Escapees July-August 2024

strong friends at that moment to help lower the kingpin to the ground gracefully. So, we useda fl oor jack with some stacked boards on it to relieve the pressure on the kingpin so we could remove the fi nal bolts. When we unscrewed the last bolt, the kingpin fell to the ground. To install the Reese Goose Box, we laid a large sheet of cardboard in the bed of the truck and asked some strong friends to help us lift the Reese Goose Box from the ground onto the cardboard in the truck. We oriented it with the gooseneck receiver towards the cab. We stood the Goose Box up and stacked some lumber under the trailer end of it so it was ready to be bolted on. Then, we backed the truck up under the fi fth wheel overhang and used the cardboard to slide the Reese Goose Box into the correct fore/aft and left/right alignment. Then, using the landing jacks on the fi fth wheel, we lowered the fi fth wheel so the fl anges on the fi fthwheel overhang slipped inside the fl angeson the Reese Goose Box. Then we tightened all the bolts. We had some extra bolt holes,

so we used additional bolts from the old kingpin for added security. Trailer Frame Warranty Before we got the Reese Goose Box, we’d heard rumors that, unlike other gooseneck style hitches, the use of a Reese Goose Box does not void the warranty on a Lippert fi fth-wheel frame. To verify this, I spoke to a Lippert sales rep, and he stated that they do indeed approve of the Reese Goose Box. That endorsement has given us a good degree of con fi dence. We are absolutely delighted with this new hitch and gooseneck ball pair. We like the Reese Goose Box so much that if we even tually get a different fi fth wheel trailer, we’ll transfer it to the new trailer! EMILY AND MARK FAGAN #99408 traveled full-time by RV and sailboat for 13 years and now enjoy RVing seasonally. For more info about the Reese Goose Box, see their website: RoadsLessTraveled.us. Emily has written hundreds of RV and sailing magazine articles, and the Fagans’ photography has been on magazine covers, wall calendars, National Parks and in museums!

All hitched up with the safety chains and breakaway cable secured and the power cord plugged in.

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ESCAPEES Magazine July/August 2024