Well, I just bought my first deisel truck a week ago.... and today found a 27ft fifth wheel on craigslist and ended up buying it! Now, I got some more questions!


1) First, how important are gauges when pulling a 5th wheel? I am installing the #6637 filter and cover from pete this week but besides that the truck is stock. Are they a must or am I OK without them until I get the $$$?

2) Any opinions on a 5th wheel hitch VS. a Gooseneck adaptor? My truck already has a ball in the bed so a GA would be the cheaper way but I heard it can put more stress on the 5th wheel frame. Anybody know or use a GA?

Well, that is all I can think of right now. THANKS in advance!

 

I wouldn't even consider pulling a fifthwheel (or anything else) without gauges. The minimum gauges would be an EGT gauge and a transmission temperature gauge. You run high EGT or tranny temps, you are looking at serious money ($10K for an engine, $4K for a tranny)...I would really advise looking at adding a auxillary tranny cooler BEFORE you start pulling. Gauges and cooler are just a few hundred dollars...are you willing to bet a 7.3 longblock and a tranny for that small cost of gauges and a cooler? Oh yeah, flush the tranny and replace fluid before you start pulling stuff.

PS...Where in NM are you?

 

being a stock truck..pyro and boost gauges are not necessary but would be nice to watch and see how things are running.a stock PCM wont really let you harm the truck...if you have a auto Trans.. a Trans temp gauge is highly recommended....not sure on the GA..never heard any thing like that..don't see how it could hurt the frame...

 

I too have a goose ball but mine is some weird kind that comes out only with removing a bolt, so I can use a flip ball to bolt a 5th wheel to it......

Anyways, I'm guessing a Gooseneck adapter would work fine. I think you actually get more movement with a ball than a 5'er, so you might have to watch to keep the trailer from hitting your bed sides if you were on really uneven ground. Hopefully someone will chime in with more experience than I.

But I would definitely get gauges, and if you want, you could install either a bigger tranny cooler from a store, or do the more common 6.0 tranny cooler swap. It dropped my temps about 50 degrees!!

 

I asked about the gooseneck adaptor when I bought my fifth wheel about 4 yrs ago. The dealer said they would not warranty it for hitch damage. The added length/leverage of the GA could stress the frame/hitch mounting. My does have the extended hitch. It might be alright with a standard hitch, but don't know for sure.
Stock the EGTs may not be a problem, but trans temps could be. I agree that gauges and trans cooler upgrade would be a good idea.

 

I also don't believe that gauges are necessary for a stock truck. Unless you want to add a tranny gauge ( I favor adding an additional cooler for the bucks), I wouldn't worry about it. I have pulled in stock and 80E with gauges. In the mountains running stock, It couldn't run high egt's in stock mode.

 

doesn't that truck have the trany temp gauge in the cluster gauge? or is that not accurate enough???

 

don't believe the stock gauge,, it reads cold,normal,hot...nothing in between...when it reads hot..you have already toasted the trans..

 

Ya i've been meaning to ask that i'm kinda pissed at myself for cheaping out on not putting that gauge in. considering i do tow alot with it and i've never even seen the stock gauge move going up big hills.

 

you will be surprised what the stock gauge reads when compared to aftermarket gauges..

 

Thanks for the replies.... nlemerise I live in Albuquerque. I think I am going to try the goosneck adaptor. I was reading in other forums and they seem like they work well. Also, I think I will look into getting a bigger tranny cooler, probably one from a 6.0 before doing any major towing. Thanks again!!!

 

I had a '91 F350 dually and pulled my 15K 5er with a standard 5er hitch. Then I got an '02 diesel f350 dually and it had a B&W turnover ball gooseneck hitch. I then got a Popup RV1 adapter for my trailer and use it as a gooseneck now. My observations are as follows:

1. I'm getting old and putting in and taking out the 5th wheel hitch was starting to hurt! I love just turning over a ball hitch for the gooseneck. It weighs maybe 2 lbs.
2. I love not having any obstructions in the bed. The 5th wheel hitch had "rails" that remained in the bed and although were only about 1" high, impeded full use of the bed.
3. Occasionaly, very occasionally, the 5th wheel hitch would get a "bucking" feeling with the trailer, with a resonance setting up between truck and trailer on certain roads so that the truck would surge forward, and the trailer would pull back, then the truck would slow, and the trailer would push it forward. It kind of felt like bucking. The way to stop it was to stand on the throttle or brake. However with the gooseneck, it get this on a regular basis.
4. Gooseneck still wins because of the clean bed and me not having to haul 75lb pieces in and out of the bed.

I only know abut the Popup RV1, but it looked to be really solid and was relatively straight forward to install. Took about 2 hours with all the drilling and such. by the way - diesel is much better than gas, especially when you "chip" it. The speed doesn't drop on every hill and I get twice the milage of the 460 ci.

 

Yea the stock trans gauge only has three positions, cold, normal, and oops too late!! I tow 20,000 lb trailers very often and have no gauges in my stock truck. I have them all in the pod now and just have to find time to put them in. Where do you live? If it is fairly flat where you plan to tow, you can get away without even a trans gauge.

 

Oh Yeah, the gauges: The "cluster" trans gauge is useless and the EGT gauge can be very revealing. Boost is nice too. If you really serious about pulling, you need those three, even if you are running stock. Compared to the price of the truck and trailer, it's a must have.

 

We just found a 5th wheel on craigslist here in Oklahoma and bought it. I bought the ranch hand gooseneck adapter since I already had the hitch in the truck. I don't know if I'll change over to the regular 5th wheel hitch or not. Several dealers seem to have no problem with them. I did notice some bucking on I-40 crosstown in OKC, but you would have to know how bad this stretch of the interstate is to truly appreciate it. The 5th wheel is a 2002 Wildcat that is 30'. I am glad to see this thread so that I can follow it and see what everyone thinks.