2012 Cyclone 3712 Hauling??

[jayandhisgals]

getting ready to pick up our new Cyclone 3712. Trying to decide between using a Fifthwheel hitch or Goose Neck Conversion. Our F350 is already equipped with a 25k lb pop up goose neck hitch. If we switch to a fifth wheel hitch we will have to have the pop up goose neck hitch removed leaving a huge hole in the bed of our truck. Hitch expert says no safety issues w/ conversion. Sales man at RV dealership knows nothing about towing except We need a big truck like ours. Anyone with experience towing goose vs 5th hitch? Comments, advise, suggestions welcome and appreciated.​

 

[jimtoo]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

Hi jayandhisgals,

Welcome to the Heartland Owners Forum and family. We have a great bunch of people here with lots of information and all willing to share their knowledge when needed.

You need to check with Lippert or Heartland about the gooseneck. It normally will void the frame warranty. I do understand they have a gooseneck box that may not. Please check for yourself.

When you go for PDI, do a very good, slow inspection. Check everything from water to sewer. Electric and all appliances. Don't let your dealer tell you everything works, check for yourself.

Enjoy the forum and your new Cyclone.

Jim M

Lippert Components Inc.
866-524-7821
Heartland Customer Service
877-262-8032 / 574-262-8030

 

[Tombstonejim]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

OK here is my perspective. It is gonna bring out the "Hitch Police" similar to the "weight Police" but anyway.

I already have two gooseneck trailers. I use my truck almost every day to haul feed, hay fence supplies ect. The last thing I need is some big fifth wheel hitch in the bed or something I got to wrestle in and out.


My dealer assured me the gooseneck was no problem and did not void my warranty. I know there are people who say it does and can quote libert saying it does. I don't care. The person I have to deal with is the guy who I bought it from.

The day I picked mine up there was another Big Country parked next to it with a gooseneck hitch also ready for pickup.

The Reese Goose box was not available when I got mine or I would have probably gone that way. I got a regular adapator from the dealer as part of the deal.

But, again, I been pulling gooseneck horse trailers for 50 years and I ain't never tore one up.
I suspect you have to.

Mine pulls great. I think it clears the truck bed better than any fith wheel hitch. It for sure handles rough ground better. There is 13 miles of dirt road to my house if and when I ever haul it to the house.

I do not intend to use mine for long haul cross country trips. If so I would have kept my HR Endveour. I traded for the extra room the trailer has. I use it mostly as a mobile condo.


So the answer is: It is your trailer, your truck. Set it up the way you need/want it to be and be done with it.

You are gonna get lots of moaner groaners guard house lawyers and what evers telling you different.

I say again It is yours do what you want.

And just to ward off the first hitch police saying it is gonna crack the frame.

Have you ever pulled one. Do you own any goose neck hitches? And, I don't care if it does I will simply pull lit up next to my shop, get $30 worth of steel and weld the dog do out of it until it is stronger than a D8 Cat.

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

Is your hitch a "BW TURNOVER BALL HITCH? If so BW MAKES A HITCH THAT WILL WORK WITH ITS TURN OVER HITCH. It is called a "companian"

 

[caissiel]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

On my previous trailer The pin plate broke and after a few more years the frame holding the pin box broke and I had to do repairs 200 miles from the nearest major town in the North. The front cross frame member that has twist the load of the rear beam bend and cracked at the center. I did engineering calculations and found that my unit had zero safety factor while towing and a bit more for braking, but braking stresses can never be calculated as it all depends on the trailer braking capacity and if using jake brakes its even more stresses on the trailer beams. And if the truck hits something I do not want a pin in my back.

I saw a convertible 5th wheel and goose box designed for goose neck application last weekend and believed that the product was taking care of the braking stresses applied as stated above. It was proportionaly longer extension taking care of the additional braking pressures of the taller GN setup. It was on a 10K light trailer and the box was twice the weight of my pin box. It was used as a 5th wheel setup but the pipe for the 5th wheel pin was removable to install and adapt a GN pipe attachement. To me there should be as much metal on the box as there is on a regular 5th wheel hich, because the hitch takes care of the reach to the truck box floor.

Here is a Goose neck Pin Box designed for RV's

http://fifthwheeling.rvtravel.com/2011/08/goose-box-reinvents-fifth-wheel-to.html

 

[jayandhisgals]

Thank you everyone. Still can not decide what to do. It's gonna cost a considerable amount of $ to replace our ball hitch with a fifth wheel hitch & we need the goose neck to pull our other trailers, can't keep the flip down ball and also install fifthwheel rails. Not enough room under the bed of truck to support everything properly. Don't want to buy another truck either just to hull the RV, that wouldn't make much sense. As for voiding the warranty.. well the warranty is only good for a year anyways and we're not hitting the road full time until next March or April so that only leaves us with 4-5 months coverage. I am going to call the recommended phone #'s on Monday and see what they say in regards to warranty and how the frame is designed. I will keep you posted with what I find out and decide. Thanks again for taking your time to help answer my delima. Your imput is greatly apperciated. Happy Trails!

 

[porthole]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

So the answer is: It is your trailer, your truck. Set it up the way you need/want it to be and be done with it.

You are gonna get lots of moaner groaners guard house lawyers and what evers telling you different.

I say again It is yours do what you want.

And just to ward off the first hitch police saying it is gonna crack the frame.

Have you ever pulled one. Do you own any goose neck hitches? And, I don't care if it does I will simply pull lit up next to my shop, get $30 worth of steel and weld the dog do out of it until it is stronger than a D8 Cat.

Recreational 5th wheel trailers are not built to the same standards as goose neck haulers, horse trailers etc.

 

[steiny93]

jayandhisgals
B&W has a solution that does both (5th and gooseneck) just like post #4 said
Here is a link http://www.turnoverball.com/products/rvhitch
Basically; the Turnoverball stays in the truck (like you have now) and you add into the "Companion" part when you pull a 5th wheel.

I hear what Tombstonejim says, but unless you have it in writing the sales guy / dealer words are free. You already have it in writing from lippert and it isn't going to be covered. (its in their warranty wording)
Likely you wouldn't have any issues; even less if you don't fully load the rv or use it very little.

Why i think that way,
On our last 5er the sales dude verbally assured us that adding a hitch to the rear of a montana wouldn't void warranty. So we had it done; about 2 years later we had a warranty deal on the axles; a different shop see's the hitch and says we aren't going to call out the hitch but don't bring it back for warranty with that hitch on the back. I dig into it and sure enough; frame warranty (on that rig it was 10 years) void if hitch added. So I call the sales place and try to get a written assurance out of them; they wouldn't do it. We didn't have any issues with the frame that i know of; and nothing bad happened nor probably ever would; but i would have rather known what i was giving up when i did it.

Moral of the story; everyone is on the same page until it costs money

 

[sjs731]

I have the B&W turnover ball with the Companion 5th wheel. I like it because there are no rails in the bed and it has 5 bolts to loosen to take it out. You actually have to take the ball out and replace it with a post that the Companion mounts too. Very easy and clean looking.


Steve
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[DW_Gray]

Besides B&W, here's kit from eTrailer. http://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Coupler/Draw-Tite/9480.html

 

[jayandhisgals]

Thanks for the links DW_ Gray, very helpful.
Happy trails.

 

[DW_Gray]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

That Popup is an interesting adapter. I was wondering how well that would work on the Trail Air Tri Glide Air Ride Pin Box but I saw that it is not recommended to use on cushioned king pin boxes. So, considering that I haven't towed a gooseneck trailer, would there be any chucking or some bounce with the trailer? That's the reason lots of us install the cushioned pin boxes.

Which model are you getting?

 

[Eddhuy]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

"I did engineering calculations and found that my unit had zero safety factor while towing and a bit more for braking, but braking stresses can never be calculated as it all depends on the trailer braking capacity and if using jake brakes its even more stresses on the trailer beams. And if the truck hits something I do not want a pin in my back. "

Not trying to scare anyone but my brother was pulling his trailer and there was an accident in front of him. He had to brake hard and was hit from behind by a truck hauling a fifth wheel. There were a total of 5 fifth wheels in the wreck, nothing major, my brother does not think there were any injuries is what I mean by major. But the thing to note here was that all five of the fifth wheel hitches sheered the bolts that held them down and the trailer hit the rear cab of the tow vehicle. His trailer was held by the hitch and stayed put. I believe that a Goose Neck hitch would not have given way either.

by the way, I have the Popup 25K GN adapter on my 5er. It is very strong and solid but it is the additional leverage that many claim is going to cause the problem. Still sticking with it though and no signs of stress yet but only a few hundred miles of towing and all in the mountains.

I found this interesting and will be keeping the Goose Neck hitch for my fifth wheel and take my chances in an emergency stop. My brother did not have the specifics on the fifth wheels, so do not know how old or new they were or how much they weighed. In all 5 fifth wheels, it was not the frame that failed but the hitch.

 

[Eddhuy]

Re: 2012 Cyclone 3712 Haulling??

I have not experienced any bounce and experience some chucking while stopping at slow speeds if the trailer brakes are not adjusted correctly. When adjusted correctly I get a smooth ride at all speeds. When I was towing my trailer I used to get some bounce if I were to hit an undulation in the road, the 5er does not seem to mind the same undulations at legal or near legal speeds.