What is a gooseneck pin box?

A gooseneck pin box replaces the pin box on the front of your fifth wheel trailer with a gooseneck coupler. Instead of a kingpin dropping into a fifth wheel hitch, the trailer couples onto a 2-5/16 inch gooseneck ball in your truck bed. It is a trailer-side conversion, not a truck-side hitch. Pull the ball and your truck bed is completely clear. Brands include the Reese Goose Box, CURT Helux, Gen-Y Executive Torsion-Flex, MORryde GooseTech, B&W 5th Wheel to Gooseneck, and Shocker Quick Air.

Which gooseneck pin box fits my trailer?

Fitment is decided by your trailer, not your truck. You need two things: the bolt pattern of your existing pin box (Lippert 1621, 1621HD, 1116, 1716, 0719, Rhino, Turning Point, or Fabex PB 600), and either your trailer's GVWR or its measured pin weight, depending on the brand. The model number is on a sticker or plate on your current pin box. If you are measuring holes, 2 inches apart vertically is a Lippert 1621 and 2-1/2 inches is a 1716 — but the 1116 and 1716 look similar, so confirm with the serial number.

Is an air-ride gooseneck pin box better than a spring one?

They work differently rather than one being strictly better. Air-ride units like the Reese Goose Box let you tune the ride to your actual loaded weight by changing air pressure, but the air pressure is a maintenance item and the bag is a wear part. Spring-based units — CURT's coil spring, MORryde's rubber shear spring, Gen-Y's rubber torsion, B&W's SumoSpring — are fixed rate, so you choose the spring at purchase and there is nothing to adjust or service. That is why every spring brand sells the same product in several pin weight or GVWR bands, and why buying the biggest number is the wrong move.

How much does a gooseneck pin box cost?

Most fall between about $1,200 and $2,000. CURT Helux starts around $1,200, MORryde GooseTech and Gen-Y run roughly $1,300 to $1,800, and B&W is $1,899 to $1,999. Shocker is the exception to compare carefully: its pin box alone is about $650 to $700, but the air ride lives in Shocker's own truck-side hitch, so the working system is about $1,700 to $2,045. Remember you also need an under-bed gooseneck hitch in the truck if you do not already have one.

Do I need a special gooseneck ball for a pin box?

A standard, properly rated 2-5/16 inch gooseneck ball works for every pin box here except the Shocker, which couples to Shocker's own air hitch. On a short bed you will usually want a brand-matched offset ball, which moves the pivot point rearward for cab clearance — a B&W offset ball for a B&W hitch, a CURT one for a CURT. Offset balls only work with a pin box, never with a single-point fifth wheel hitch.

Gooseneck Pin Box Comparison

Written by a towing industry expert Updated July 2026

The short answer: Six brands now build a pin box that turns your fifth wheel into a gooseneck. Here's how they actually differ — and how to find the bolt pattern you need first.

Six Brands, One Idea

A gooseneck pin box swaps out the pin box on the nose of your fifth wheel and replaces it with a gooseneck coupler. The trailer then rides on a 2-5/16" ball in your truck bed instead of a fifth wheel hitch. Pull the ball and the bed is completely clear.

Two years ago this category was basically Reese. Now there are six: Reese, CURT, Gen-Y, MORryde, B&W and Shocker.

One thing to get straight before the specs. This is a trailer-side conversion — you're modifying your RV, not your truck. It is not a single-point fifth wheel hitch (that's a truck-side head like the PullRite 3900 that sits on the ball and grabs your stock kingpin). People use the terms interchangeably online. They're different products with different trade-offs.

Before Any Of This: Find Your Bolt Pattern

This decides more than the brand does

Here's what trips people up. A gooseneck pin box is chosen by your trailer, not your truck. No brand fits everything, and every brand sells the same product in several versions. Get either of these two things wrong and you've bought the wrong $1,500 part.

1. Your pin box's bolt pattern

There's a sticker or plate on your existing pin box with the manufacturer and model number. That's the fastest answer. The common ones are Lippert 1621, 1621HD, 1116, 1716, 0719, Rhino and Turning Point, plus the Fabex PB 600 series.

Measuring instead? 2" between holes vertically is a 1621; 2-1/2" is a 1716. But the 1116 and 1716 are similar enough that a measurement alone may only narrow it to "one of those two" — confirm with the serial number.

2. Your pin weight or GVWR

Every spring-based pin box is sprung for a weight band. Too stiff for your trailer and it rides badly; too soft and it's not rated for the load. Buying the biggest number is not the safe choice — it's a worse ride.

MORryde bands by trailer GVWR. CURT, Gen-Y and B&W band by pin weight. Pin weight is typically 15–25% of loaded trailer weight; eTrailer's technicians use GVWR × 0.22 as a working median, but weighing it is better than estimating.

The Specs, Side By Side

Manufacturer-published numbers only

No one has crash-tested these against each other, and we're not going to pretend otherwise — there's no "best riding" column below because nobody can honestly fill it in. What you can compare is how each brand absorbs shock, what it's rated for, what fits your trailer, and what it costs to keep running.

Brand	How it absorbs shock	Tunable?	Upkeep	Capacity	Pin weight	Bolt patterns
Reese Goose Box	Air bag + dual shocks + rubber springs	Yes — air pressure	Check air pressure; bag is a wear item	20,000 / 22,500 lb	4,000 / 4,500 lb	Lippert 1621, 1716, 0719, Rhino; Fabex PB 600
CURT Helux	Automotive-grade coil spring + shock	No — pick the spring rate at purchase	None published	20,000 lb (whole line)	2,350 / 2,700 / 3,200 / 3,900 / 4,300 lb	Lippert Rhino Box pattern
Gen-Y Executive Torsion-Flex	Rubber torsion (Torsion-Flex)	No — pick the pin weight band at purchase	None published; ~1,000 mi break-in	21,000 – 30,000 lb	1,500 – 4,500 lb by model	LCI Rhino, Lippert 1621/1621HD, 1116/1716 (shims), LCI Turning Point
MORryde GooseTech	Rubber shear spring	No — pick the GVWR band at purchase	None — no greasing, no adjustments	19,000 lb (1116/1621/1716) · 24,000 lb (Rhino)	Sized by trailer GVWR band, not a pin number	Lippert 1116, 1621/1621SHD, 1716, Rhino
B&W 5th Wheel to Gooseneck	SumoSpring, dual-axis cushioning	No — pick the pin weight at purchase	None — no airbags, no break-in period	25,000 lb (whole line)	3,250 or 4,500 lb	Lippert 1621/1621HD, 0719, Fabex PB 600; Rhino version; 1116/1716 with shim kit
Shocker Quick Air	Air — but in the truck-side hitch, not the pin box	Yes — 15–25 psi, set by feel	Air pressure; no pin box bolts included	24,000 lb (as a complete kit)	6,000 lb — highest here	Lippert 1621/0719/Rhino · 1716/1116/0115 + FabEx · Turning Point

Specs as published by each manufacturer, checked July 2026. Ratings and fitment change — verify against the current instruction sheet before you order.

Need the gooseneck hitch too?

A pin box needs a ball in your truck bed. Enter your year, make, model and bed and we'll show the under-bed gooseneck hitches that bolt into your truck.

Find My Hitch

Brand By Brand

What's actually different about each one

Reese Goose Box

The only true air-ride unit here, and the only one whose ride you can tune to your actual loaded weight. Gen 3 (94920) supersedes the older 94716/94720.

Spring: Air bag + dual shocks + rubber springs Capacity: 20,000 / 22,500 lb Warranty: Limited lifetime

See all 2 versions & specs

CURT Helux

Capacity is identical across the line — the only thing the part number changes is the spring rate. CURT states up to 30% less force reaching the RV frame vs other gooseneck pin boxes. Built to order.

Spring: Automotive-grade coil spring + shock Capacity: 20,000 lb (whole line) Warranty: Limited lifetime (1 yr finish/parts)

See all 5 versions & specs

Gen-Y Executive Torsion-Flex

The only brand here offering both a manual-latch and an auto-latch coupler, and the only one reaching a 30,000 lb rating. Gen-Y advertises up to a 90% smoother ride.

Spring: Rubber torsion (Torsion-Flex) Capacity: 21,000 – 30,000 lb Warranty: See manufacturer

See all 4 versions & specs

MORryde GooseTech

3" of fore/aft travel — the direction chucking happens; MORryde is explicit that there is essentially no vertical movement. Demco eZ-Latch auto coupler with remote release. Chains sold separately (MR23MV).

Spring: Rubber shear spring Capacity: 19,000 lb (1116/1621/1716) · 24,000 lb (Rhino) Warranty: See manufacturer

See all 15 versions & specs

B&W 5th Wheel to Gooseneck

Newest entry in the category, and the only one damping both axes by design. B&W states use should not void your trailer frame warranty — worth checking against your own trailer maker's wording. Two 42" chains included; Ram HD with the prep package needs the longer chain kit.

Spring: SumoSpring, dual-axis cushioning Capacity: 25,000 lb (whole line) Warranty: See manufacturer

See all 4 versions & specs

Shocker Quick Air

The structural odd one out. The pin box alone is a plain steel converter (~$650–$700); the cushioning lives in Shocker's own gooseneck air hitch, so you buy the kit (~$1,700–$2,045). Compare system cost, not pin box to pin box.

Spring: Air — but in the truck-side hitch, not the pin box Capacity: 24,000 lb (as a complete kit) Warranty: See manufacturer

See all 3 versions & specs

Air Or Spring?

The one real design split in this category

Every brand here damps road shock. They just do it two different ways, and the difference shows up in what you have to do afterwards rather than in a spec sheet number.

Air (Reese Goose Box, Shocker)

• Air pressure sets the spring rate, so you can tune it to how the trailer is actually loaded
• One model covers a wider weight range — less pressure to get the purchase exactly right
• Air pressure is something you check, and the bag is a wear item
• Reese fills through a manifold with an auto relief valve; Shocker runs 15–25 psi set by feel

Spring (CURT, Gen-Y, MORryde, B&W)

• Fixed rate — nothing to inflate, adjust or service after install
• No bag to fail, and nothing to do before a trip
• You commit to the spring rate at purchase — which is why each brand sells 4–15 versions
• Coil (CURT), rubber torsion (Gen-Y), rubber shear (MORryde), SumoSpring (B&W)

The Shocker asterisk

Shocker is listed in this category everywhere, but it's built differently: the air ride is in the truck-side hitch, not the pin box. The Shocker pin box on its own is a plain steel converter around $650–$700, and it only does anything useful paired with Shocker's own gooseneck air hitch. Every other brand here puts the suspension inside the pin box and works with any properly rated 2-5/16" ball. Compare total system cost, not pin box against pin box.

What Else You'll Need

The pin box is not the whole bill

A gooseneck hitch

You need a ball in the bed. If your truck has the factory puck system, a puck-mount gooseneck ball drops in. Otherwise it's an under-bed hitch like a B&W Turnoverball or CURT Double Lock.

Safety chains

Required for gooseneck towing. B&W includes two 42" chains; MORryde and Shocker sell them separately. Ram HD trucks with the prep package need B&W's longer 51-1/2" kit.

An offset ball, on a short bed

Moves the pivot rearward for cab clearance. Match your hitch brand — B&W ball for a B&W hitch, CURT for CURT. Offset balls work with a pin box only, never with a single-point hitch.

A couple of brand-specific ones: Lippert 1116 and 1716 pin boxes need shim plates on both the B&W and the Gen-Y. Shocker's kit doesn't include pin box bolts — you reuse the existing ones.

Still Deciding?

If you haven't settled the bigger question yet — whether to convert the trailer at all instead of buying a fifth wheel hitch — start with Gooseneck Pin Box vs Fifth Wheel Hitch. It lays out both sides without pushing you either way.

Related reading: Pin Box Upgrades Explained covers the cushioned and rotational pin boxes that keep your kingpin. Gooseneck vs Fifth Wheel explains the two connection types. Short bed? Read Short Bed Towing before you order an offset ball.