I've got a class 5 receiver and a homemade gooseneck. I don't think that is ever going anywhere. On my 350 it's a 1 inch thick piece of steel about 18 inches wide welded to the frame. I used a piece of really thick channel iron and notched it to fit the others. Then welded it. On all of them I used the big shank ball and welded a nut to fit it on the underside of the plate.

I have a sliding 5th wheel plate too but have never used it. It came with one of the trucks. I've only bought one trailer that had a 5th wheel and quickly changed it out to gooseneck. I don't even know why anyone would want a 5th wheel when a gooseneck is so much more solid and give more flexibility. Why do people like them? I'll be looking for a new camper this spring and just wondering. It's rare to see campers with goosenecks on them.

 

Mine had a hideaway ball hitch on it when i got it in 2000. It is rated to 25k. I've used it a lot with no issues but now that I'm pulling quite a bit bigger trailer (although car trailer is not that heavy the work trailer with my forklift on it is that heavy, actually a little more) I'm thinking of doing something like you have. My trailer is a 1991 and the guys I got it from had the fifth wheel and gooseneck hookup for it. You can just take one out and put the other in, depending on what hookup you have.

I'm not sure on the reason for the gooseneck unless its claimed to be stronger maybe?? Couldn't say for sure.

 

The wide use of the gooseneck hitch stems from the older 5 wheel plates that only moved for/aft. There was no side-to-side movement. For many applications, this type of hitch wouldn't work if you ever encountered uneven surfaces.

The gooseneck hitch proved to be the hitch of choice for farmers, contractors, etc because of it's ability to handle rough surfaces and heavy loads.

Campers/RV's use the king pin style hitch because they typically don't have the room to strengthen the neck of the "goose." (Look at the amount of steel thats on the neck next time you look at a gooseneck trailer). The king pin style distributes the weight better and takes pressure off of the frame itself.

I think they make 5 wheel hitches that the pan moves up/down, side/side and front to back now, but I'm not sure.

 

I just got a B&W turnover ball setup in my truck, and I love it.

Nice clean look, and no welding required. It is also rated for 7,500 lbs tongue weight, and 30,000 trailer weight.

They are only $360 on Ebay, and IMO they are worth every penny. MADE IN THE USA!

 

Gooseneck is the weaker of the two - just take a look at over the road trucks - all 5th wheel design. True about the goosenecks having had more roll action, but the newer 5er hitches now tilt both ways also, and even come with air suspension if you have the $$$.

 

There is a bit of a difference between a truck 5th wheel and a pickup truck 5th wheel. I've broken two of the big ones so far. One on an Army semi with a fuel tank behind me. That was nice. The other on a schneider truck with a 53 footer trying to go over some tracks. I've never seen anything bad happen to one on a pickup but have always wondered about them. mine will slide and tilt both ways but still not near as much as the gooseneck. My pickup, the one in this pic, is registered at 38K pounds with the farm tags and I pull every bit of it and then some when we're moving hay. I've never had a problem with the gooseneck. Even going through deep ruts and a shallow ditch or two in the pasture it's got the flexibility not to put anything in a bind.
Is there any good reason not to have our next camper built gooseneck? It's only going to be about a 24k pounder I think but we do go offroad and down miles and miles of farm roads. Ones that have ripped the corner jacks right off of this slide in before.

 

Some of the people running around with a fiver consider the Wal Mart parking lot as "off road".

For them, the fifth wheel works great.
Many of the fifth wheel hitches let you slide the fifth wheel back when you get in a tight place.
That lets them have a 6 foot bed with a fifth wheel trailer.
And as long as they remember to slide the fifth wheel back, they even get to keep the rear window in their truck cab when they jack it 90 degrees.

Moving a gooseneck ball back is usually not that easy.
Course most goose neck trailers don't come up as close to the cab as a square box like a lot the fifth wheels do.

Off the pavement, constant tight quarters, I think the only choice is a goose neck.

 

Never ride back there, guess youll have to ask my dog. Oh wait, I have a gooseneck ball and bumper hitch and in my lifetime I never heard of anyone breaking one or wearing one out. Been on some pretty rough ranches in NM and TX but they seem to be the fav although Ive seen several tailgates with a horsehoe bow in them.

 

I run a class 5 receiver hitch and a gooseneck built into my flatbed. never had a issue with the goose i would prefer it going across the ditches we did hauling hay this year.... i was surprised the trailer was able to twist as far over on that ball as it did

 

I dont understand the advantage of having a 5th wheel on a pickup. Mine has air ride and with a load of 4 Belgians it sits right. I'm not going to pull 30,000 lb loads with it because the price of transmissions isnt worth the ammount of pay you get hauling horses. Last trannie was $2500. I ran a Peterbilt with a sliding 5th on it and a spread axle trailer, (You can never overload a 10ft spread axle if you're 80,000 or less) I used the slider every trip when close to 80K.

 

I have a 5th wheel hitch on mine for 1 reason. Regulations are VERY specific in Manitoba. Our Highway Traffic Act states that if you're going to pull 2 trailers (and I do) the lead trailer MUST be a 5th wheel, kingpin and plate style hitch. It goes on to clarify that ball type 'gooseneck' hitches are not acceptable. That's my reason.

 

RR, for the same reasons and the same set-up here! I have my home made GN and a class V reciever hitch on my F-350. I do a lot of towing, and all of it is with farm equipment. No need for a fifth wheel.

 

I'm lame. I only have a Class V bumper hitch, no gooseneck or 5'er setup. I do want to put a B&W turnover ball gooseneck hitch in someday though.

 

YouTube - 1974 Volkswagen Beetle & Camper - road test

 

I've seen that before but it always gives me a good chuckle