5th Wheel and Gooseneck NOT the same thing.

[RobertN]

I find that interesting. I would like to see more references to how the two style hitches came about. I had wondered about it. I have a 5th wheel; have never messed with goose-necks.

As I said earlier, there are historical reasons for a lot of the nomenclature.

 

[Reg]

I find that interesting. I would like to see more references to how the two style hitches came about. I had wondered about it. I have a 5th wheel; have never messed with goose-necks.

Look it up (-:

 

[Bird]

As I said earlier, there are historical reasons for a lot of the nomenclature.
There really WAS a time when bumpers were bumpers and had the strength to take trailers, at least a small utility trailer or lightweight camper - Hmm, the Ford "Step and Tow" bumper wasn't THAT long ago.

Yep, my first trailing experience was in 1956 with a clamp-on hitch on the bumper of my 1946 Chevy 2 Dr sedan.

 

[Reg]

Yep, my first trailing experience was in 1956 with a clamp-on hitch on the bumper of my 1946 Chevy 2 Dr sedan.

Were those the two sets of "claws" about 18 inches maybe 2 ft apart that hooked over and under the edges of the bumper and had chains between them ?
Somehow clamped tight ?

Gee, who SAYS progress is all negative ? (-:

{before my time, never heard of 'em}

 

[davkir]

Yep, my first trailing experience was in 1956 with a clamp-on hitch on the bumper of my 1946 Chevy 2 Dr sedan.

And for those of us in that age group...Bumper jacks.

 

[Bird]

Were those the two sets of "claws" about 18 inches maybe 2 ft apart that hooked over and under the edges of the bumper and had chains between them ?
Somehow clamped tight ?

Gee, who SAYS progress is all negative ? (-:

{before my time, never heard of 'em}

My goodness, No. I know what you're talking about but I couldn't afford the heavy duty set up like that. As a matter of fact, eBay currently has one just like the one I had so you can see it here. I don't recall ever hearing it called a "Rat Rod trailer hitch."

 

[sandman2234]

You guys are referring to when they actually put bumpers on vehicles, instead of pieces of plastic...
Yeah I know they still put bumpers on p/u trucks, but even them are suspect compared to a bumper of one from the fifty's or sixty's...
Heck, my '66 Corvette has a trailer hitch on it, and it isn't much more than just a bar mounted between the two bumper quarters. The previous owner pulled a 23 foot cabin crusier with it for a short time until he got the motor in his p/u rebuilt.
David from jax

 

[Bird]

My first frame mounted trailer hitch had to be custom made, of course, and was when I got a local mechanic/welder to weld one onto the frame of my new 1962 Austin Healey Sprite.:laughing: I had it built so I could pull my Dad's 16" Texas Maid Fiesta boat, but I later rented a U-Haul trailer twice to move to another part of town. I'm sure U-Haul wouldn't even rent you a trailer now for a little car like that.:laughing:

 

[ModMech]

GN or 5th wheel has no affect on licensing, unless the local law is unusually written.

In the eyes of the law, a trailer is a trailer is a trailer no matter the connection method and if over a certain weight/size the driver needs the appropriate license.

GN set ups are far superior for use where the road is not smooth, like farm fields. The GN has a much greater freedom of movement in EVERY direction than normal 5th wheel systems do. Even floating 5ers are more limited in their motion than the basic GN.

There is practically no load capacity difference in a PICKUP between a 5th and GN hitch. The vertical load is limited by the towing vehicle capacity and the towed loads are both 30k# plus for the higher quality systems.

I can see an advantage to the RV manufacturer with a 5th wheel, the load is easier to spread and the lever not as long with them and that saves cost and weight for them. The negative is that the hitch is MUCH more costly for the truck owner and you can't use them with a work body unless the lower plate is elevated and even then care must be taken on uneven surfaces.

Overall, I prefer the GN to any other system.

 

[sandman2234]

My first frame mounted trailer hitch had to be custom made, of course, and was when I got a local mechanic/welder to weld one onto the frame of my new 1962 Austin Healey Sprite.:laughing: I had it built so I could pull my Dad's 16" Texas Maid Fiesta boat, but I later rented a U-Haul trailer twice to move to another part of town. I'm sure U-Haul wouldn't even rent you a trailer now for a little car like that.:laughing:

Wouldn't that be a "bug eyed Sprite"? Always liked them, though the 3000 got a lot more attention during the days of my enslavement at a foreign car shop. Guess they were more popular among the flyboys at the base.
David from jax