This is why I like goosenecks No twist needed, hehe... the hitch rocks back and forth on the ball without locking the truck and trailer together.

 

I do not have a problem with my coupler - it has plenty of capacity, is well-made, and fits the truck I already have. The kingpin in an inverted setup is on the towing vehicle and uses a full size kingpin like what is used on the big trucks and it pushes in flush with the deck in a second, so that is no problem either.

The previous owner used the same fifth-wheel setup for many, many miles. The only difference is that his setup did not oscillate/rock. He felt VERY STRONGLY that the stability provided by a non-oscillating/rocking fifth-wheel was better than that provided by a rocker fifth-wheel or a ball-type gooseneck. This is a guy with his own Peterbuilt/lowboy who hauls machinery as a side business and teaches Ag Implement design in an Ag Engineering department.

I know what the frame-twisting problems are and I plan on unlocking the rocking axis on my hitch when maneuvering on uneven surfaces. I also appreciate (from theory, not from experience), that a non-rocking system is going to be more stable in extreme cases such as high cross-winds. A very high percentage of 18-wheelers are non-oscillating all the time.

I am still looking for those rocker folks who have experiences to share about when they choose to lock out their rockers. I appreciate that many of you who have goosenecks with ball couplers or full-time rockers that cannot be locked out are happy with them - I am not trying to say you should not be, but the question I am asking is for experiences from the people with non-rockers or rockers that can be locked out.

Put simply: When do you lock out a rocker?

If there was no need, this option would not exist.

 

Here is a link so you can see the Binkley coupler - it is the FW0001 at the bottom of the page:

http://www.thehollandgroupinc.com/Portal/Products/FifthWheels/Models/LightCommercialSeries/

It can be used in the "normal" position on the tow vehicle or inverted on the trailer. There is a non-oscillating version and an oscillating version, with no lockout. I plan on adding my own lockout, which may be remotely activated, depending on what I learn on this thread.

Holland does not seem to be trying to compete in the RV market, so these couplers are not something you see every day.

 

Since you ask for input from those with non rockers as well - I have both types of hitches. Not really much to add though, since pulling either my 20' flatbed or 24.5' camper seems just as stable with either hitch; and I've pulled both fully loaded at highway speeds. 7500 for the flatbed. I could only guess that you'd only see a difference with larger trailers ?

Expounding on the idea you liked from 04Superduty, I welded square tube jacks to the rear of the flat bed - not only supports the rear while loading, but makes it real easy to deal with a flat tire as well.

 

Thanks, 95van, I am thinking that high profile or high-center-of-gravity loads are where locking truck & trailer together will make a noticable difference in sway stability. I probably will make a manual lockout for those occasional circumstances. Is your flatbed over the top of your tires?

 

No, so that is helping to keep the weight low. How heavy are you thinking of hauling ? Keep in mind there will be an economy of scale when you compare - although this is only a 7500 lb capacity trailer, I'm pulling it with no trouble with a mid size regular cab shortbed pickup - so you should be able to expect more from your full size ! I see a lot of trailers camping at the races (NHIS - in Guiness book of world records as largest gathering of campers anywhere) and the ones I see that have lockable rockers are the tallest, largest campers - real monsters. I think you've got this pretty well thought out.

 

95van, thanks for the info,

The last tandem-axle I had, I intentionally built with rubber torsion springs and it gave me a very low deck height, just so I could keep the center of gravity (CG) low. It made a great car-hauler, but unfortunately was not suitable for easy loading with my fork-lift. Since I have been hauling with my flat-bed F-350 for a couple of years, I have a desire to make my next trailer the same deck height. I do think that for my heavy & high CG loads, I will benefit from locking out the rock axis when out on the interstate making time. Thanks for confirming my thinking.

Most of my loads will not challenge the system I have in mind, but sooner or later a heavy load always comes along . . .