Recommended 5th Wheel or Gooseneck Setup for a 2026 Silverado 3500 Long Bed Without OEM Prep  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Thanks for reaching out Darrell, congrats on the new truck and camper!

You've actually got a great blank slate to work with here. With the 2026 Silverado 3500, we can eliminate the slider and build you a clean setup without industry standard rails permanently sitting in the bed.

My starting point would be the B&W Turnoverball Underbed Gooseneck Hitch # BWGNRK1020. It's a confirmed fit for your 2026 Silverado 3500 without the factory prep package, requires no frame drilling and leaves you with a completely open bed when the ball or 5th wheel hitch is removed.

From there, you have two really good directions:

If you want to stay with a traditional 5th wheel: pair the Turnoverball with the B&W Companion fixed 5th wheel hitch. The complete combination is # BW65SR, rated for 20,000 lbs. Since you have the 8' bed, there's no reason to carry around the extra weight and cost of a slider. When you want your bed back, the Companion comes out and you're left with only the Turnoverball opening in the bed.

If you want the cleanest and simplest truck bed: use the same Turnoverball and replace the Montana's Lippert 1116 pin box with a cushioned gooseneck pin box. Your belief that the 381TH uses a Lippert 1116 pattern is consistent with the information we have for this exact Montana model, but I'd still want to verify the identification on your existing pin box before you order.

For an 1116, we have several Gen-Y options, and the correct one is selected by the trailer's GVWR and loaded pin weight. For example, # GY48FR replaces a Lippert 1116/1716 and is designed around a 2,500 to 4,500 lb pin weight range. You'll also need Safety Chains # GY49GR when towing from the gooseneck ball.

Between the two, I'd lean toward the B&W Turnoverball and Companion for your situation if staying near the $3,000 installed budget is important. The complete B&W hitch combination is currently around $1,800 before installation, which leaves considerably more room in your budget for installation and adding the in bed 7 way.

The Gen-Y route gives you the cleanest truck bed and eliminates having to move a 5th wheel hitch in and out altogether, but the pin box itself is currently around $1,850 before adding the Turnoverball, safety chains, wiring, and installation. That puts you much closer to your $3,000 ceiling.

Either way, I would install the B&W Turnoverball first. It gives you the foundation for either direction without drilling all of the holes required for above bed rails, and you aren't locking yourself into one towing style.

What is the GVWR listed on your Montana, and if you can find the identification sticker on the current pin box, what model or Lippert number does it show? With those two pieces, I can verify the pin box and lay out the exact parts list for both options so you can compare them dollar for dollar.

expert reply by: James D

0

Darrell C.

8/11/2026

GVWR is 17000 and it’s a Lippert 1116 pinbox.

James D.

8/11/2026

@DarrellC perfect, thanks for confirming! If you decide to go with the gooseneck setup, the Gen Y Executive Gooseneck Pin Box # GY48FR is the one to go with. It replaces your Lippert 1116 and has a 2,500 to 4,500 lb pin weight range, which matches your 17K Montana. On the truck side, pair that with the B&W Turnoverball # BWGNRK1020 and add the Curt in bed 7 way # C53CR since your Silverado doesn't have the factory bed connector. So your gooseneck setup would be: B&W Turnoverball # BWGNRK1020 Gen Y Executive # GY48FR Gen Y Safety Chains # GY49GR Curt In Bed 7 Way # C53CR If staying as close as possible to your $3,000 installed budget is the priority, I'd still lean toward the B&W Turnoverball and Companion # BW65SR with the # C53CR in bed 7 way and keep your current 1116 pin box for now. The Gen Y route is going to cost more but the tradeoff is that you won't have a heavy fifth wheel hitch to remove whenever you want the full bed back. For your long bed dually, both are setups I'd be comfortable with. It really comes down to whether you'd rather save some money and stay with a traditional fifth wheel, or spend a little more for the convenience of towing the Montana directly from the gooseneck ball. How often do you use the truck bed when you're not towing the Montana?