Anyone with experience using a gooseneck?
I never thought to look at the gooseneck ball mount on the new to me 06 Ram 3500 I bought about a month ago for a TV. Well, to my surprise I found the previous owner must have pulled the box off and ...
Forum Discussion
I am running a Convert-A-Ball cushioned adapter on my 08' Cedar Creek 35lbq4 and thus far have not had any issues (GVWR of 15,500lbs). I have both a gooseneck and fifth wheel hitch for my Tow Vehicle and see both have there pluses and minuses.
First, the fifth wheel hitch. They are easier to hook up as I can see the hitch even when hitching with a crew cab pickup. I can also reach the latch from the outside of the box standing on the ground. They are a little more stable as the truck and hitch really act as one unit when in a side wind or rough terrain. Some prefer this feel, others do not, it's personal preference. That rigidity does limit your off road capabilities, things start twisting and it doesn't sound good. Obviously, there is less strain on the trailer frame which is certainly a benefit.
Gooseneck wise, hitching is more of a pain in the ass, atleast with a crew cab when you can't see the ball. You have to be line up perfectly, and you have the raise the trailer about 4" higher to get over the ball. This doesn't sound like much but it's pretty high and takes forever with as slow as my jacks move! A benefit is with 20%ish of the pin weight over the ball, you'll never have to worry about it coming unhooked as it would have to bounce 4" up and over the ball to do so. I do have to either climb in the box or stand on the wheel to latch the hitch and hook the chains, for me I'm young and it's not a big deal. For my dad whom has had knee surgery 3 times, it would probably be a deal breaker. It's no comparison in rougher terrain, the gooseneck puts less stress on everything all while traversing places I couldn't hardly do with my Reese fifth wheel hitch without some serious strain on the truck, trailer, and hitch. obviously it puts more strain on the fifth wheel frame under every day driving as it is acting like an 18" lever, this is definitely the biggest downside. A couple of other things to note, even with the ball in place, it's just less cumbersome all the time in the back of the pickup. I rarely remove the ball whereas with the fifth wheel hitch, I was taking it in and out regularly and frankly that's a PIA and isn't exactly light when your doing it by your self.
Towing wise, outside of the lateral difference in support, I really didn't notice any substantial difference, they both tow well down the road however I have never experienced any chucking or abnormal behavior from any of my campers which I have seen others post about. I'm undecided in a heave side wind. With the fifth wheel hitch, the truck and trailer both lean together, I always felt that was a little unnerving. With the gooseneck only the camper leans but I think it probably takes away some sense of that connection to the camper and conditions and might feel a little more unstable, I don't know if I explained that well?
For me, my seasonal campsite is only about 70 miles away and depending on which site I get each year, some are really tough terrain-wise to navigate to, so the gooseneck was a welcome addition when I seen it hanging on my camper before I bought it. If I was towing substantial distances and on more level terrain, I'd probably go back to the standard fifth wheel hitch for nothing more than to reduce that stress on the frame and the ease of hooking and unhooking.
Just my 2 cents,
regards
First, the fifth wheel hitch. They are easier to hook up as I can see the hitch even when hitching with a crew cab pickup. I can also reach the latch from the outside of the box standing on the ground. They are a little more stable as the truck and hitch really act as one unit when in a side wind or rough terrain. Some prefer this feel, others do not, it's personal preference. That rigidity does limit your off road capabilities, things start twisting and it doesn't sound good. Obviously, there is less strain on the trailer frame which is certainly a benefit.
Gooseneck wise, hitching is more of a pain in the ass, atleast with a crew cab when you can't see the ball. You have to be line up perfectly, and you have the raise the trailer about 4" higher to get over the ball. This doesn't sound like much but it's pretty high and takes forever with as slow as my jacks move! A benefit is with 20%ish of the pin weight over the ball, you'll never have to worry about it coming unhooked as it would have to bounce 4" up and over the ball to do so. I do have to either climb in the box or stand on the wheel to latch the hitch and hook the chains, for me I'm young and it's not a big deal. For my dad whom has had knee surgery 3 times, it would probably be a deal breaker. It's no comparison in rougher terrain, the gooseneck puts less stress on everything all while traversing places I couldn't hardly do with my Reese fifth wheel hitch without some serious strain on the truck, trailer, and hitch. obviously it puts more strain on the fifth wheel frame under every day driving as it is acting like an 18" lever, this is definitely the biggest downside. A couple of other things to note, even with the ball in place, it's just less cumbersome all the time in the back of the pickup. I rarely remove the ball whereas with the fifth wheel hitch, I was taking it in and out regularly and frankly that's a PIA and isn't exactly light when your doing it by your self.
Towing wise, outside of the lateral difference in support, I really didn't notice any substantial difference, they both tow well down the road however I have never experienced any chucking or abnormal behavior from any of my campers which I have seen others post about. I'm undecided in a heave side wind. With the fifth wheel hitch, the truck and trailer both lean together, I always felt that was a little unnerving. With the gooseneck only the camper leans but I think it probably takes away some sense of that connection to the camper and conditions and might feel a little more unstable, I don't know if I explained that well?
For me, my seasonal campsite is only about 70 miles away and depending on which site I get each year, some are really tough terrain-wise to navigate to, so the gooseneck was a welcome addition when I seen it hanging on my camper before I bought it. If I was towing substantial distances and on more level terrain, I'd probably go back to the standard fifth wheel hitch for nothing more than to reduce that stress on the frame and the ease of hooking and unhooking.
Just my 2 cents,
regards
