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Its unfortunate neither frame manufacturers or Gooseneck adapter manufactures have ever indicated they've conducted failure analysis to determine how much or if significant the torque issues may typically be. I personally know of one fulltimer whose Pinbox/frame failed and punched up through the front Bdrm closet on a 2 year old Open Road Fiver. I was advised by one camper who had a Friend that was a working (weekly or more frequent regional movements)traveling Fulltimer Salesman whose used a Gooseneck and their frame failed with similar front end damage in about a year. I don't recall any specific failures on this, RV.net, and IRV2 boards since I've been interested for over 3 years now. There are frequent discussions about Goosenecks and physics on RV.net and no one has presented an uncontested "engineering assessment", nor have several manufacturers desisted from advertising in Trailer Life (and touting their features and benefits in ads or online) or many retailers stopped marketing Gooseneck adapters. So probably failures are not too frequent...
Per the Manufacturer of the Adapter I chose as "better" than most merely mechanical extensions that are prevalent: "The Star Performance Hitch absorbs jerks and bounces, protects your cargo; and extends the life of the trailer and towing vehicle. The secret of its effectiveness is the way the hitch's patented "swing box" dissipates excess vibrations and towing stresses. The patented technology moves in two directions and isolates the stress of the towing vehicle from the trailer."
I just wish everyone who had any kind of Fifth Wheel Hitch/Frame or Gooseneck Adapter Frame failure would report that just as so many do regarding unending Tire Failures (which based on MANY reports would seem inevitable), followed by frequent suspension failures, so that some anecdotal based risk assessment could be made. For me, while the consequences are severe, the likelihood seemed very remote and I made my decision based on that. Similarly, I have replaced all my Five Year Old Tires as the consequences are severe AND the likelihood appears great!
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