I'd like to know people's opinions on fifth wheel versus gooseneck ball. I have a stock trailer with the ball and an RV with the fifth wheel and I'd like to standardize on one hitch. When I first acquired both I was hauling with a pickup so the stock trailer mounted low (on the floor) and the fifth wheel was somewhat higher (above the wheel wells). Even though the stock trailer had a live load, it drove smoothr than the RV. When I pulled the box off and turned it into a flat bed, both trailers attached at roughly the same height and both rode pretty much the same so I concluded that the height of the attachment point had more to do with ride quality than hitch type or load. Now that I have a new pickup I'm thinking about converting the RV to a 2 5/16 ball and have both attach the same and as low as possible. I'm just a little concerned about handling cross winds with the RV and not have firm side to side support from the truck. My alternative would be to convert the stock trailer to a fifth wheel pin and try to get the fifth wheel as low as possible. Any opinions?
look at my album to see my trailer. i have never had a big problem with corss winds. it COULD be more smooth, but it wastn an issue. driving in the grape vines in cali was a real test, but i had no issues. i love my GN and will never buy anything but one. a stock trailer with a 5er hitch would not be fun i dont think. off terain roads and what not would do a lot of twisting on parts that are not meant to twist...
I've heard bad things(broken welds) about converting fifthwheels to goosenecks because of the difference in forces on the hitch. When I was pulling both I had a B&W companion and loved it. minutes to convert and both strong. I didn't like the idea of converting any trailers because of resale and friends being able to pull it. If I was to get another fifth (which I want to) I'll be using the companion hitch again and I still pull goosenecks all the time.
i think MB brings up a good point. converting 5ers to goose has been a big back and forth deal... who knows if it is ok to do or not. i think it depends on how you tow your trailer... how nice to it you are. the biggest point he brings up, and im sure most of us have had to do it, is being able to tow the friends trailer or have the friend tow yours... its nice to be able to do that...
I have the B&W Companion and highly recomend it. Installs in 5 minutes abd offers great stability and I still have my gooseneck.
Also you will need to check the warantee on your new 5er to see if it will be null & void by switching from a 5th wheel hitch to a gn....alot of them are...it puts undo stress on the pinbox which was designed for a 5th wheel hitch...just get the companion, or do like I did, I had the reese 5th wheel hitch already, so just got "the goose" hitch that fits the same rails.... works great and only takes a few minutes to convert....Kong
I bought a gooseneck adapter that locks on the rails for my Husky 5th wheel hitch. I've only used it once because I don't have a gooseneck trailer, but it helped a fellow camper out of a spot on the turnpike two years ago. Worth it's weight in gold in my book.....
Installing a gooseneck adapter on a pinbox of a 5th camper is something that I would not do, even though my 5th wheel manufacturer does approve it. A GN hitch requires the use of break away chains whereas the 5th wheel hitch is a positive lock type of hitch and doesn't require chains. Also take a look at the height difference between the GN ball and the 5th wheel pin...about 20 inches. So adding an extra 20" of leverage to a pinbox is a good way to increase the potential for cracks and broken welds in the framework that the pinbox is attached. A big, big problem is that this framework is usually covered by the skin and so any failures are undetectable. As far as the added off road flexibilty of the GN, myth. Hardly anyone uses the old style 5ver hitch without the side to side pivot and I have had to watch mine to make sure that the trailer didn't lean and hit my bed rails. Handling is the same between a GN and a 5th since they both mount at or just ahead of the truck rear axle. That alone minimizes the sway and gusty wind handling. A bumper pull trailer hitch is about 4' behind the rear axle and the trailer can exert leverage to the truck that can make the front axle move sideways in the opposite direction. Most drivers end up correcting 180 degrees opposite to the sway and only make it worse until they can slow down. Another T-storm...gotta go. OT
Good point about the leverage and the cracking of the pin box. It is substantially lighter material than any GN frame. And you're right, for the most part it is hidden by the skin.
cjowett, Any repairs means removing all or part of the skin and insulation. Then there is the danger of setting the floor on fire during welding repairs. The flooring is plywood laid on the steel frame structure and the heat from welding naturally rises. There's so many other things to worry about when pulling a trailer than whether or not the pinbox structure is possibly being destroyed by the use of a GN adapter. Besides, why do manufacturers even bother with a fifth wheel hitch in the first place? Because they can build the forward stucture lighter and save on the gross weight of the trailer. Years ago my ole lady saw a GN adapter on a fifth wheel camper and asked what it was. When I told her, I mentioned that we could do that too as our camper is approved, she said "why does it have chains?" After I told her that the chains are required by law she immediately wanted nothing to do with any kind of "adapter" to pull our full time camper. Got to agree. Remember this: If you lower a GN hitch on the ball there is nothing to prevent you from pulling the trailer without closing the locking mechanism. On the other hand you can not pull a trailer with a fifth wheel unless it is locked. As soon as you try to pull forward the weight of the trailer will squirt the truck forward and the trailer will drop on the bed rails. I've had this happen with an 18 wheeler and the trailer pin was drove in the ground, took two wreckers and a new set of landing gears, $1,000 out of my paycheck. Lesson learned. Old Trucker
I agree with everything that Old Trucker has to say about this subject. I guess the way that I see it is that if semi trucks use the exact same style of 5th wheel hitch pulling upwards to 40 tons, then it should be a no brainer as to which style of hitch works best. You don't see any GN adaptors on the big rigs....Kong
I've got a 5th wheel hitch laying around so I guess I'll be looking for a way to mount it in my Dodge and a pin adapter for my GN. They're readily available and pretty inexpensive. I could keep both but I'd prefer to standardize on one (now that I've knocked a few holesin the floor of my bed - dah). Thanks for the advice guys.waytogo
Not too sure about having a 5er on a stock trailer bc I know where I put mine I NEED the Flexibility of a GN However we have a converter on our camper that attached to the King pin and has a GN coupler on the other end. Got it at the RV store and it work geat. Do you havea flip ball or the rail system?? If you have the flip ball by B&W send me a PM , please.
I've got a Binkley inverted fifth wheel hitch on a pipe for a GN trailer, I believe it's rated at 32K. The 2" pin goes in the B&W hitch on the truck. If you haven't seen one, these half pint Binkleys are slicker than snot. First one that I saw was on a car carrier, the type with a full rack on the truck and then a full trailer. It was mounted low to the ground so that it didn't interfere with loading and unloading the cars between the truck and the trailer. The guy had dropped the trailer to get his truck serviced at a truckstop and that little 5th wheel fascinated me, the jaws are massive. The only difference between a normal model and the inverted is the instruction sticker on the side is upside down. Sometimes I think about selling mine. The head is the same as this: http://www.trailersaver.com/rigidhitches_32lpk.php OT
How did going to those 22.5 inch rims affect your final gear ratio? Did it make a noticable change when towing or fuel mileage when not towing?
I really don't know about fuel consumption since I don't pay the bill. As fas as power goes i had the truck retuned so I am actually faster than with my stocks.
I really don't know about fuel consumption since I don't pay the bill. As fas as power goes i had the truck retuned so I am actually faster than with my stocks. Truck pulls just fine with the rims.
