Goosebox, funny noise, figured it out..

**Overtaxed** · 10-23-2020, 06:30 PM

My GB has been making a unhappy noise when I hit certain kinds of bumps; I finally took a long look at it today, and, well, I think I figured it out. Appears that I broke it.

There's a bolt running through the shocks in the Goosebox that you can see going through the entire box from one side to the other. Both shocks are attached to this bolt, and, well, no reason for more suspense, it's bent pretty good. I'm sure it's the shocks moving around on a no longer straight/true bolt that's causing the noise. I'm going to have the dealer submit it for warranty, hopefully they'll put new shocks in too; lord knows what kind of damage the "noise" did to the shocks as they tried to move around on a no longer true bolt.

Kind of unhappy, I'm about 10K in with the GB. I really do like it, hopefully this was just a bad bolt and not an engineering defect. I'll shoot some pictures of it tomorrow morning for everyone and also let you know how Reese handles it. If you look at the diagram here, you can kind of see how it works, part 6 (shocks), go through a pin in the bottom (which is shown but doesn't seem to have a number), that pin is what bent.

https://images.carid.com/reese/pdf/r...structions.pdf

This is the 20K Goosbox on a 351M that's usually around 15-15.5K loaded for travel; no way it was overloaded, simply not possible, it would have broken an axle to get the trailer to 20K (and yes, while the link above is for the 16K Goosebox, I have the 20K version on my 351M, I can't find a parts blowup for the 20K version).

Oh well, other than that, successful week camping so far. I figured out you can run the hot water on gas AND electric at the same time, that's a big help for back to back showers!

**WhittleBurner** · 10-23-2020, 06:59 PM

Bummer on the Goosebox, hope they remedy that for you quickly. My first thought was the roads you were on must of been really rough and maybe you drove through MI lol.

Enjoy your hot shower!

**geotex1** · 10-23-2020, 08:00 PM

Their warranty is the real deal. You'll get replacement components. If any issue at all, send me a PM and I'll put you in touch with the Director at Horizon. Your only issue may be the lack of parts inventory, which I experienced with them. My speculation would be too great of articulation.

**cookinwitdiesel** · 10-23-2020, 09:50 PM

What is your pin weight? The 20k is only rated to a 4000# pin weight and the 16k is rated to 3200#

**Overtaxed** · 10-24-2020, 04:40 AM

Originally Posted by cookinwitdiesel

What is your pin weight? The 20k is only rated to a 4000# pin weight and the 16k is rated to 3200#

Almost exactly 3K lbs, I've been across a CAT scale a few times with this rig, gotten 3100 and 2900, but, loaded for travel, it's right around 3050 or so lbs.

Bummer on the Goosebox, hope they remedy that for you quickly. My first thought was the roads you were on must of been really rough and maybe you drove through MI lol.

Well, they have been, but every road in America seems to be bombed out rough anymore. No massive potholes or anything, just your typical pothole-pothole-expansion joint-expansion joint loveliness that is American highways.

Their warranty is the real deal.

That's good to know, maybe they have a harder bolt that can be used instead. I've got my rig heading in in a few weeks for (hopefully) it's final warranty service; I'm letting the dealer do this repair, it's not gonna be fun. I don't think you'll get the bolt out of there without cutting it, and there's almost no room to cut on it at all because the shocks are on either side of it. Maybe you can articulate the shocks individually to get it out, but, if not, it's gonna be a bear (or, in layman's terms, "a lot of cursing required!).

I'll snap some pictures for everyone this morning, I'm still not exactly sure what to make of it. Really strange thing, the bolt it bent up, not down?! Like the shock overextended so hard upward that it bent the bolt. I have no idea how that could have happened and not broken the shock, I mean, that's a wild amount of force required to bend what appears to be around a 1/2" bolt. I guess, just thinking about it, going down, the airbag takes some of the force out, going up, there's nothing but the shocks to stop it? I hope that's not true, shocks aren't usually designed to be the travel limiters, but, that's what it looks like happened.

**Overtaxed** · 10-24-2020, 03:59 PM

As promised, a few pictures. Still scratching my head on this one, really not sure how that could have gotten bent like this.

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**ThePowells** · 10-24-2020, 06:32 PM

Originally Posted by Overtaxed

As promised, a few pictures. Still scratching my head on this one, really not sure how that could have gotten bent like this.

Especially since the weight would have been pushing down.

**Calbar** · 10-24-2020, 07:34 PM

Originally Posted by ThePowells

Especially since the weight would have been pushing down.

Could have happened when a large bump wanted to pull the trailer up quickly. Shocks dampened the up load of the bump but bent the screw as they pulled up hard. Or could have bent on a down force but the over time the pull of the shocks to compress rotated the screw. Just a couple of thoughts.

Rob

**Overtaxed** · 10-24-2020, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by Calbar

Could have happened when a large bump wanted to pull the trailer up quickly. Shocks dampened the up load of the bump but bent the screw as they pulled up hard. Or could have bent on a down force but the over time the pull of the shocks to compress rotated the screw. Just a couple of thoughts.

Rob

Reasonable guesses. Hopefully Reese will have a good answer, I'm really hoping it's a defect in mfg or the bolt itself, I really have not been "hard" on this thing beyond some relatively rough roads (I-85, 81, NY Thruway/Northway). I'm not jumping moguls with it or anything! And my trailer has Comfort Ride shocks on it, which should help take out some of the movement anyway. Putting it simply, it should not have bent; it was at 75% of rated load and nothing out of the ordinary for someone doing a lot of towing with their rig. Hopefully Reese will have a good answer for me, but my "feel good" meter is a bit low. You guys should see what I put my gooseneck dump trailer through with more weight on the pin and the trailer itself, that connection looks brand new years later. Of course it's a fixed connection (no float/airbags/shocks) but still, if they can build a GN horse trailer or dump trailer to take it, the Goosebox should be able to do at least as well (given it's a lot more expensive than any other hitches I have).

**geotex1** · 10-25-2020, 04:31 AM

Originally Posted by Overtaxed

Reasonable guesses. Hopefully Reese will have a good answer, I'm really hoping it's a defect in mfg or the bolt itself, I really have not been "hard" on this thing beyond some relatively rough roads (I-85, 81, NY Thruway/Northway). I'm not jumping moguls with it or anything! And my trailer has Comfort Ride shocks on it, which should help take out some of the movement anyway. Putting it simply, it should not have bent; it was at 75% of rated load and nothing out of the ordinary for someone doing a lot of towing with their rig. Hopefully Reese will have a good answer for me, but my "feel good" meter is a bit low. You guys should see what I put my gooseneck dump trailer through with more weight on the pin and the trailer itself, that connection looks brand new years later. Of course it's a fixed connection (no float/airbags/shocks) but still, if they can build a GN horse trailer or dump trailer to take it, the Goosebox should be able to do at least as well (given it's a lot more expensive than any other hitches I have).

I too have goose necks on all of my other trailers. However, they're radically different and built purely for function, with ZERO tow comfort!

Any chance you had a completely empty air bag while towing, or was your unit in for service somewhere that didn't have the best equipment to move it with a goose setup?