Gooseneck .vs. Fifth Wheel

[2Bear]

Howdy,



I would like to hear from those of you who have experience in pulling both GN & 5ers.



Why do horse and equipment trailers use the GN ?

Why do RVs use the 5er ?



Supposedly the 5er is easier to hook up.

Supposedly the GN pulls with less slack in the connection and can take more lateral twist.



Which one has the strongest connection to the truck ?

Whats the bottom line here ?



Also ... what are the strong points of the Pintel hitch ?

I used them a little in my military days - but don't remember that they were anything special... ... kinda sloppy as I recall... ... I suppose it'd be a strength issue.



Sincere Thanks

Ray

 

[HBarlow]

Ray,



As an RV transporter I own all four hitch types, ball, fifth, gooseneck, and pintle and have pulled all of them.



I think cowboys, farmers, etc. prefer the gooseneck because all it takes is a ball welded or bolted in on a plate for a hitch and they are practical. A gn ball leaves the truck bed or flat bed essentially clean and free of obstructions.



The RV industry uses the fifth wheel, possibly because the kingpin is less obvious/less ugly, less of a safety hazard for walking into when disconnected and people are walking around in a park or campground.



It is easier to back to the hitch on a fiver with a pickup because you can see the kingpin and hitch from the driver's seat. With a gooseneck, regardless how good you are you still have to get out of the cab a time or two to get the ball under the gooseneck.



There is no slack in the fiver hitch with a Reese or other quality fifth wheel. Some lesser brands, although durable and safe, provide a loose connection and the clunking gets old.



The truck can turn 90 degrees plus under either when properly set up. Not a short bed truck though.



A true pintle, not a hybrid using a 2" drawbar and 2" receiver, has far greater strength and can carry far more tongue weight than a ball hitch. The inherent slack in a pintle hitch is not usually much of a problem because the tongue weight of a heavy trailer sets it down on the ring pretty hard. I have never towed with a true pintle but have used a combo ball with a hook over it... I think they are called lunette. Same function but can also be used for a ball coupler.



From an engineering or metallurgy standpoint I would guess the fiver/king pin is stronger because it uses an industry standard 2" kinpin, same as OTR big rigs. A gooseneck depends on a ball and shank and the largest shank I've ever seen was a little over 1" diameter. Some balls are rated for 30k lbs. though.



Harvey

 

[grasmo]

Not sure what a 5er weighs but my goose neck hitch is rated for 30k lbs,and my gooseneck trailer is rated 20k Gross not sure what my backhoe weighs. My trailer has tandem axles with dual wheels so I've got 8 tires back there.

 

[RGrizzle]

Howdy,



I would like to hear from those of you who have experience in pulling both GN & 5ers.



Why do horse and equipment trailers use the GN ?

Why do RVs use the 5er ?



Supposedly the 5er is easier to hook up.

Supposedly the GN pulls with less slack in the connection and can take more lateral twist.



Which one has the strongest connection to the truck ?

Whats the bottom line here ?



Also ... what are the strong points of the Pintel hitch ?

I used them a little in my military days - but don't remember that they were anything special... ... kinda sloppy as I recall... ... I suppose it'd be a strength issue.



Sincere Thanks

Ray

there are adapters to put on a fifth wheel pin box to change it to a gooseneck . but , from what i have heard it will void the warranty on a new fifth wheel camper . they say that the adapter hanging down puts too much leverage on the trailer frame and could crack it or warp it .

 

[PToombs]

Most goose ball hitches will tilt more side to side than the the 5th wheel. I have noticed the newer top end hitches will tilt quite a bit.

 

[MChildress]

My neighbor upgraded to bigger fiver in 04, Holiday Rambler Presidential 38 ft with 16,400 gvw. He had the dealer change out the fiver hitch to GN before he took delivery and hasnt looked back. He has the B&W turn over ball,it has a 30,000 gvw rating. He has had no problems and loves not having to mess with fiver hitch taking it in and out of the bed.

 

[telliott]

never used a fiver, but the gooseneck is nice because it leaves the bed open for other things. never had anyproblems with it, and you can turn it as tight as the pickup will turn as long as you dont catch the back of the cab. it does provide significant tilt, and if you dont have a flat bed, can crunch your box if your not careful.

 

[JHardwick]

I think cowboys, farmers, etc. prefer the gooseneck because all it takes is a ball welded or bolted in on a plate for a hitch and they are practical. A gn ball leaves the truck bed or flat bed essentially clean and free of obstructions.

Some of the uneven terrain that I end up on would eat a 5er alive! An RV is most generally on the highway, or in a well laid out campground.

It is easier to back to the hitch on a fiver with a pickup because you can see the kingpin and hitch from the driver's seat. With a gooseneck, regardless how good you are you still have to get out of the cab a time or two to get the ball under the gooseneck.

I always put my right foot on the brake and my left foot on the clutch ... ... ... stretch around like a turtle and watch the ball go under the hitch ... ... ... ... . 1st time every time!



All you do is load the clutch slightly, and use the brake to ease backwards.

 

[JHardwick]

it does provide significant tilt, and if you dont have a flat bed, can crunch your box if your not careful.

I had both box corners beat up when I had my truck painted last August ... ... ... ... . I've got the passenger side corner beat up again!

 

[2Bear]

Thanks for the response all.



Harvey - as usual - thanks for your take on it - you hit the mark.



Grasmo - thanks for the weight ratings -

I found that useful - as down the road I'd like to get a dump and a flatbed trailer.



Telliott ... . I thought that they would tilt a bit more - useful for the mountains ie. ,

dirt/rock roads - which is where I'll be. Thanks.



Ptoombs - Newer Top End Hitches ? - I guess you mean the top manufacturers -

and what would they be ? What manufacturer gets two thumbs up ?



JHardwick ... ... . Yeah that does it ! ... ..... That's why I'll be gettin' a flatbed for that GN!

I can crunch bedsides along with the best of em... . yessir... ... . yeeee-haa.



... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ..... ...

I'll be going with a GN on a flatbed,

and my main trailer will be a horse trailer with Living quarters - (Liking the Platinum models at this point ) that's my idea of an RV. I can still stick a horse or snowmobile in the back - yet it is a good bit sleeker than a RV/toy hauler.

Seems to me the better horse trailers are built a bit stronger too.



Thanks again for all the replys.



Ray

 

[JHardwick]

JHardwick Yeah that does it ! That's why I'll be gettin' a flatbed !

I can crunch along with the best of em



Ray

I have horse trailers and flatbed trailers, the flat bed trailers usually have more "neck" clearance ... ... ... ... . I need a flat bed on the truck :-laf



When I had this bed fixed and painted, it was only $500 additional when painting the whole truck. That was cheaper than an Eby bed!

 

[2Bear]

JHardwick,



That's what I was thinking when considering this setup...

I want a long flatbed / long wheelbase on the truck so I can :



A: Have some real room for a fuel tank and big tool box and a small welder.



B: Build a doghouse ( He ain't ridin' in the cab wit me - wet or dry ) !



C: Longer wheelbase should give me a sweeter ride.



D: Give me a serious work truck around the place... . haulin' firewood and hay.



Good Theory - just hope it works out the way I am thinkin'.

I figger it'll be tougher to park (I don't care),

and a bit tougher to maneuver ( I do care - but ya can't have it all ).



Ray

.

 

[Russknh]

I build every truck I own the same way,turnover ball gn with companion hitch, superhitch with frame mounted tiedowns for slide in and this gives me the option of all trailers and campers.

 

[2Bear]

Russknh,

You got a photo of one of those ? ... ... ( or a link ? ).

I don't know what a superhitch is... . or companion hitch.



Ahhhhhhh - nevermind - I found it... ... . not doing a slide in... . look funny on a flatbed eh ?

thanks anyway



Regards,

Ray

 

[icman95]

The Reese Signature series hitch can give you the best of both worlds. Instead of bolting to the bed, it has a support frame that bolts under it to the frame with four round connection points coming up through the bed. Into these you can connect their fifth wheel hitch and remove it at will to make your bed completely flat and useable. They also offer a gooseneck connection that fits in the same spot so that you can use either or depending upon which kind of trailer you need to pull on any given day. I only have the 5th connection, but I love it! When it's out, you would never know I had one in there. Use the truck to haul firewood for myself and there's no difference between now and before I had it installed.

 

[HBarlow]

JHardwick,



Good point about the advantage of a gooseneck hitch on rough terrain. I overlooked that one because my experience with a gn has been limited to highway travel.



Are you saying you can see your gooseneck and ball from the driver's seat, even with a pickup? I went back up the page and looked at your signature again, I guess you have a regular cab. I've only owned QCs and they are the "default mode" in my mind.



Harvey

 

[Lurch]

When I was hauling cars I opted for a 5th wheel hitch for a different reason. I knew I'd be dropping in unfamiliar areas on occasion. Seems like every yukluk with a truck has a gooseneck ball in it, but the people with fivers are more likely to be the rv crowd so presumably less likely to steal a trailer.

Goose is certainly better for articulation but I cold easily bang my rails with the 5th wheel hitch too.

I'm 6'4" and I can see the ball in a quad cab.

 

[ScottLauer]

I'm only 5'9 and I can see the ball. I have to stretch out and look like a kid trying to see over the counter at the candy store, but I can do it! If mine was a shortbox it would probably make a difference but I really don't have any problems with my quad cab longbox when it comes to hooking up to a GN

 

[DCreed]

a 4" convex spot mirror on the front of the goose works wonders!

 

[JHardwick]

JHardwick,



Good point about the advantage of a gooseneck hitch on rough terrain. I overlooked that one because my experience with a gn has been limited to highway travel.



Are you saying you can see your gooseneck and ball from the driver's seat, even with a pickup? I went back up the page and looked at your signature again, I guess you have a regular cab. I've only owned QCs and they are the "default mode" in my mind.



Harvey

Actually, it is a QC, not sure how I left that out of my signature?



But, yeah, I load the clutch slightly with my left foot, and use my right foot on the brake to ease the truck back while leaning back over the center console. You'd likely kill a gasser doing this without any throttle?