one of my trucks has 5th wheel rails.

the other has a gooseneck setup.

i do not have the rack for the 5th wheel. do i need a model specific rack, or will any one work with my rails?


also, the gooseneck has no ball. just a threaded hole in the center of the square. does a ball just screw in there? is it all being held by one little 3/8" or so stud?



what are the pro's and cons of 5th wheel vs. gooseneck?

are 5th wheel to gooseneck adapters hokey? are they safe?

 

As a general rule, gooseneck set-ups are stouter made than most fifth-wheel set-ups.

Mostly due to the nature of use that gooseneck trailers will see.

There are very few fifth-wheel livestock or flat-bed trailers out there, excepting semi-trailers, of course.

A fifth-wheel king-pin does not subject the uni-body design of travel-trailers to the stresses that a gooseneck would, allowing them to be built weaker/cheaper, and also, allowing more depth in the area over the hitch.

It takes a lot of steel to build a proper neck for a gooseneck trailer = a lot of additional weight.

The shank on a 30,000 ball is about 1-1/4", or so, diameter.

If the hole in your plate is only 3/8", then something is not right.

 

Due to the longer lever arm, a gooseneck trailer is subject to higher forces than a 5th wheel trailer. That's why a gooseneck uses much more steel in the "crown" than a 5th wheel RV. Gooseneck adapters have resulted in pin box and frame damage on 5th wheels since the 5th wheel trailers aren't designed to handle these higher forces.

Rusty

 

Didya ever see a fiberglass 5er come apart in the crown? I did last week. Seems a couple of enterprising men tried to cheat and hitch up their 5ers to a gooseneck hitch!

5er hitches are cheap to build, assemble and install. A GN hitch is a thing of beauty.

 

You will also see goosenecks used a lot in off-road applications (cattle trailers in pastures, etc) - they are able to articulate angles better than a fifth wheel.

RV's and a lot of race car haulers, etc - hauling "boxes" with not a lot of cargo weight (just trailer weight) often use fifth wheels - all the previous comments are right on regarding how these rigs are constructed.

Goosenecks (well made ones) are very strongly made - I hauled 18,000# on mine from NJ to FLA with no problems - that is why most heavy duty (non pintle) equipment haulers are goosenecks, under the commercial flatbed ratings, that is.

 

thank you for your input, but i was actually referring to an adapter to run a 5th wheel trailer on a gooseneck hitch.

so, would it be safe to assume that using an adapter to run a 5th wheel on a gooseneck hitch would be safe because the gooseneck hitch is generally a stronger unit?

 

The adapter Rusty is referring to is the one that converts a 5th wheel trailer to use a GN hitch. By using the adapter, you're putting GN style forces on the hitch of a 5th wheel trailer that isn't designed to handle them.

 

Which is something I wouldn't want to do... Better to get a proper hitch, and be safe and sure.

 

What can I do then. My situation is I have a 48' GN car hauler that fully loaded will come in around 15-16K but since my bed is that of a MegaCab (6.5'), I need a Pull-Rite automatic hitch (only 5ver). Is the pull-Rite not strong enough to use a GN adapter on it so it connects to my trailer?

Any input is greatly appreciated for I must tow with it in the next couple weeks!

 

I have a similar situation and was told by a local trailer place (not a sales place) that going this direction wasn't a problem. The problem occurs when using a GN adapter on a 5th wheel trailer. The 5ver trailer frames aren't designed for the stresses seen with a GN hitch. They said there wouldn't be a problem towing my GN flat bed with a 5th wheel hitch as long as the hitch was strong enough.

 

This is great news. I figured for almost $4,000 that 24K pull-Rite BETTER be strong enough!!