GOOSENECK TOWING EQUIPMENT FAILURE! HD STEEL GENY Goosepuck

[@ryanhessler8966]

As a welder, that had nothing to do with pinweight or overloading. That was a bad weld. A proper weld won't fail, the material around it should fail first. This weld cracked.

[@johnj69ful]

If you look at the other welds , some of them was also trash

[@CaptConfusion71]

The biggest lesson here is that no matter what hitch you use, inspect your equipment regularly.

[@TheFiremanJoe]

Absolutely! That’s why checklists are so important!

[@vincew9482]

I had this very thing happen to me with my gen y gooseneck hitch this summer. I immediately contacted gen y. They were very apologetic and offer to send me a replacements. I told them thank you, but declined the offer. They were willing to give me my money back as long as I shipped it back to them (at their cost). I went ahead and shipped it back and got my money back. It was definitely an eye opening and scary situation. They were very accommodating. I do love my gen y goose box conversion.

[@gcslade]

I'm glad to see GenY is stepping up to own the issue. There is so much variability in how hitch devices are actually used, inevitably there will be something occur that wasn't expected in the design or manufacturing of the item. What matters is the manufacturer stepping up to own the issue to continuously improve customer safety and experience. Imagine if certain RV manufactures had stepped up early and owned the frame / flex issues how much better the entire RV industry would be perceived right now. Kudo 's to Gen Y.

[@t.l.robinson2162]

Any product is subject to fail. Not any manufacturer is subject to step up and stand behind their product. I will always stick with any manufacturer who does.

[@Freightmeister]

Andersen Hitches have done the same thing on the couple that they’ve had fail.

[@begoodamerica9793]

WOW a company that will admit to the problem then stand behind it with No Questions Asked. Gen Y will get my business. I'm just getting started, looking to buy the truck and the perfect RV. Can't wait to hit the road. Retirement is going to be exciting and fun.....

[@Freightmeister]

Andersen Hitches have done the same thing on the couple that they’ve had fail.

[@begoodamerica9793]

@@Freightmeister I think Anderson hitches are having some issues But you are right they stand behind their product. Just read all about them. Didn't realize just how much info you need to know when buying a Fifth wheel.

[@texillini1]

Thanks for the intel. Great comments from the viewers.

[@AlanSanderson-u4t]

I have a 2001 F450 and have been using a Colibert Free Ride system for 25 years. It has a threaded 2 inch socket under the bed that takes either a gooseneck ball or the 2 piece 5th wheel hitch. Each part of the 5th wheel hitch is light enough for one person to install it. The upper plate attaches to the base using 2 pins and 2 clips. It has performed flawlessly with 2 5th wheel toy haulers, a living quarter horse trailer, and a 25 foot Trail King flatbed equipment trailer.

[@johnneil6653]

To the ball position naysayers - That 5" ball offset with his 3600 pin weight moves a whopping 102# amongst the axles, front to rear, vs using a standard gooseneck ball.

[@keithwebster7118]

On my 2013 GMC 2500 and Jayco 5th wheel I use a Reese Goosebox with a B&W 5'' off set ball. This set up has been perfect for me since I want to keep my toolbox on my short bed and the B&W off set ball raises the front of the trailer enough to clear it. Also don't have a bunch of stuff in my bed of the truck.

[@wiliamowens]

I’m glad I went with the old tried and true B&W companion. Not the cool new hitch, but proven to be solid.

[@oralsmith5542]

Love my reese goosebox and my geny offset ball. Soothed out the ride 200%

[@JamesHolland-mo7ct]

JD- Is the offset actually supported by the bed or is it suspended in air? If there is gap under the offset plate then when connected, the trailer pin weight will place the weld in a shear strength situation and after repeated road stress a failed weld could occur. IMO. We run a puck system B&W Companion = No worries.

[@alvindorris4373]

There my Truck again..still not got my F450..still waiting on build date. It be 25..❤ your KZbin. All u do for Us

[@richwitt3559]

I've considered going to a Gooseneck adapter (Gen Y) for my Arctic Fox 5th wheel to pick up some bed space, but I would have a hard time moving away from my B&W 5th wheel hitch. It's a great hitch and I've had zero issues with it. That said, always do a pre-trip inspection of your equipment!

[@BestNCBBQ]

Love my Goosebox and Goosepuck and intend to continue to keep using them. My Grand Design is only 12k gross weight.

[@MSparks9509]

To me this hitch is a “solution” looking for a problem. Just use a standard ball in the factory location or use a dedicated 5th wheel hitch…quit trying to re-invent the wheel

[@stevesalazar634]

EXACTLY What I was thinking

[@JauntJunkies]

Thanks for the information. Good to hear your thoughts on this.

[@jasonlarsen3515]

My ears go up anytime a manufacture says they have an upgraded product to replace the defective one. It’s great practice but makes me trust other previous one less

[@riccochet704]

Tells me they are innovating. They're continuing with their R&D to improve on an already good product.

[@jasonlarsen3515]

@@riccochet704 of course but the question remains of why. In the case of the Anderson aluminum hitch thing that’s a case of they knew their product was dangerous. Same with lippart frames. Why did the improve them if there wasn’t a problem. It’s all how the company handles it

[@heinerphilipp]

@@riccochet704 Tells me they did not engineer the first one correctly. It can be done perfect the first time with FEA analysis and good engineering work. SAE has rules/standards for this. With testing requirements and actual minimum load capacities. (Typically 50% above anticipated loads.)

[@mattsmith3305]

Very good video! Although I like the idea of your goose ball setup, I can’t convince myself to switch out by B&W companion 5th wheel hitch. It’s like being married for 30 years and a beautiful young lady catches your attention.

[@masonjohns208]

I remember when people either used a straightforward gooseneck ball or a simple fifth wheel hitch bolted directly to the frame of the tow vehicle. Those were the good old days before people started buying fancy high dollar adapters and gimmicky hitches that break randomly

[@rcames05]

Since it appears the weld cracked that would point to a weld joint failure. It could be caused by many things, but the weld was either improperly designed or improperly executed. The weld itself should never fail.

[@mcdadcoleman]

I don't understand why people with fifth wheel trailers are trying to use a gooseneck ball. Looking at your gooseneck "adapter", I really don't like the overall design with the ball welded to a plate. It adds more failure points. A proper, normal, fifth wheel hitch works perfectly.

[@billmM3605]

Not only that, using a goose neck conversion on a fifth wheel puts enormous stress on the frame of the trailer that was designed and built for a fifth wheel not a goose neck.

[@ethelz2cents]

There are reasonable arguments. There are legitimate product use cases. Try harder to understand.

[@clydesuckfinger8068]

Something that a lot of people don’t know, a fifth wheel hitch doesn’t require safety chains. In some, if not all, states safety chains are required for any type of ball hitch, to include gooseneck hitches.

[@JohnAtchison-k7n]

The weld failed in the center but it started at the root of the fillet. Probably didn't space the material 1/16" before welding to allow for shrinkage.

[@rh-et2vv]

Seems like that crack is a result of flex from the goose ball to trailer connection. That extended tab sits on the bed, looks flat contact, but all that weight seems like the tab will flex. I agree that the added weld should have been there to begin with.

[@daddydiesel5889]

B&W companion #1

[@Dean-i4d]

I agree with you. Gen Y makes a lot of cool stuff but I’m not really impressed with this hitch adapter

[@Richard1977]

With the old design you have a pivot point on the bottom of the shank. Combine that with a heavy trailer and bad brakes... If they would have spent the extra money on the weld in the first place, they would have saved a lot in the end!

[@ilovelamp61]

I almost commented on the last video with a showcase of the '21 camper that I thought this offset hitch looked dangerous. Shifting all of the weight onto a plate, five inches behind the actual hitch point, exponentially increases the leverage onto the plate and would lead to this exact failure. The weld appears faulty but seems destined to fail because you're asking too much of the part itself.

[@walterrafolski5662]

B&W turnover ball is what I’m using! Ford wasn’t putting the puck system in without a very long wait.

[@Mike-01234]

Kingpin design just looks more heavy duty probably why semi-trucks always used that design.

[@roncraft2042]

A fifth wheel IS NOT a gooseneck trailer. Just use a high quality fifth wheel hitch and quit trying to be “clever”.

[@BTBRVReviews]

I think the biggest problem is the dynamic energy applied to a cantilever at 5in offset. A huge amount of reinforcement.

[@dinglesdingler1211]

@@roncraft2042 Just use a tube TV instead of a flatscreen and quit trying to be clever.

[@711slimshawny]

Yeah I agree. I'm fairly new to fifth wheel life but I haven't found the advantage of a gooseneck switchover and then it eliminates my ability to pull doubles, at least in Michigan its got to be a fifth wheel hitch for recreational doubles.

[@Klownguy22]

@@dinglesdingler1211 they quit selling the tube TV, not the 5th wheel

[@coltonlawrence781]

@711slimshawny because some people like using there box. Most slider hitches weigh 300 plus pounds. So taking it in and out of the box of the truck is easier said than done

[@ronh9384]

Thanks for sharing. I’m new to Rv towing. In the pictures you showed… is that a gooseneck setup in the bed of the truck? The information I was given was a fifth wheel towing system was the pest towing system. Is my information correct? Thanks for your time. Ron

[@Thepriest39]

As a former millwright in a sawmill that welded heavy equipment I will say that weld job is very poor. It looks like a high school kids welding project. Very poor to no penetration. To fast of a production weld. They are also probably using very substandard, cheap steel to save money. Most people won't know the difference. Poor engineering and manufacturing. I would rather make my own and know that it will last for eternity. Also I was a certified 6G TIG aircraft welder.

[@johnneil6653]

Lack of penetration into the post. Do you keep a spare "straight ball" handy in case you notice hitch cracks while out on the road?

[@biglug9364]

After watching your video it appears to me that this particular hitch as installed support the weight of the ball directly on the bed instead of on the frame mounted hitch system

[@vinniegillotti9347]

When you weld aluminum, you take away half the strength of the material when you weld steel, depending which steel that will be the point where it breaks because you have now heated and made that area brittle but myself being a truck driver, I have a habit of looking at everything constantly force of habit for myself. There’s a lot of stress on those systems so failures are to be expected honestly regardless of manufacturer

[@Nobody_important_at_all]

Unrelated to your video but you should check out. A completely different, unique bunk house travel trailer that would be perfect for parents with two kids, especially if one is a boy and one is a girl. SolAire Ultra Lite 3150TBSS

[@jerrysgaragethemoneypit2028]

I have peritoneal brake controller control. I set it to max to assure in an emergency stop the brakes will assist. Your thoughts?

[@LukeEdward]

It seems that the stresses close to the upper limits, with continuous use, were not extensively stress tested. I wonder if preheating all of the material when welding would have prevented this. If nothing, preheating may anneal the metal a little to mitigate brittleness.

[@Dean-i4d]

JD I think it should be known that GM trucks already moved the point of there gooseneck back 4-5” by design which means there is no reason for Gen Y to build a adapter that is destined to fail. Sometimes we miss the field through the trees

[@charlesb4267]

Is that for the standard bed only ( short bed if you will )

[@Dean-i4d]

Yes 6’10” bed

[@charlesb4267]

@@Dean-i4d Thank you, just wanted to make sure I was on the right track and that GM still set up the standard 8 foot bed with a zero fore/aft gooseneck insert. There is a lot of stress going on within that Gen Y adapter and was not surprised at the failure point even though it appears beefy .. weakest link was that weld. Also by effect of physics that assembly is applying more weight by way of leverage to the factory bed mount gooseneck ball insert hole than the actual hitch weight of the trailer.

[@dropshot5371]

He isn't using it in a GM truck.

[@Dean-i4d]

@@dropshot5371 yup and that’s my point thanks

[@viper16vet]

Looks like a robust product.. thick plates etc. BUT throughout my years as an engineer, I've seen failures in welds, which is where this one failed. Metal thickness and design play a part, to a degree, but welds can change microstructures in ways that may not be seen for a long time. Yes, inspect and maintain the product. Correct welds can last, perhaps for years. Knowing how load transfer and distribution works in varying conditions with welded structures is most times, difficult to assess.

[@timothytjschneider2763]

Would never consider a subpar factory puck system. Been running the B&W Turnover Ball system for many years on many different trucks. Simply put. You just can't beat it. It stores itself. No looking for a place to store the greasy ball. And they have all the adapters you need with stated capacity ratings.

[@zr2zamboni906]

I want to know more about that bed mat / rug !!! Link to product??

[@walterrafolski5662]

J.D. did you lift the front of the F450? Looks awfully level in this video!

[@LucasCadbury]

The stock location is engineered for proper weight distribution. Changing that is a big mistake and is a big liability on not only the manufacturer but also the end user.

[@heinerphilipp]

Exactly. The truck manufacturer put it there, and tested it for performance and safety. Moving it is wrong, and unsafe.

[@RAMTEX1986]

They should have stack welded it from the get go!👍🏼😃

[@chrisbond24]

Do you know that gen-y use machine welders or man welders because when you make mass products sometimes you might get a bad product 2 out 30. Yet when you abuse a product welds my brake.

[@gabrielpalma9418]

In my opinion I think goosenecks put to much stress in one area. Unlike a regular fifth wheel hitch we’re that stress is spread out across the plate and down to the the frame

[@VQ38DD]

ya know, I have a theory. these companies keep trying to reinvent the wheel. there never used to be problems with any fifth wheel RV frame, travel trailer, etc. sit back and look at what has changed, companies come out with these products to make towing (better) but in reality they are causing damage. a fifth wheel RV is a pinbox setup, which uses 2 horizontal frame members with smaller cross members and pin box structure. companies keep trying to reinvent the wheel and change the way it pulls, referring to the goose box. which has nothing in common with a pinbox setup. a gooseneck uses 2 large beams that connect at a center point and large bracing from those beams to Vertical frame structure, 2 Different Load points/stresses, 2 different methods. why these companies keep trying to do this is beyond me, is it consumers pushing bc they don't want to have a 150 pound hitch in the bed, or they have been told to believe a goosebox is smoother on the RV which it is not, it actually stresses the pinbox area more due to the bouncing of the actual pivot points on the goosebox, vs a pinbox being fixed uses the trucks suspension to cushion the pinbox structure. I have talked to engineers from Wabash, Great Dane, and Fontaine, regarding tractor trailer fifth wheels and was told that when you have a trailer that is wind resistant, and add in 10-13 feet high with a higher center of gravity a fifth wheel hitch provides a much better support, for sway as the fifth wheel plate provides a side to side support that a ball cannot meaning sway and a dancing side to side trailer. they all said that a ball setup is for low center of gravity trailers that are made to move a piece of equipment, etc. the bottom line is buy the proper truck fir the application. there are too many people out there that are buying the wrong truck for the job. I see lots off 3/4 ton trucks having no business towing the things they are. another issue I see with consumers is buying a truck to tow and getting a 6 3/4 foot bed (SWB), I scratch my head to that. so what iiim getting at is companies like Anderson, gen y, and the others trying to reinvent the wheel and come top with products that just don't make any sense and cause issues. you want a fifth wheel camper, use the proper hitch and the proper truck to tow it. an 8'6 bed is a must, as there are too many benefits with the LWB. and lots of downsides with the 6 3/4 foot bed. ford is going to be ending production of the 6 3/4 foot bed in the future which I am glad, maybe that will keep consumers that don't need these truck and just use them to ride around or commute from buying them. and I know there are people that are going to comment and say well lippert and others approve these hitches to use but I know how that goes, being a ford tech, I know exactly how a warranty works for the manufacturer. they look for reasons to deny warranty.

[@daviddean9220]

Where you get your plastic cover for your gooseneck?

[@BTBRVReviews]

Amazon

[@larryphillips4164]

Good old B&W hitch still going super strong for all these years. Yall need to quit trying to reinvent the wheel bruh.

[@951prerun]

So many people complaining or about doubting the GenY hitch but haven’t ever tried one and it’s not even the topic here, comical. This ball isn’t even necessary to use a Geny hitch.

[@KevinBrown-r7d]

It looks just like aluminum bolted to the steel cross bar.

[@Outlaws28]

That is a lot if stress and weight in such a small part.

[@heinerphilipp]

Not safe.

[@rawwetzel]

That is a lot of leverage. With that much weight moving in all directions.

[@heinerphilipp]

And unsafe.

[@kellywilson779]

What happened to the use of the b n w gooseneck ball haven't followed you in awhile

[@BTBRVReviews]

I still use it. I test and evaluate many products.

[@waltfriedrich7631]

The underside should have been welded from the start. Also looking at the picture it appears to me to be a bad weld with no penetration at the 90 degree mating point...plate to ball. Being able to have it in hand a certain determination could be made.

[@georgehatton164]

Probably robotic welding. Bad welds and should have been welded on both sides. Proper weld will never fail and is stronger than the metal.

[@heinerphilipp]

Design is wrong and unsafe... That is the root cause of the issue. I could analyse that with FEA in a few hours and determine that.

[@NycCitizen]

Another gimmick hitch. The design introduces vertical flexing and the hardware was not built to support it. It needs another cross plate across the rear puck holes to eliminate vertical flexing.

[@heinerphilipp]

Vertical plates to the rear holes to span the load properly could be designed. This hitch is not fit for the road.

[@richarddubois5529]

Stick to a 5th wheel problem solved, why try to reinvent the wheel?

[@aday1637]

Most of these "accidents" are caused by those who are looking for an insurance claim. Towing your house down a bumpy road is suicidal and wasteful. Save the resources for your children and grandchildren and get a hotel room.

[@RobertEdwards-q6t]

This has to be one of the dumbest gooseneck ball designs out there. The weight of the pin is on the bed & not the frame like a real gooseneck ball position would do. Those welds broke, so it was not welded properly.

[@KevinBrown-r7d]

It's not over built if they put welds in the high stress areas. The welds didn't look very good as far as appearance goes. Like the Anderson failure, you didn't talk to an actual Mechanical Engineer about the failure. Like the Anderson failure, the customer service rep can't fix the root problem. Real Engineers don't "triple check", they do FEA to verify their Mathcad stress calculations & safety factors which uses Von Mises combined stresses (if it can fail & kill people, it should be a SF 5:1 Ultimate). You paint a rosy picture for these Company failures. How many of their customers are Certified Weld Inspectors?

[@heinerphilipp]

I am a Mech Eng. Looking at it shows it is a bad idea/design and will fail, before even firing up my PC to do FEA on this item.

[@KurtKoster-s6t]

If a manufacturer puts a gooseneck in there truck they know where to install it for weight distribution,why move the weight backwards to take weight off front

[@heinerphilipp]

Because the truck owner bought the wrong truck to tow the trailer he has. That is the short answer.

[@darkfireBikes]

Electric tailgates are the dumbest thing in my opinion. Electric locking yes, electric opening, wtf

[@jasonlovell3934]

Has anyone ever explained why rv manufacturers still use a fifth wheel design instead of the much simpler gooseneck?

[@BTBRVReviews]

Things have been changing over the last several years

[@roncraft2042]

Those welds are a weak point.

[@ArthriticAngler]

Crappy single layer weld.

[@socapaul]

Okay, if the ball is set back 5 inches from the manufacturers, will that change the axle weights? Making the front axle lighter and the rear heavier?

[@werkspartsllc7856]

There is NO excusing a steel hitch like this failing in normal use within the rating of the hitch. None. Like the aluminum hitches that are folding up......they should be taken off the market. Refunds to owners that return them.