Gen Y Gooseneck, 5" Offset puck, 2025 340RL

[M and E]

The tow vehicle is a 2024 F350, Ultimate Lariat, CC, SB, 6.7L SO, dual channel air bags, Bilstein 5100 on all four corners, and Sulastic shackles. Standard height.

I'm going to use this thread to memorialize my experiences with the Gen Y. The installation was super easy with two people, one person could do it though but not nearly as easily. We attached the Gen Y to the ball, supported the rear of the hitch with Jack stands, backed it up to a raised RV, then lowered the RV down onto the hitch. Piece of cake. About one hour to install, not including hitch removal and tidying up the tools at the end.

With the B&W companion hitch, I had my bags at 90 pounds and the rig and RV were completely level (well nose was a skosh high but you get the drift...nearly level) Today, I filled the bags to 90 and it was higher in the rear (clearance was less at the back of the truck vs the nose of the rig). There a few variables to consider in these measurements but at the nose it was about 8" front, 6" rear. Dropped the pressure to 80 and I gained 1/2" at the rear and lost about the same at the front. I may wind up dropping the hitch down one hole set which will give me 1" of additional clearance.

I did not have time to tow with it today but will this week. If we have time, I'll get a few videos of us backing with the rig...one way or the other we'll get the pics and videos of the backing, just maybe not this week.

I did test hitching and unhitching a few times. Absolutely positively a piece of cake with the cameras.

If I have done my measurements correctly, I will have 1.5 inches inside of the retractable bed cover's rails for clearance which should be fine in all conditions. I'll take that measurement too on a tight turn. Hopefully I am right.

I forgot my paint pen (only have one) and will be marking the bolts for torque references.

 

[BryanValRox]

Mike, nice write up!

As a suggestion,
Instead of a paint pen to mark your bolts, they make what is called Torque Putty. It works the same but is thicker and it will crack it the bolts loosens up.

 

[M and E]

Mike, nice write up!

As a suggestion,
Instead of a paint pen to mark your bolts, they make what is called Torque Putty. It works the same but is thicker and it will crack it the bolts loosens up.

First I've ever heard of it! Thank you!

 

[2 Allies]

Looks great Mike!

 

[M and E]

I’ll add more about the towing experience later but wanted to show the angle of attack on backing. Again, the tow vehicle is a 2024 F350, Ultimate Lariat, CC, SB, 6.7L SO, dual channel air bags, Bilstein 5100 on all four corners, and Sulastic shackles. Standard height.

This angle is ~70 degrees. I imagine the gap would close quickly past 75 degrees, but I could certainly get 80 degrees with adequate clearance between the cap and cab. I don’t think I’d ever need more than that.

 

[rayep]

Those pics are a great help. I have the exact same truck. My question is how much room is between the RV and the tail gate when the tail gate is down? WIth the slider in tow mode there is like 3 inches of clearance but in the extended mode i can walk between the tail gate and the RV meaning i can get to my storage area while connection or disconnecting. Just curious.

 

[M and E]

Those pics are a great help. I have the exact same truck. My question is how much room is between the RV and the tail gate when the tail gate is down? WIth the slider in tow mode there is like 3 inches of clearance but in the extended mode i can walk between the tail gate and the RV meaning i can get to my storage area while connection or disconnecting. Just curious.

That is a great question. I don't have the exact measurement but in my mind's eye I would guess there was about 6" between the gate and the body of the RV. I'll get it next time I hook up.

 

[M and E]

Those pics are a great help. I have the exact same truck. My question is how much room is between the RV and the tail gate when the tail gate is down? WIth the slider in tow mode there is like 3 inches of clearance but in the extended mode i can walk between the tail gate and the RV meaning i can get to my storage area while connection or disconnecting. Just curious.

I want to add that the short clearance between the bed and the RV does not make hooking the chains up super easy.

 

[Lantley]

When I look at those photos my only concern is taking a sharp turn on an incline.
Adequate clearances on flat ground can quickly disappear when turning sharp into an incline or decline.

 

[M and E]

When I look at those photos my only concern is taking a sharp turn on an incline.
Adequate clearances on flat ground can quickly disappear when turning sharp into an incline or decline.

That is a good callout and a reasonable concern for sure. Though I don't have the exact measurements, I have greater clearance with this setup, 5" offset ball, than I had with the B&W Companion Slider in the towing position and the pivot arms in the forward mounting bracket (cab to RV which is the clearance i think you are referring to). I think that is a pretty common configuration (CC, SB, Companion Slider) so it is likely not an issue. Also, there are just loads of owners on the Facebook site with the Gen Y on our rigs towing with short beds and I've not heard of it being an issue (nobody reports 90 degrees though, that I have seen at least) However, I'll test it out get the measurements, do the math, and get the answer. My bed is also 6' 9". Maybe this weekend.

 

[M and E]

I did a short test tow with the rig (2025 340RL). Roads were here in Lee County...I-75, suburban roads, city streets, rough and smooth, and we also have off camber roads here for water drainage (on camber too but you get the drift).

The improvement in pitch control was dramatic. The Gen-Y manages vertical and longitudinal forces far better than the B&W Companion, resulting in a remarkable (honestly remarkable) reduction in the “push-pull” energy that used to drive the pitching cycle. The entire rig now feels noticeably more stable — lighter, quieter, and far more controlled. It’s almost as if the trailer is gliding behind the truck instead of tugging at it. It just does not feel like you are pulling anything heavy at all. Both of us noticed the difference immediately. Gen Y wins on this.

Roll stability was impressive. I was lucky to be able to test in 15MPH crosswinds. The Gen-Y isolates side-to-side motion of the trailer similarly (not mechanically similar) to the B&W Companion, but transfer of energy to the truck is reduced significantly. Though it feels flatter and more composed, the trailer itself likely is not. But, control over the tow vehicle is improved because of the lack of energy transfer. Have to call this a draw…there will absolutely be conditions where a traditional hitch will perform better in roll energy than does a gooseneck, and vice versa.

The difference in yaw control was way better with the Gen Y. There’s less delay between steering input and trailer movement (I’d die on that hill for sure…night and day), and the whole setup tracks more predictably. Backing was actually boatloads easier for me. I liked that we were able to really wiggle our way back into the spot with ease. Big win for the Gen Y on yaw.

There are cons, and I'll share them as I make more observations. But, overall, there is just zero comparison between the B&W and the Gen Y, with the Gen Y being superior. Tracks better, smoother, quieter, more control over the tow vehicle, greater isolation of energy from the trailer to the truck. I did see an improvement on MPG but I want to hold off on saying this is a fact.

Hitching was a piece of cake. When I unhooked, the ball did get stuck. I put the truck in reverse, no gas, reset the parking brake, and it lifted right off. Learning curve I guess.

Anyhow, these are all first impressions. Time will tell, but holy smokes was this thing impressive. More to come.

 

[2 Allies]

Sounds great Mike! Received my new Gen-Y today, hope to install next week.
Thanks,

 

[M and E]

Sounds great Mike! Received my new Gen-Y today, hope to install next week.
Thanks,

Good luck! The Gen Y weighs 164 Lbs and is weighted heavy at the front making it a bit awkward for one guy to muscle it around. For me, having one of my buddies there helped a lot. We just hooked it up to the ball, put it on jack stands and backed right into the Rhino box. Gen Y specifies the torque settings at 160 foot pounds...just saying that as some folks have torque wrenches with a 150 ft. lb. limit. I hope you are as impressed as I am!

 

[M and E]

When I look at those photos my only concern is taking a sharp turn on an incline.
Adequate clearances on flat ground can quickly disappear when turning sharp into an incline or decline.

Here’s the math to fully close that gap at 70 degrees. We’d need about 28 degrees of angle to fully close the gap between the cap and the cab while turning at 70 degrees.

 

[Lantley]

I'm not disputing the trig equation. But I have also seen some pretty awkward turns entering and exiting campsites and campsite roads. The rear wheels of the trailer can be 3' or more above or below the rear wheels of the truck, especially on a long trailer.
Now I agree these circumstances are rare. My main point is one needs to be aware and alert that ample clearance on flat ground may not be adequate if there is a steep incline involved.

 

[M and E]

I'm not disputing the trig equation. But I have also seen some pretty awkward turns entering and exiting campsites and campsite roads. The rear wheels of the trailer can be 3' or more above or below the rear wheels of the truck, especially on a long trailer.
Now I agree these circumstances are rare. My main point is one needs to be aware and alert that ample clearance on flat ground may not be adequate if there is a steep incline involved.

Yup! Appreciated, agree, and completely understand. I hope it did not seem to be pushback. Only intention was to support that the concern is valid and that we should be good up to about 70 degrees of turn angle. 28 degrees is a lot of offset.

 

[M and E]

Those pics are a great help. I have the exact same truck. My question is how much room is between the RV and the tail gate when the tail gate is down? WIth the slider in tow mode there is like 3 inches of clearance but in the extended mode i can walk between the tail gate and the RV meaning i can get to my storage area while connection or disconnecting. Just curious.

I'd call that 7 inches.