why have 5th wheel and gooseneck couplings?

[crazyal]

It's because the RV crowd has more money so dealers can sell them a more expensive hitch, lol. I've always assumed it had to do with stability. With an RV there will be times when you do not have the legs down but are using it. That could be while towing it or when you've stopped for a short time. The 5th wheel will give more side to side stability while walking around inside since it'll transfer the forces to the tow vehicle's suspension. A goose neck is just cheaper and easier to deal with. Anyone who's removed a 5th wheel hitch knows they aren't light and they are bulky when trying to store them. Why would a farmer want to deal with that when they only occasionally tow the cattle trailer when they can just leave the ball in place and loose almost no bed space?

 

[sandman2234]

The two feet are actually about 2 long and sit in the bottom of the groove in the pickup bed and span across the supports under the bed. The pads are designed so they are adjustable to the rib spacing of each truck.
In a new truck, you may get a little bit of bending of the bed, but in my rhino lined pickup, you can稚 tell the 5er hitch was ever installed and I pull a 20k lb trailer.

Glad you kept me straight, would hate to bad mouth B & W as they typically make a great product.
David from jax

 

[nikerret]

My B&W fifth wheel hitch pivots in both directions. My basic understanding of why RVs don't use gooseneck or gooseneck adapters is due to the frame construction of most RVs is not up to the additional forces that a gooseneck adapter causes.

I've read this several places, but where I live the vast majority of 5er campers have the gooseneck adapters. Agriculture is huge here and every truck has a gooseball. With all the hoopla, you'd think some of the campers would have problems. I'm not saying none have, but it's not often heard about. Sure, it may not be ideal, but I think the claims are exaggerated.

5th wheel is considered "more secure" (no chains needed, can have people riding in a 5th wheel RV while moving in many states and most states require it for the first trailer when towing 2 trailers). The 5th wheel should "twist" the trailer frame less (front to back) as there is less of an "arm" for it to pull on (which is why 5th to goose adapters can be a problem).

Aaron Z

I've worked a few wrecks involving camper trailers. Anyone who rides in one is nuts or careless, at best. They get absolutely obliterated, at highway speed collisions. Legal or not, irrelevant. No one I care about is riding in a camper trailer, on the highway.

 

[aczlan]

I've read this several places, but where I live the vast majority of 5er campers have the gooseneck adapters. Agriculture is huge here and every truck has a gooseball. With all the hoopla, you'd think some of the campers would have problems. I'm not saying none have, but it's not often heard about. Sure, it may not be ideal, but I think the claims are exaggerated.



I've worked a few wrecks involving camper trailers. Anyone who rides in one is nuts or careless, at best. They get absolutely obliterated, at highway speed collisions. Legal or not, irrelevant. No one I care about is riding in a camper trailer, on the highway.

I agree. There is not really all that much to them.

Aaron Z

 

[4570Man]

I used to have a 5th wheel camper and the B/W hitch linked above. I didn’t realize it then, but the 5th wheel campers are stupid IMO. You have to buy an expensive hitch that makes the truck bed nearly useless if not removed. Removing them isn’t easy because it’s heavy and then you have to store it. I’d hate to have a hitch with the rails across the bed like most of them have. If I clean out the bed I can haul plywood nicely. The rails would dent the plywood. They would make sliding other things a hassle.

 

[Navvet]

I use a rail system for my RV kingpin hitch as well as a plate for the Gooseneck. I find it's the easiest for me, I just put whichever hitch I need at the time into the bed, other times the bed is basically clear.

I have the factory liner in my 350 so the rails are almost flush (+/- 3/4") with the rails.

I pull a 32' Toy Hauler as well as a 16.5K equipment trailer.

 

[Soundguy]

I have often wondered the same thing and have yet to hear a good answer.

As others have said....Equip trailers and horse trailers....usually GN. RV's are about the only 5'ers you see for pickups.

As a consumer.....equipping a truck for GN is cheaper. Hookup is easy because I can look out the back window and line things up.

CAnnot really see any benefit to a 5'er over a GN. Perhaps as someone mentioned that RV frame cannot handle a GN....as a 5th wheel hitch spreads the load out a little more? IF there really was a benefit to 5th wheel....would we see equipment trailers transition over to them?

I'm not sure if it complicates it or not, but I know that you can get GN converters for 5th whl and back.

I have 5th whl rails in one truck and run a GN plate on it. I have seen gn trailers converted to pin to run on 5th whel. I have seen 5th whl trailers with a GN drop bar on them.

I personally like GN. My bet can be empty, and I can move the trailers very easily with my tractor.

 

[Soundguy]

I use a rail system for my RV kingpin hitch as well as a plate for the Gooseneck. I find it's the easiest for me, I just put whichever hitch I need at the time into the bed, other times the bed is basically clear.

I have the factory liner in my 350 so the rails are almost flush (+/- 3/4") with the rails.

I pull a 32' Toy Hauler as well as a 16.5K equipment trailer.

yeah.. my truck that has the rails, I cut the bedliner to accomodate the rails, and the bedliner actually rides at the same height as the rails, so it's not a huge problem.

 

[zing]

I fastened a short piece of aluminium rod to an old speaker magnet. Set it in front of the gooseneck ball, back up using the rearview mirror, keeping the rod centered on the trailer hitch. When the rod moves, stop and lower the hitch onto the ball.

Yeah, I bought a telescoping magnetic picker-upper for a few bucks to do the same thing. 3 lb Magnetic Pick-Up Tool | Princess Auto



Just put the magnet on the ball and line it up with the gooseneck, when you knock it over it is lined up. The telescoping is nice because it just collapses and I could keep it in one of the door pockets in my truck. After a couple years I just stopped using it because it wasn't necessary anymore.