Need schooling - Gooseneck VS Fifth Wheel hitch

Royse

Well-known Member
I currently haul my tractors on a 20ft dovetail deck over bumper pull.
Mostly smaller tractors, max weight probably 5~6000 lbs.
I have been considering going to a fifth wheel or gooseneck.
Other than the obvious differences in how they hook up, what's the difference
between the two as far as towing/hauling?
What are the pros and cons of each?
Would I be better off going fifth wheel in case I buy a travel trailer that style?
Any difference in parts and maintenance costs?
I know a lot of you have experience with them so your input is appreciated!
 
No real cost in maintenance. The hitch is going to
be the biggest cost . I have both. I'm going to
switch my goose over to the 5th wheel style so I
don't have to take the hitch out when I use the
goose. In Mich you can ride in a 5th wheel trailer
but not in a goose neck style as it is a ball type
coupler.
 
Most farmers go with a ball in the bed, it takes up
less space and you can get removable ones that leave
nothing in the bed. With a fifth wheel you will have
at least some rails left. Price would certainly be
much higher for a fifth too. Other that that there
shouldn't be much difference. Not likely that you
will have any wear problems with either unless you
tow several hundred thousand miles. If you want to
pull doubles you need a fifth tho, no doubling
trailers with a ball.
 
The fifth wheel is the more stable of the two but it takes up more room in the bed of your truck. Also you may have fewer choices of trailers to pull with a fifth wheel setup. Example: Just between myself, my sons and my brother we have 7-8 different goose neck hitch trailers. We all have only two fifth wheel trailers.

In tight uneven spots the goose neck hitch lets everything flex more. On the flip side you have to balance the load more side to side on the front of your trailer or the trailer will be riding with a twist in it. The fifth wheel will stabilize the load side to side better.

Word of caution!!! IF you have fifth wheel hitch and have the trailer load not balanced side to side. You will be fine while you are in a straight line with the trailer. Turn where you are at a 90 degree angle and your fifth wheel hitch will then rock to balance the load. If the trailer is really out of balance I have seen the trailer hit the truck bed/cab when it gets around to a full 90 degree angle. Think about it. The hitch pivots front to back not sideways. So in a straight line your fine but when you turn far enough for the hitch to pivot you can get into trouble.

I like the goose neck hitches just because they are simpler. I also have hitches made for tractors or even my skid steer. So I can use the trailers with more things. It gives me more flexibility.
 

I wouldn't want a 5th wheel hitch just because of the bed space they occupy. I think safety chains aren't required with fifth wheel hitch so one less hassle when attaching/detaching trailer. Plus it's easier to attach because of the "V" to guide the king pin which is great for the "snow bird oldtimers" that come South for the Winter.
 
If you install the rails for a fifth wheel in your truck you can also use a plate on the same rails and pull a goose neck. That way you can switch back and forth between the two. I have a bunch of bumper pull trailers but nothing compares to pulling with the fifth wheel. The weight is more centered in the bed as opposed to being all on the rear bumper. I don't have a goose neck trailer but I would think it would be similar to the fifth wheel trailer I have. I always figured I would just buy the 200 dollar gooseneck plate to fit my rails for the fifth wheel if I ever did get one.
 
Buy whatever the fewest number of neighbors will be able to borrow.

Had an old neighbor who put a pintle hitch on his bumper pull for that very reason. He said people would ask all the time if they could borrow his trailer. He'd say "sure,come on over and see if you can hook on to it".
 
If you go with a 5th wheel hitch, Get one that will rock all 4 ways. That is how my Reese hitch is, it rocks fore and aft and also side to side and provides less stress the truck frame on uneven ground. The cheap hitches only rock front to back.
 
Goose neck is good for area where you may run into uneven surfaces like a ruff field etc and is limited to 30K. and you need safety chains.
The 5th wheel on the other hand has almost not limit as to weight other then the truck pulling it and the hitch it self. No safety chains needed and in many states if it is a 5th wheel camper you can have people riding in the camper to boot. The 5th wheel is what all the big rigs use and that is for a reason called safety and how heavy the loads can be. This is as per my knowledge from being a truck driver and having a CDL. Of course there is a whole lot more to it then this little bit I have said
 
This may be the lone vote for staying with the bumper pull, if you don't haul big enough loads to need a gooseneck/5th wheel. Easier to maneuver in tight places, doesn't cut corners like the gooseneck, easier to store, and the back of your pickup is free to use.
 
Get a B&W Hideaway gooseneck hitch for your pickup. Then Either addapt your 5th wheel trailer when(if) you get it, or get the B&W 5th wheel adapter for your pickup bed.

Ben
 
(quoted from post at 10:50:57 03/31/13) Get a B&W Hideaway gooseneck hitch for your pickup. Then Either addapt your 5th wheel trailer when(if) you get it, or get the B&W 5th wheel adapter for your pickup bed.Ben

I've always wondered how safe a 5th hitch on a trailer is when a GN hitch is added that loweres the actual pulling point by several inches. It appears it would add a tremendous strain to the 5th wheel on trailer.
 
When I started tractor pulling again, started with a
16ft car-hauler bumper hitch trailer. Now I have a
20+5 deck over goose-neck. (never even considered a
5th-wheel) Going a long or even short way, it feels
better. You can dodge a dog or deer and the trailer
doesn't wag the truck. Hope to never go back. Vic
 
Consider this, you won't find many options for trailers that aren't
gooseneck.

Your best option is to go with one with a rail system to convert over
or get a conversion from 5th wheel to gooseneck for the trailer.
 
I have a 5th wheel hitch for my travel trailer--it swivels parallel and perpendicular to the truck as i use it a lot for uneven beach camping.
as i understand it it is much more stable and strong as compared to a goose neck.
just think of all the heavy duty equipment trailers are all 5th wheel.
when the hitch is removed from the bed all that remains is the 2 bottom plates which seem inconsequential for hauling drywall or plywood.
 
I can relate to that.

I have an 18 1/2' car trailer. The empty trailer weighs about 2,000 pounds. It's best to pull it with a dually, or at minimum a 3/4 ton. When I had a shop in town, people would stop in all the time wanting to borrow or rent it. I'd ask what they had to pull it with. Most of the time they'd have an old van with a fishing boat hitch, or something similar. I'd tell them to forget it.
 
There are two different styles of fifth wheels,one is the Camper style(13"to 17"above the floor and 12K to 25K rating)which I would only use on a lite trailer hauling.Then there is the Commercial style which mounts on the frame and is rated 30K to 50K+.All the trailers I've had since 1974 have been set up with the commercial fifth.B&W*setup could give you the best of both worlds.
 
(quoted from post at 14:22:13 03/31/13) I wonder if the 2 ball ban is just a MN thing. Do you know of other states that don"t allow it?
Not just a MN thing. Michigan allows doubles behind a fifth wheel camper.
Front trailer MUST me fifth wheel, and it MUST contain living quarters.
I.e. be a camper. (haven't figured out why that is yet)
Plus, you need an "R" recreational endorsement unless you have a CDL with
the proper endorsement. Triples are not permitted.
Michigan SOS
 

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