre installed hitchwork.

asked by: Thomas

Expert Reply:

The Turning Point pin box relies on force from the trailer when you start to make a turn to rotate its turret. To do this it has to lock out the ability of the trailer to pivot at the 5th wheel hitch. This puts a lot of force on the hitch which is transferred to the connection point. A 5th wheel hitch designed to couple to a gooseneck ball or use the ball hole will have a single connection point which is insufficient for the amount of force applied to the hitch. It can cause the parts of the hitch below the bed to rotate which would damage them and they would have to come out.

If your 2005 Dodge Ram 2500 happens to be a long bed then you could use a 5th wheel hitch that attaches to the ball such as the Demco Recon # DM8550045 as long as your Turning Point pin box can be locked out so it can't rotate at the turret. This essentially makes it a regular pin box. Other similar pin boxes use 2 bolts at the back to lock out the turret.

If you have a short bed though and try the above method you may not have enough clearance between the truck cab and trailer to safely make 90 degree turns. Do you happen to know brand gooseneck hitch you have? Because there may be other adapter options.

If you determine that you have to pull out the gooseneck hitch then you can install a 5th wheel kit such as # C16420-204 and used a fixed hitch such as the Reese 20K, # RP30928, with your Turning Point pin box.

expert reply by: Michael H