Gooseneck VS 5th Wheel

[Pullstart 62,922]

For those of you with truck driving experience... what is your preference and why?  I have more experience driving gooseneck than 5th wheel. I like the idea that the trailer can flex according to the road more independently than the 5th wheel plate.  As far as steering, I believe that is negligible as they both pivot over the rear axle.  @Bear G you’re a trucker... what do you say?  Anyone else please chime in as well!

[cschannuth 3,816]

Either is a huge step up in ease of towing and quality of ride in the truck compared to a bumper hitch trailer of the same weight.  I think, like you, the gooseneck would flex more, especially in tight situations. 

[The Tuul Crib 7,336]

Mybe it has something to do with 

the mason dickson line? North term

and south term?

[Pullstart 62,922]

1 minute ago, The Tuul Crib said:

Mybe it has something to do with 

the mason dickson line? North term

and south term?

5th wheel think semi trailer.  Gooseneck, think horse trailer.  The 5th wheel has a king pin that lock into the hitch plate, the gooseneck rides atop a 2-5/16” ball.  

[bc.gold 3,403]

43 minutes ago, pullstart said:

For those of you with truck driving experience... what is your preference and why?  I have more experience driving gooseneck than 5th wheel. I like the idea that the trailer can flex according to the road more independently than the 5th wheel plate.  As far as steering, I believe that is negligible as they both pivot over the rear axle.  @Bear G you’re a trucker... what do you say?  Anyone else please chime in as well!

 

 

Edited February 12, 2021 by bcgold

[bc.gold 3,403]

10 minutes ago, pullstart said:

5th wheel think semi trailer.  Gooseneck, think horse trailer.  The 5th wheel has a king pin that lock into the hitch plate, the gooseneck rides atop a 2-5/16” ball.  

 

2-5/16" trailer balls range in capacity from 6,000 up to 30,000 lbs.

 

[Maxwell-8 4,277]

We rarely see goosenecks around here. (an american thing) I guess 5th wheel can handle more weight.

Edited February 12, 2021 by Maxwell-8

[Racinbob 11,100]

Never thought about this before. Interesting.  I can see where a gooseneck would pivot more but I'm not sure the difference matters much. For many years we pulled a larger travel trailer and never had any issues. I was always a fanatic about the hitch equipment. Then we got a 38' fifth wheel and was amazed at the stability. One time I was forced off the road to avoid a head on. Bouncing through the field my mind flashed to worrying if the truck and trailer were going to handle it. It did an awesome job and I was able to get it back on the road safely. Fortunately my wife knew enough to open the cabinets very carefully. 

[Pullstart 62,922]

Reason I ask, is we recently ordered a 5th wheel Toy Hauler camper.  I have a turnover ball gooseneck hitch in Norman.  The idea of this Andersen Ranch Hitch excites me.  I can’t think of a reason it wouldn’t work, so I made a deal on one.  It has a threaded 3 piece wedge assembly that goes onto the groove of the trailer pin, then the assembly threads on and is either welded or bolted into place as a fail safe.  I will add safety chains as well.

 

[Pullstart 62,922]

One thing I’d like to add, is Norman is rated at 15k lbs 5th wheel towing.  The toy hauler’s max gvw loaded down is less than 14k.

[cschannuth 3,816]

8 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Reason I ask, is we recently ordered a 5th wheel Toy Hauler camper.  I have a turnover ball gooseneck hitch in Norman.  The idea of this Andersen Ranch Hitch excites me.  I can’t think of a reason it wouldn’t work, so I made a deal on one.  It has a threaded 3 piece wedge assembly that goes onto the groove of the trailer pin, then the assembly threads on and is either welded or bolted into place as a fail safe.  I will add safety chains as well.

 

My brother installed one of these adapters and it worked great. Like you, he already had the turnover ball in his truck and didn’t feel like having to mess around with the fifth wheel hitch.

[Pullstart 62,922]

Just now, cschannuth said:

My brother installed one of these adapters and it worked great. Like you, he already had the turnover ball in his truck and didn’t feel like having to mess around with the fifth wheel hitch.

I feel,like the extra space saving in the bed will be huge too!

[cschannuth 3,816]

7 minutes ago, pullstart said:

feel,like the extra space saving in the bed will be huge too!

Absolutely. Sometimes those fifth wheels can be a booger to get hitched up too if your truck and trailer aren’t lined up perfectly and in the same level plane.

[SylvanLakeWH 25,606]

50 minutes ago, pullstart said:

Reason I ask, is we recently ordered a 5th wheel Toy Hauler camper.  I have a turnover ball gooseneck hitch in Norman.  The idea of this Andersen Ranch Hitch excites me.  I can’t think of a reason it wouldn’t work, so I made a deal on one.  It has a threaded 3 piece wedge assembly that goes onto the groove of the trailer pin, then the assembly threads on and is either welded or bolted into place as a fail safe.  I will add safety chains as well.

 

 Curious, same stresses etc on the truck, bed, hitch?

[cschannuth 3,816]

18 minutes ago, SylvanLakeWH said:

 Curious, same stresses etc on the truck, bed, hitch?

The hitch for the gooseneck and the fifth wheel are mounted directly to the truck frame rails in a similar fashion. The gooseneck ball is close to the truck frame so it probably puts more stress on the tongue of the trailer. The fifth wheel coupler is mounted closer to the trailer pin so it probably put a little more stress on the truck frame from a leverage standpoint. Both are many times better than the stress put on the rear of a truck by a bumper hitch trailer. However, if a weight distributing hitch is used on a bumper hitch trailer and adjusted properly, it puts the same amount of tongue weight on the front truck axle as the back and it can also work well. 

[Achto 27,622]

3 hours ago, pullstart said:

I like the idea that the trailer can flex according to the road more independently than the 5th wheel plate.

 

If you are worried about side to side flex then the purchase of a double pivot 5th wheel hitch will cure that issue. Most hitches of this grade can also be adjusted forward or back to transfer weight on the truck or to make clearance for turning when used in a short bed truck. This forward or back adjustment can be made with the trailer hooked on. When you are not towing, remove 4 pins and the hitch assembly can be removed. Here is one that I found on a quick search.

https://www.pplmotorhomes.com/parts/towing-hitches-jacks-chassis/hitches/fifth-wheel-hitches/dbl-pivot-fifth-whl-hitch_94-0343?gclid=CjwKCAiA65iBBhB-EiwAW253Wx_1pHM-Jac6Obit-mD_2u6vMTVo0HD5OSdig3G00oo36NW506f3qhoCOzMQAvD_BwE

 

 

Another consideration is ease of hooking up. You have to be almost exact when dropping on the ball for a goose neck. A 5th wheel has some side to side grace when backing in to hook up. If the trailer hitch height is slightly low the truck suspension will squat as the trailer rides up on the hitch to allow the hitch to lock.

 

For strength here is a thought for you. DOT requires the use of safety chains when using a goose neck hitch. Safety chains are not required when using a 5th wheel. The king pin on a camper 5th wheel is the same size as the one on a semi trailer. Not too often that you see a semi accident where the trailer came loose from the tractor. 

 

I may be a little bias to 5th wheels but I thought that I would throw out my point of view.

Edited February 13, 2021 by Achto

[Pullstart 62,922]

Good points Dan!  This has a bell on the hitch sleeve that allows up to 3” variance it says.  I’ve hooked many a goosenecks up too, somImhave a feeling I’ll get used to that.  Apparently this is still considered a 5th Wheel hitch somehow, so they don’t require safety chains but I am opting for them anyway.

[Pullstart 62,922]

Well, the hitch has been sitting in MO for about a week.  It finally started moving again and is scheduled to arrive here on Monday!