School me - we don't really have / use these things in Australia.

I'm looking at a 5th wheel trailer. What's the advantages / disadvantages of this?

Also can i have a 5th wheel hitch mounted to most 3/4 and one tonnes? Is it a simple process?

Thanks
Ben

School me - we don't really have / use these things in Australia.

I'm looking at a 5th wheel trailer. What's the advantages / disadvantages of this?

Also can i have a 5th wheel hitch mounted to most 3/4 and one tonnes? Is it a simple process?

Thanks
Ben

5th wheel kills you bed space due to the hitch. its not any harder to mount than a gooseneck ball setup.

The big difference between the 2 is side-to-side stability. If you're planning on covering rough ground, a gooseneck hitch, aka inverted ball, will let the trailer articulate separately from the tow rig. A 5th wheel hitch will limit articulation in axis which can put a lot of stress on the pinbox and towrig around the hitch.

I run a double pivot 5th so that takes the lack of chassis roll out of the equation. hijacker (http://www.hijacker.com/pages/fifthwheelhitches/index.htm)

I also plan on towing with a semi eventually so it is good to be expandable later. :D

The big difference between the 2 is side-to-side stability. If you're planning on covering rough ground, a gooseneck hitch, aka inverted ball, will let the trailer articulate separately from the tow rig. A 5th wheel hitch will limit articulation in axis which can put a lot of stress on the pinbox and towrig around the hitch.

My 5th wheel trailer would be 1' into the bed rails of my truck before the hitch limited it's ability to lean to either side, I'm not sure which hitches you've dealt with but most of them allow for a very wide field of flex in any direction.

My 5th wheel trailer would be 1' into the bed rails of my truck before the hitch limited it's ability to lean to either side, I'm not sure which hitches you've dealt with but most of them allow for a very wide field of flex in any direction.



They both eat up all your truck bed space when the trailer is hooked up. But when the truck is not hooked to a trailer, the GN can be removed to free up bed space. So can a 5th wheel, but its a big unit to have to carry around.

Take a look at the B&W Turnover Ball.

Everything in the U.S. Military is either King Pin hitch or Lunette/Pintle hitch. Not sure about the ground they cover but seems to me they must cover unusual ground. I do know that each of these hitch arrangements will support huge weight situations. When you get into Horse forums many people have issues with 2 5/16" trailer ball goose necks but the most standard issue is having to replace the ball. Personally I would use the king pin and it may be over kill for people in this forum. I use Lunette eye hook ups because I am NOT looking for a surprise of any type...at any time...anywhere.
In addition to the military...all tractor trailers use the king pin set up....like Yellow Freight and anything that hauls heavy loads like low beds. King pins are a standard size all over the world as best I know...my 27 cents worth...Ken

School me - we don't really have / use these things in Australia.

I'm looking at a 5th wheel trailer. What's the advantages / disadvantages of this?

Also can i have a 5th wheel hitch mounted to most 3/4 and one tonnes? Is it a simple process?

Thanks
Ben

The gooseneck is nice for bed space, you can pack stuff around the hitch without much issue. The 5th takes up a lot of space. The 5th wheel is easier to hookup than the goose. I prefer the goose.

What are your intentions? What size trailer? What are you going to haul?

The gooseneck is nice for bed space, you can pack stuff around the hitch without much issue. The 5th takes up a lot of space. The 5th wheel is easier to hookup than the goose. I prefer the goose.

What are your intentions? What size trailer? What are you going to haul?

You can pack a few short items around either, but not much of a difference IMO. Both make the bed realatively uselss, Great for alot of weight, But I went to a Bumper pull from a GN adn I am pretty happy. If I had to use either I would go GN just becasue the large hitch that you need for a 5th wheel.

Most have a way to pull the hitch section and install a gooseneck OR a 5th wheel. If you like the trailer, don't let this stop you.

Everything in the U.S. Military is either King Pin hitch or Lunette/Pintle hitch. Not sure about the ground they cover but seems to me they must cover unusual ground. I do know that each of these hitch arrangements will support huge weight situations. When you get into Horse forums many people have issues with 2 5/16" trailer ball goose necks but the most standard issue is having to replace the ball. Personally I would use the king pin and it may be over kill for people in this forum. I use Lunette eye hook ups because I am NOT looking for a surprise of any type...at any time...anywhere.
In addition to the military...all tractor trailers use the king pin set up....like Yellow Freight and anything that hauls heavy loads like low beds. King pins are a standard size all over the world as best I know...my 27 cents worth...Ken

We have a unique 5th wheel mount that articulates. It has lockout wedges for units hauling liquids or other unstable objects, but when they are not in the lockes position, the 5th wheel can articulate 25* left and right.

Standard 5th wheel plates have very limited articulation. This is how you see only a few inches between a civilian rig's frame rails and trailer, compared to a foot or more between out truck and trailer.

M915 (line haul truck with standard 5th wheel) with an M872 trailer:
http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff59/ammoguru2116/88M%20school/stuck915_4.jpg

M931 6x6 tractor (articulating 5th wheel) with an M871 trailer. Note it's usual position, broken down on the side of the road. These are the vehicles my current unit has:
http://data3.primeportal.net/transports/miloslav_hraban/m931_with_m127a2/images/m931_with_m127a2_11_of_32.jpg

A closer shot of the articulating 5th wheel:
http://data3.primeportal.net/transports/miloslav_hraban/m931_with_m127a2/images/m931_with_m127a2_10_of_32.jpg

a 5er is considered an extension of the vehicle because of the style latch used. most states will allow you to tow a second trailer behind a 5th wheel but not a gooseneck.

When I get into several different forums and I do...things get described in ways that I sometimes do not understand. For me... bumper pull is a trailer ball or a lunette eye hookup. Goose neck is either a trailer ball or a king pin with goose neck being the term for describing the arch of the connection. There are goose neck connections that use trailer balls and goose neck trailers that use king pins.
In all heavy equipment there are king pin connections.
So I get lost when 5th wheel is mentioned...
Any help would be appreciated....Ken

5th wheel = kingpin.
Gooseneck = ball.
Tag = trailer on rear-mounted hitch.

PBB double-post glitch

everyones needs are different. in my case i got a 25k super 5 hitch used for less than some people pay for a gooseneck ball install. 25k is the rating on most GN balls and i know ill never excede it.

some people claim to be able to back directly under the ball 1st shot and have the trailer lowered and hooked up in miliseconds,but i cannot. ive tried various tricks ive read/heard about but it still takes me a few minutes of manuvering.

with my 5th wheel i get it about centered,and back up till it stops. hop out,release the clasp,put in the safety pin,a couple minutes of cranking on the jacks,and plug in the wires. quick and easy :smokin:i like the 5th wheel arrangement enuff i got a kingpin adapter for my big GN. once its hooked up it tows the same either way,i mostly like the 5er for ease of hookup.

good arguments about the hitch size,but i personally tow things more than i haul them. most of the time anything i haul fits beside,in front or behind the hitch so its not an issue. when the item is too large for that,most of the time ill use a trailer,so my hitch is in my truck prolly 95% of the time with no issues.

one big advantage of a 5th wheel is for large square nose campers or enclosed trailer. you can get hitches that slide in order to turn sharply without letting a wide trailer hit your cab. this is not possible with a GN.

The only sure-fire method for getting a gooseneck lined up right is to install a convex mirror at a 45* angle on the front of the trailer. This will allow you to see the ball's position relative to the coupler before getting out.

I, too prefer the ease of a 5er.

The only sure-fire method for getting a gooseneck lined up right is to install a convex mirror at a 45* angle on the front of the trailer. This will allow you to see the ball's position relative to the coupler before getting out.

I, too prefer the ease of a 5er.

I use a magnetic antenna with a foam ball on top from harbour freight. $10 for 2. Makes it really easy. I put in right in front of the ball then back up till the trailer bumps the antenna. Once that happens averything is lined up just right. Still takes some time and I don't like doing it, but beats everything else I have tried.

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=95684

littlyota,thats one of the things ive tried. gotta climb into the bed,take the foamy ball antenna thing out of the toolbox,set it down,get back in the truck. made it alittle easier but still an extra step and not nearly as easy as backing up under the kingpin :grinpimp:

My truck has a drop down gooseneck ball. I have never used it, but when down it sits flush with the bed. can slide stuff right in and over it w/o an issue.

Came with the truck. Does not bother me any and I figure one day I may use it.

We have a unique 5th wheel mount that articulates. It has lockout wedges for units hauling liquids or other unstable objects, but when they are not in the lockes position, the 5th wheel can articulate 25* left and right.

Standard 5th wheel plates have very limited articulation. This is how you see only a few inches between a civilian rig's frame rails and trailer, compared to a foot or more between out truck and trailer.

M915 (line haul truck with standard 5th wheel) with an M872 trailer:
[IMG]http://i238.photobucket.com/albums/ff59/ammoguru2116/88M%20school/stuck915_4.jpg[IMG]

M931 6x6 tractor (articulating 5th wheel) with an M871 trailer. Note it's usual position, broken down on the side of the road. These are the vehicles my current unit has:
[IMG]http://data3.primeportal.net/transports/miloslav_hraban/m931_with_m127a2/images/m931_with_m127a2_11_of_32.jpg[IMG]

A closer shot of the articulating 5th wheel:
[IMG]http://data3.primeportal.net/transports/miloslav_hraban/m931_with_m127a2/images/m931_with_m127a2_10_of_32.jpg[IMG]

I don't know how relevant it is to the thread, but the military uses a larger kingpin on their rigs.

I don't know how relevant it is to the thread, but the military uses a larger kingpin on their rigs.

Only on certain vehicles, like the M916, the M911, and the M1070. Everything else is standard, and has dual electrical systems to allow for a civlian rig to tow our trailers.

I don't know how relevant it is to the thread, but the military uses a larger kingpin on their rigs.

everything we use is a standard kingpin size. we have oshkosh truck, freightliners, ford, and paystars. all run the same size kingpin.

I am new to all of this, and am looking at buying this truck today, but what is this? I only looked at it briefly because I had a lot of over things to look at on the truck. The hole goes all the way through and there is a frame plate down there. Is it a gooseneck hookup?


http://bryan.luckyoffroad.com/LuckyCharm/My_Other_Cars/2001_Dodge_Ram_2500/2010/020410-PrePurchase/Picture%20014.jpg

~Bry

Yes, that is a gooseneck hitch missing the ball.

You can pack a few short items around either, but not much of a difference IMO. Both make the bed realatively uselss, Great for alot of weight, But I went to a Bumper pull from a GN adn I am pretty happy. If I had to use either I would go GN just becasue the large hitch that you need for a 5th wheel.

I can pull my 5th wheel hitch out in the same amount of time it takes to flip a gooseneck ball and I just let it hang on the trailer so I never lift it.

i'm probably not helping the matter here, but hey... both have a similar feel when towing. there are advantages to the gooseneck as mentioned with angles. hookup usually takes a minute or two longer with a gooseneck since (for me) it's a little out of sight down in the box.

my choice is gooseneck as it uses up less (none) bedspace when not in use. just flip the ball.

the way im backing under my goose is i have a rear camera tied into my indash tv :grinpimp:

i have a tenis ball tied to a sting hanging from the lower portion of the deck. i hang it when i disconect the trailer. all i do is back under the gooseneck looking through the camera and wait till the ball hits the camera. that pretty much puts you right where you need to be.

as fas as bed space, how can you argue with a b&w setup.it basically takes up no room