Gooseneck VS 5th wheel

[DUBSTER]

By mid year I want to have a 30 to 36 foot camper. I don't want to lose space in the truck bed to the 5th wheel rails. I like the goose neck fold down ball idea. A friend of mine has one mounted in a X brand truck and he loves it. He tows roughly 15000 lbs with it for the past 2 years with no trouble. Is there anything about the goose neck, other than it is harder to hook up, that I need to know??? Is there any adapters out there to change a 5thwheeler camper to a goose neck ???
My main concerns are Dependabilty/Safty.
If I have to give up some bed space to achive the above concerns then I will go with the 5th wheel system.
Thanks
See Ya
Chris
If anyone has any lessons learned about buying a 5th wheel by all means either post them or sent them to my e mail.

 

[C Schomer]

I got a g-neck recepticle at a trailer supply that had jaws that opened in the front so the ball could be backed in and the jaws snapped shut and locked. I think it was Autolock brand. It was slick! I built a new pin box with this on the front. Unfortunately, I was tearing the front of the trailer off with it. Engineers told me, it was because of the added leverage to the front framework. Craig

 

[Don D]

I've also heard of damage to the fiver resulting from converting to a gooseneck hitch as mentioned above. Just think of it as attaching a three foot cheater bar on your trailer's king pin. A friend of mine who owns a body shop told me about a new hitch that sounds great. It uses a receiver type under-bed mount that accepts a drop-in gooseneck ball OR a special new fifth wheel hitch that is held in place by a center shank that drops into the receiver and has a traditional looking weight bearing frame that sits on top of the bed floor without any attaching hardware. When either type hitch is removed, there is only the small trap door in the bed directly over the receiver. No rails or brackets. Maybe someone else here knows the manufacturer or knows if this setup is any good.
I'll ask him about it next time I see him. If it's any good, I'd put one in my next pickup because I'm constantly having to wrestle my 5th wheel in and out so I can use my gooseneck equipment trailer.

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'93 W250, LE, CC, 4x4, 5spd. , Cummins, K&N, 16cm turbo, Power Wagon injectors, Professionaly rebuilt and calibrated pump, straight exhaust, Lund visor w/lights, 5th wheel, Gooseneck, H. D. rear hitch, Aluminum everything. My Rigs

[This message has been edited by Don D (edited 01-16-2001). ]

 

[Kimrey]

I really can't think of any reason one is better than the other. It is a pain to take the 5th in and out. Do you have a prayed in bed liner? I had my bed sprayed then the rails installed then they sprayed over the edges of the rails (looks real nice) with this done it makes it easy to put stuff in and out, it slides over the rails nicely. You need to ask the question, do you use the bed of the truck alot? Most of my hauling I use a trailer. I hope this helps.

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2001. 5 2500 4x4 6 speed white quad cab. k&n air filter, getting ready to add chip and remove muffler. 28'fiver(love to pull it and leave the phords behind!

 

[Happy Camper]

B&W turnover ball hitch with 5th wheel companion hitch. Located at http://www.turnoverball.com/

Plan on getting one out of Missoula Montana.

The goose neck adapter for the 5th wheel looks neat and simple but I bet you can not find one manufacturer that would recommend it. Alpenlite does not. Says at least you will get a bouncy effect. At worst crack the frame.

[This message has been edited by Happy Camper (edited 01-16-2001). ]

 

[Don D]

That's the one! Looks like a slick setup.

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[Ski Bum]

Theoretically a 5th wheel hitch is much more stable against trailer sway than a gooseneck. This is because a normal 5th wheel hitch only pivots in a forward-rewards direction. Any rolling (side-to-side) motion in the trailer would have its energy transferred to the rear axle of the truck. With an anti-roll bar on the rear truck axle the trailer rolling motion is then quickly dampened.

A gooseneck hitch is designed so that this side-to-side motion is not transferred to the truck. The only damping action on a gooseneck trailer therefor is through its own axles and not the truck’s.

Note that the type of 5th wheel hitch that includes a side-to-side pivot (in addition to the forward-rewards pivot) also removes this roll-damping characteristics, and will act the same as a gooseneck in these conditions.

Does this matter? Probably not much. Most of the weight on a 5th wheel travel trailer is on its own axles anyway, so the roll-damping effect provided by the truck through a 5th wheel is not going to be a lot. Almost all horse trailers are gooseneck (as opposed to 5th wheel) and they do just fine. But this roll-damping effect is one of the design concepts of a 5th wheel hitch design.


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2001. 5 2500 QC, SB, 4x4, ETH 6-sp, 3. 54 LSD, SLT++ (everything but cab lights), White over Silver, Tan leather. 4-wheel disk brakes. Delivered 8/31/00.

 

[DUBSTER]

Thanks Don D
Can you tell me who makes this ?? I would like some more info on it. Mainly how makes it and how much weight is it rated for. How it is mounted in the frame and a bunch of others.
Is anyone using this set up ?? From the pictures it looks like something I could use that way use 5th wheel for a Camper and goose neck for other things.
Thanks again
See Ya
Chris

 

[Don D]

I got those pics from the link posted above by Happy Camper.

 

[Happy Camper]

The B&W turnover hitch as I understan it requires "NO NEW HOLES" (just the great big one in the bed. Log on to the web site and go thru the pictures. It is depicted very well.

Don D. What is the poplation of Hope? I used to go to dances there many moons ago. I went to school in Harper and got my education out behind the barn. Just funning you on the population.