hobbyman

Anybody ever tow an empty goosneck trailer using a pumper bull hitch? I purchased a gooseneck, but I'm planning to convert it to 5th wheel (it's only a 10K trailer, and I already have the 5th wheel hitch). Thanks!

Mechanos

They make a Kingpin Gooseneck Coupler to do just what you're talking about. Look on page 3 here.

hobbyman

Thanks Mechanos - that is what I'm planning to do, although I didn't realize they made a tube / pin set-up like that (I was going to cut and weld).

I still need to get the trailer home first. I think I can just flip over my ball hitch mount so it's up has high as possible, and put a 2-5/16" ball on, then hook up the gooseneck to my bumper hitch. Does that sound right? Thanks again!

cditrani

Assuming you can get the correct ball with the correct shank size for your ball mount, I say it sounds reasonable. Assuming also an empty trailer and that you can get it reasonably level.

tool

You'd have to have a pretty serious lift on your ball hitch or trailer would be badly running downhill and the front would probably hit your tailgate depending on the design of the trailer and if there is any deck over the gooseneck.

I can almost garuntee that the pinweight of the goosenheck would be far too heavy for the rating of bumper style hitch. Depending on the size and the weight of the trailer. When you factor in the weight of the trailer plus the leverage of a major rise in the ball hitch. What is the tongue weight rating of your hitch? Most 7500 lb hitches are rated for only 750 lbs tongue weight.

Might be better to get a friend with a real gooseneck hitch to pull it home for you and then do your conversion.

Mechanos

Yeah, rather than cutting and welding, I would look into the coupler pin thingy. If you cut the coupler up and weld a kingpin setup on it, you severely limit it's resale potential. You'd have to find someone else that wanted a gooseneck trailer but wanted to pull it with a 5th wheel hitch. If you use the coupler, all you have to do is slide the kingpin adapter out and slide the gooseneck coupler back in when it comes time to sell it.

hobbyman

Tool - good points! I'm going to check into it a little - weight limits and weight of the trailer, height of hitch, etc. Might not be such a good idea. Maybe I can arrange to get an adapter in advance - going to need it anyway.

Thanks again!

charger 69

With my gooseneck trailer the front of the body would hit the ground before the hitch would connect with the ball.

Hyspeed

I saw something that I didn't know existed the other day. It was an adapter for a for a gooseneck to bumper hitch. It looked like a "T" bar that hooked to the front of the trailer frame and the extended forward to the bumper hitch. There was a verticle post with a ball at the top that took the gooseneck on the trailer that was adjustable for and aft for the correct position. This bar extended out about 2' beyond the gooseneck to allow clearance.

bulthisl

It may be alright for moving an empty trailer.

But I would hesitate pulling a loaded trailer with that adapter.
The trailer itself would be enough tounge weight and then moving it back 2' would compound the prob.

: Eddie :

Hyspeed

Isn't that what he asked about doing?

Patrick Campbell

How far are you going and how much does it weight? Sounds dangerous...

tool

That just sounds scary to me.
You know there will be some monkey who will try and move a loaded trailer somewhere with one of those. Can you imagine the leverage with an additional 2 feet beyond a bumper style hitch? When many of those pumper hitches only have like a 500 lb tongue weight rating under normal circumstances???Think about it. 2 feet beyond the bumper hitch??? That puts the pin location like......... what? six feet beyond it's proper location in the bed?
yikes.

zulusafari

True, but I have seen several fellows moving new stock trailers across country this way -- as trailer "trains." They have a bumper hitch on the back of one new trailer, and the adapter connects the second trailer. Worked pretty slick, but definitely not for anything loaded!! I was also pretty scared following one of these "trains" in the Missouri Ozarks! Talk about a swaying nightmare! I really don't think it is a safe way to transport trailers. If two need delivered, I feel a lowboy semi trailer would be much safer for us all.

electrifried

I have a gooseneck ball mount that fits on a set of reece rails just collecting dust. I have pulled a gooseneck trailer with a upturned ball mount with success. The trailer was not loaded and no problem to pull or manuver. Taking your time will help a lot.