I'm confused

[DMAX LEGEND]

Hi All,
Newbie here and it probably shows. I've never had a travel trailer, but have been lurking here for a bit. I have always thought that 5th wheel trailers ( with a hitch similar to a scaled down 18 wheeler's hitch ) were synonomous with goose neck trailers. Two different terms used to describe the same thing. After reading some posts here, it is obvious that they are different. How are they different, and what are the pros and cons of each? Sorry for what may seem to be a dumb question, but all my towing has been with ball type hitches.

[chipper]

The gooseneck is a ball mounted in the approximate center of the bed with a vertical pipe type hitch that sits on the ball giving similar towing characteristics to the 5er hitch.

[arveetek]

No such thing as a dumb question! smile.gif

Here is a very general break-down of the different type of trailer hitchs most commonly used on RV's and utility trailers:

Pull-type, AKA convential, AKA bumper-pull: These are the standard type of trailers that hook up to a ball mounted on the rear of your vehicle, either on the bumper itself, or using a frame-mounted receiver hitch. Male end located on truck, female end on trailer.

Fifth-wheel: similar to the big rigs, these trailers use a hitch mounted to the floor of the pickup bed, extending up into the air around 18", just below the top of the bed rails. The trailer has a pin on it that engages a slot in the hitch with a locking mechanism holding it in place. Used primarily on RV's only. Male end is on the trailer, female end is on the truck.

Gooseneck: uses a ball mounted in the floor of the truck bed, with the hitch mounted to the trailer, extending down to meet the ball on the truck bed. Used primarily on stock/horse trailers, farm trailers, and most utility trailers. Male end is on the truck, female end on the trailer.

Hope this helps some!

Casey

[CleviteKid]

Casey, thanx for the brief descriptions. I seem to remember that the fifth wheel hitches do not require safety chains. What about a goose-neck trailer attached to the ball in the bed above the axle; does it require safety chains, and if yes, where are they typically attached?

The Clevite Kid :confused:

[DBlake]

"Legal" installations have clips (mine are spring loaded retractable) on each side of the ball for the safety chains. I have used all three set ups for towing, and in my humble opinion I think the Class IV (5th wheel) set up is the strongest and best, but not necesarily the most convenient. The gooseneck and class IV tow the best in as much as the trailer doesn't try to "steer" you when turning and during cross winds (including being passed by a semi-tractor/trailer doing 85!). The Class IV set up is, in most cases, more robust, less subject to wear. It has more contact area for load stress distribution and most have a teflon disc inserted in the load bearing contact plates. I have the Turnover Ball set up with the 5th wheel companion attachment. This allows for a smooth bed when not towing. Although I am sure other are very happy with other set-ups, I am very happy with my current set-up.

[arveetek]

Originally posted by CleviteKid:
Casey, thanx for the brief descriptions. I seem to remember that the fifth wheel hitches do not require safety chains. What about a goose-neck trailer attached to the ball in the bed above the axle; does it require safety chains, and if yes, where are they typically attached?

The Clevite Kid :confused: Fifth-wheel hitches do not typically come with and are not required to have safety chains. Gooseneck hitches do usually have saftey chains, but most folks don't use them. You have to have a secure point to attach them to. Some gooseneck ball platforms have safety chain hooks that pull up out of the floor, and then drop back down when not in use.

I'd say that 95% of the gooseneck hitches I come across do not have provisions for safety chains. I'm not sure if they're required by law or not.

Casey

[DmaxMaverick]

D.O.T. requirements for gooseneck hitches are the same as pull hitches (bumper hitch, etc, even pintle). D.O.T. makes no distinction between them. According to them, a ball is a ball. Safety chains (or cables) are required, but seldom used.

The primary reason is the design. It is possible to pull away, and even get up to highway speeds without the coupler being securely latched, and the possibility of an undersized ball, or even an unsecured pintle gate. This is different with a fifth wheel hitch, as the pulling load bears on the latch mechanism itself. The reasons have nothing to do with the strength of the hitch design, but the human factor.

[DMAX LEGEND]

OK I think I've got it now. The terms gooseneck and 5th wheel really refer to the coupling device and not to the configuration of the trailer. Thanks for making this clear for me. Does one type have any advantage over the other?

[DBlake]

Besides what I mentioned in the previous post, I think the 5th wheel set up is the easiest to align for hook up. The gooseneck set up is the next easiest to hook up. The bumper pull requires a second person, mirror, or some other set up to get it lined up right when hooking up. I think the bumper pull is easier to back as the trailer is more responsive to small adjustments in steering. Most RV trailers are either 5th wheel or bumper pull. Any goosenecks are specialty trailers that are either combo horse trailers or toy haulers. Of course you can have one made up as a gooseneck. There are adapters to make a 5th wheel trailer into a gooseneck. Unless you get the manufacturer's OK, I would not recommend it. It puts additional stress in the form of rotational moment at the hitch connection point. Goosenecks are built for this, 5th wheels MAY not be.

[Craig M]

A fifth wheel not latched correctly will fall out. Friction and grade (ie down hill) will hold it for a while, but it will eventualy fall out.

[cowboywildbill]

I think the goose neck is just as easy as the fifthwheel.If you use a little trick that I use, I stretch a bunjgi cord across the bed just over the ball. The bunjgi cord has a piece of black tape in the middle centered over the ball. I just back up untill the tape on the bunjgi is touching the front of the gooseneck on the trailer. This way it is centered over the ball everytime. Just let the trailer down on the ball and latch. When I had the fifthwheel, it was so tight to get in and set the latch and saftey pin, because you would have to reach between the bed and the trailer(on the side) to get it done. And there wasn't much clearence, and you had to reach in about two feet. Just a hint to make life easier. This bunjgi cord trick works even on crew cab dually's with a tool box in them. You can see it through the back window, just like you can see a fifth wheel in the bed. "Did I spell bunjgi correctly?" Oh well. :rolleyes:

[DickWells]

DBlake: I'm glad that you mentioned something about the rotating moment of a fifth wheel being more pronounced than a goose-neck. I have only driven goose-neck trailers, but it always seemed to me that the 5th wheel set-up, being up there at the top of the bed, would have a high center-of-gravity effect on a truck. Indeed, I had a pickup pass me down on Rt 88 in N.Y. that looked a little too over loaded for his size horse, and I thought we were going to see a roll-over! The thing just humped up, like a giant fish, and bounced and swayed all over the road. The guy finally got it under control, slowed down, and I went on by him. Made me appreciate my little tag-
along. That's what folks around here call a
regular trailer. The dual cam hitch seems to make my trailer behave quite well.
I'm not sure that I would tie up the bed of my truck, and change to a 5th wheel, even if I could afford one. I like having my Bombardier Traxter with me, wherever I go. I think if I could afford a toy hauler, I'd still opt for a tag-along, and have a toy for my better half in there and a bike or two as well. Just dreamin, I guess.
Dick

[99gmccrew]

DmaxL, I'm fairly new in the trailer world to. I opted for a fifth wheel only because of the great deal I found. One thing I don't like about the hitch is that it renders your truck bed almost useless while towing. With a shortbed you'll need a sliding hitch because of less clearance than a long bed. If you don't get the slider you could damage your trailer and break your rear window of the truck when making tight turns. The positives of the fifth wheel is the stability on the highway and maueverabilty when parking in tight spots. I'm glad now that I got the 5'er.