40k lb Bumper Hitch convert to Gooseneck
 

I have a motorhome i just purchased, its a 450HP Freightliner 32ft box rated to bumper tow 40k#, its not a toter bed, the 32 box is all a box. But i have multiple gooseneck trailers id like to tow with it.
I know the obvious reasons the gooseneck might hit the box but has anyone ever seen a hitch that someone has made for this? I am looking at building my own and extending it about 2ft off the back of the frame, My max weight is 21,000lbs and its rated to tow 40 so i assume i will be fine but i would really like some advice and pictures.

Thank you for the help.

I thought about this, never found one that someone had done.
I thought about building a stinger like the wheel lift on a row truck.

I was thinking something like that. I have searched a lot but havent found one. I am sure i can build one, my only issue try to not hit the motorhome in tight turns.

My theory is if its rated to tow 40k lb the tongue weight will not be anymore than its rated for since ill never tow more than 21,000lbs.

If i end up doing this ill post a picture. Just hope someone has done this for some advice.

Here is a great set up for what your talking about!https://powerhousecoach.com/c11hitch.JPG

samcrimm- Good find on that hitch picture, I've never seen anything quite like that. Looks like a very elegant, and expensive, solution. Probably doesn't sound so bad vs. the total price when that guy is ordering a shiny new Powerhouse coach though.

Take a look through the trucks here:
Home | Heavy Haulers RV Resource Guide
those guys all haul 5th wheel campers with hdt's, and there are a few wild frame stretches on there to put the 5th wheel well behind a big box. Setting up for a gooseneck is essentially the same.

My concern on your project is hitch weight. Yes, your truck is rated to tow 40k trailer, but what hitch weight? Industry standard for a tag type trailer for proper weight distribution and handling is 10% of total trailer weight, but for a 5th wheel or gooseneck trailer that number is 20%. So even if for arguments sake you could hook your gooseneck right where the existing ball is, you may be over weight on the hitch weight. Then if you figure the additional leverage of putting that ball at least 4' farther back behind the truck (and farther from the fulcrum point of the rear axle) the worse that gets.

My suggestion is you need some solid advice from someone with better math/engineering skills on how all those lengths and weights workout before you start modifying anything. You'd really hate to find out the balance is all wrong at 75mph the first time you hit a bad curve or crosswind.

How about just using something like this?: Automated Safety Hitch, adds an axle to your pickup truck - welcome to mrtrailer.com

Or one of these?: TOW ALL dolly – System for hauling 5th wheel and goosenecks! | Ridingmode

how about something like this:
The Automated Safety Hitch | Trailer Hitch | Gooseneck Horse Trailers | 5th Wheel RVs | Flatbed Goosenecks | Fifth Wheel
there used to be something similar called a tow-buddy, but I couldn't find anything current on it.

That dolly may be pricey, but when it comes time to move on it would presumably have some resale value, while a big ugly extended gooseneck hitch on the back of the coach may make it pretty hard to sell, not many buyers would want that.

great minds think alike!

Here's a video of one: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQufUQVqoqo

There was a guy at the HDT rally a few years ago that used one of those dollys. He said it worked great. He had a bed on his truck for his Jeep.

The problem is now you've introduced another pivot point.
Have you ever tried to back a hay wagon? Forget about it.

The one the guy at the HDT Rally had a electric motor in it that could back it up. I didn't look through those ones I linked to above so don't know if any of them has a motor.

The one I linked to actually links to the truck at two points and does not pivot. The wheels on the dolly turn like the tag axles on a dump truck. So if anything it would actually back up better as the hitch would swing faster when you turn. more like a bumper hitch than a fifth wheel.

So my question is how do the trucker that pull doubles get hooked up in the yard? I have not figured this one out yet. HElp

Sam

You hook the dolly to the tractor, go get the second trailer, place that set in a good place.
Then you hook the first trailer, now back the front trailer so the hitch on the back of it hitches to the dolly.
It takes a lot with some room.

Thanks that makes sense!

Sam

My buddy in South Carolina built one for his motorhome, he has a 30 foot renegade on a Coronado chassis and pulls a 40 foot gooseneck hooked to the bumper hitch. It's over length but he said it pulls fine, I don't think he has had any issues with dot. He goes all over the east coast Vermont, Michigan to Florida and all in between.

The idea is "doable" of making your own, however I agree the engineering needs to be considered.
Look at the back of a car hauler when the trailer is off. The 5th wheel is about six inches off the ground and is boxed tubing off the frame of the truck. That proves it can be done to haul a full trailer designed to carry four to five more cars on it, but it was engineered by someone a lot smarter than me.
The tow axle idea is great too, however one of the ones displayed is adding a pivot joint so backing just got a lot more complicated. The one that uses two anchor tow points is just making you vehicle overall length longer.
You definitely want to know tongue weights for any trailer to avoid overloading.

Am I understanding the dolly info right....

I can tow more then my Jeep Grand Cherokee is designed for (7,500 lbs) by hooking up the dolly to my hitch.....

Jeep is 8 cylinder with tow package.

We used to park the back trailer then pushed the dolly up to the front of it by hand, then backed the next trailer up close enough to connect the pintle hitch to it. Then using the tractor and trailer, forced the dolly under the rear trailer. Then if you were hauling triples you repeated the process to get the dolly under the center trailer and once everything was connected you got to leave. I did know of a driver that used to hook the front two trailers together then went and hooked up his third trailer by backing the doubles with a second dolly behind them up to the rear trailer. Damn good driver...

That's what I'm reading on the web site... I still think you have to play by the GVWR limiting rules of the tow vehicle though.

I am going to buy a renegade 2800 conversion this week and I'm going to build me a bumper hitch to pull a gooseneck. Here is a picture of my friends renegade Coronado hitch. He pulls a 40 foot gooseneck with two trucks.

Here is the pic

Not being able to see the other pictures...Is the shackle supposed to be for the safety chains or the breakaway brake pull? If it is safety chains I would recommend moving that attachment point to somewhere other than the removable draw bar, in case the adjusting pins fail, the trailer would be connected to a different part of the hitch or coach by safety chains. (Also I put my electric brake safety cable to a third point away from all my other connection points just as an OCD redundant condition of if all else fails hopefully the brakes lock up.)

That's some good info, never thought of it that way. Here is a picture of the hitch on the renegade I am buying and I don't see where you would hook up safety chains?

Looking at that plate the adjustable hitch is mounted on personally I would have two "D rings welded to it so if anything on the bolted hitch failed the chains would be connected directly but separately to the vehicle. My suspicion is the previous user was using the top pin that is not holding any weight as a tie in point. When ever I build plates on the rear of dump trucks I weld 1/2" or 5/8" "D" rings on either side of the pintle hitch towards the bottom edge and outside (Depends on trailer weight to be hauled.). I put the electrical plug up high on one side, air line connections near the electrical and the hydraulic connection on the top opposite side to keep the drips off everything during the connection or disconnection process.

Heres my safety chain attachment points...

https://www.truckconversion.net/attac...ebe1b28d9c.png


https://www.truckconversion.net/attac...c5cade1e84.png

That's a nice setup. Bushpilot, what do you use for a braking system on the jeep?

I have a (red) brake buddy (was brand new, used 2 times, with the bag and remote) that i picked up on craigslist for $200 bucks - but honestly i only use it to try and limit potential/personal liability (proof that i take every reasonable step possible).

I use it more for the BRAKE AWAY set up than anything else...i DOUBT if the jeep comes off the hitch that grade 80 chains will break....in fact i suspect if the hitch brakes or the jeep comes off the hitch, the jeep will FLIP and ill wind up dragging it down the road ;)

Attachment 2591 this is the my set up for my jeep Renagade, I have the big loops but never hooked to them, just use the chain quick links for my safety cables,

Attachment 2592
Ready Brake (I bought on a rv forum in the for sale section) and the cables that I hook to the jeep. It has the brake cable and then the red is the break away braking that locks the brakes on the jeep.
Attachment 2593 Just different look of my quick links and cables

If you notice on BushPilots pictures the safety chains are attached way from any of the hitch adjustable parts or attaching pieces for the actual drawbar. I just really like the separate attachment points for the peace of mind if everything fails I still will be dragging my tow behind me (Right side or wrong side up.) to avoid launching projectiles.