What's the benefit of having a 5th wheel over a gooseneck? What's the difference between the two?

 

Seems to me this was just re-hashed in a multi page thread.... I would try to look for it, but I am tired.... maybe I will look tomorrow or someone else can post the thread.... If i remember right, it came down to personal preference and the biggest differences were range of motion on a GN, and the lack of side to side motion on a 5er which is good for highway hauling. typically gn are easier to hookup on a surface that is not level.....

-Trey

Edit: Here is the discussion.
https://www.dieseltruckresource.com/...ad.php?t=71634

 

Thanks bud.

 

On the heavier trailers, IMHO, a fifth wheel is better because it separates the two functions of the hitch: pulling and pushing loads and supporting the weight.

On a ball, be it hitch or goosenect set-up the pulling/pushing starins and and load bearing/supporting functions are shared by an amazingly small rim of contact area.

Hey, there's many goosenecks runnign up and down the road w/o problems but htis is just my two cents.

 

A 5'er will drive better on an open, flat road, but will not do well off-road. A gooseneck has more side-to-side movement, allowing you to travel across uneven ground without the frames of either the truck or trailer having to flex. However, the 5'er is hard to hookup on anything other than than flat ground, while the GN is a little more versitile. Also, a gooseneck is generally rated to carry more, and a GN hitch is rated to pull a heavier load. This is why most all equipment and ranch trailers are GN, not 5'er.

 

The only way a 5th wheel is better in all areas compared to a gooseneck is if you have a fully articulating 5th wheel [bigger cost] and one that is rated at 25K pounds [bigger cost] Gooseneck is the most affordable way.

I have a 5th wheel advanced air hitch...I have had to hook on uneven ground...its not as easy but is do-able. Most folks hauling a 5th wheel RV are limited off road more by the bed clearance then anything else. Having four air bags and two shocks on the 5th wheel makes the ride real nice but once your off road...you will still be tossing both the truck and trailer around alot.

Scotty

 

I thought

that 5th wheel trailers were limited to RV's I have never seen a fifth wheel gooseneck before, but i have seen gooseneck coupler RV's Before...

Am i missing something?

Tx

 

I have a 5th wheel coupler on my equipment trailer for simplicity...One hitch for the work trailer and the 5th wheel RV. Its easy to change out the coupler on an adjustable. Big rigs are all 5th wheel too...but rarely do you see them off roading.

 

Gooseneck trailers come with either a ball coupler or a upper 5th wheel coupler, most come with a ball. I run a commercial 32,000lb 12" 5th wheel rated at 9000lbs vertical and the standard pin is 3" in diameter like a class 8 semi. A ball coupler has a threaded shank of maximum 1 1/2" inches and only has less than 2 square inches of surface available to support the load. The ball is more versatile for offroad movement but puts more stress in one small area of the hitch mount. The fifth wheel spreads the load out over 100 squares inches of the wheel and then down through the mounting brackets to the frame mounts. A "gooseneck" trailer is the frame design and slanged to be a ball hitch. PK

 

Mostly preference. I hook different trailers everytime. If you hook alot, I think the 5th wheel is easier to do alone, little more slop to guide the kingpin home. A GN is rather a "hole in one" hookup. If I had help it prolly wouldn't make any difference which I used. I have a sleeper and can't see either to hookup. I notice when I drag a goose I feel alot more "******" along. Like it's springing the trailer along. Then, maybe it's just the GN trailers I've hauled. I can understand those with GN hitch for anything else wanting to use the same setup for everything. No reason not to if the camping trailer is designed for it. And if I was going "offroad" I'd have a goose. For "road work" I use an EasyRider Air Ride. JMHO



Cheers,
Steve J