It has been forever since I have been on this forum as I have been out of the RV scene for a while. Looks like we are finally getting back to it. I have a truck with a goose neck hitch installed. I am wanting to put a 5th wheel hitch for towing. Is it possible to have both styles installed at the same time? Would the frame mounting plates interfere with each other? If I need to I will remove the goose neck since I never use it anyway.Glad to be back!

Yes, you can!In fact, a little research will show that there are quite good fifth wheel hitches that fit right on the gooseneck ball. I don't remember what they are, but I have seen them. In fact, my neighbor has one. Surely somebody will be along that has better information.

Not sure which one you have but the B&W gooseneck is an underbed mount that you can use for the gooseneck and B&W makes what they call the companion 5th wheel hitch that mounts in the same hole to the gooseneck mount. So you can have both. The companion is removable so that you can use the gooseneck (two pins to remove the head, one bolt to remove the companion base takes about ten minutes to switch from one to the other). There are surely other brands that do the same.http://www.turnoverball.com/products/single-point-attachment/companion-5th-wheel-hitch Again it will depend on what you have as to whether it can be done or not. I love mine for three reasons first I can tow both types of trailers, second the companion is a great 5th wheel hitch and third if not towing either I can have a completely flat bed with no rails for the other work the truck does.

I love my Andersen Ultimate ... I'm planning to upgrade my fixed gooseneck ball to a turnover ball sometime this summer if I ever get a spare afternoon.

You could add rails and use any fifth wheel hitch, or utilize the gooseneck ball and use one of the turnover ball hitches. I have a rail mount Andersen Ultimate and I'm a huge fan of it, but they also sell a version that mounts on a gooseneck ball if you'd rather not mess with adding rails. You could also always add a gooseneck adapter to the trailer but that's a little controversial on this site. I was a little leery of the added stresses myself so I went with the Andersen instead, but my dad has run an adapter on his fifth wheel for over 20 years with no issues at all.

I checked and my goose neck is a B&W turn over ball. So I wonder if B&W makes a 5th wheel that will work around this one?

Goose neck and 5th wheel? | Good Sam Community

14 Replies

Fire91
Explorer
Apr 21, 2016
I have the Companion slider and it is heavy. Love it tho. It isn't noisey. After having the trailer a year I bought the Companion non-slider base thru Etrailer. It is lighter and I can put in truck without using my tractor. They both use the same head unit. Now I can use either base depending on camping trip. Haven't needed slider yet but it nice insurance.
GlampinLife
Explorer
Apr 19, 2016
The companion slider is a lot heavier and more expensive and requires you to get out. I know that sounds lazy but the Andersen works great, either the steel or the aluminum. I wanted to save weight and money, so I got it and I'm new to towing a 5th wheel (toy hauler). It worked great on my first trip. I've watched some videos with the racket a 5th wheel hitch makes which would stress me out, this setup has a lot less moving parts. I'm a newbie to this, so take my feedback at what its worth :)
Neal_B_
Explorer II
Apr 19, 2016
I have considered the goose neck adapter but it sure looks scary to me. It's probably just me but I need some reassurance. I'm also considering the B&W companion slider but I heard it is really heavy to load and unload.
tatest
Explorer II
Apr 18, 2016
If I were regularly using a goose neck hitch in my ranch operations, and needed to occasionally haul a fifth wheel trailer, my preferred choice would be the B&W Companion, even though that means hauling the fifth wheel hitch in and out of the truck bed.

But most of the folks I know around here simply put a goose neck adapter on their fifth wheel trailer. Ratings range up to 20,000 pounds (which is really heavy heavy for a RV fiver) and quality varies. Convert-a-Ball might be the best, but relatively expensive. Nobody I know who has done this has broken their fifth wheel frame, but they've all had Carriage trailers, and Carriage is probably above the norm on fifth wheel frame quality.
Miles_Away
Explorer
Apr 16, 2016
If you already have a B&W Turnover Ball, don't mess with the rest, you already have the best.
GlampinLife
Explorer
Apr 15, 2016
I've used mine once for a trip from Cincinnati to GA and back. First time ever towing a 5th wheel so I can't compare it to a traditional 5th wheel hitch but I really liked this option to save weight and cost compared to a 5th wheel hitch that worked with my B&W gooseneck hitch.

Moderator edit to re-size picture to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.
mkirsch
Nomad II
Apr 12, 2016
I really like the idea of the Andersen Ultimate myself. It is basically a gooseneck adapter, but it puts the extension in the truck bed instead of mounting it on the trailer. It's lightweight yet strong, and gives you articulation in the roll axis, reducing stress on the trailer in off-camber situations, even something as simple as pulling into a gas station.
Helmsey
Explorer
Apr 12, 2016
Neal B. wrote:
I checked and my goose neck is a B&W turn over ball. So I wonder if B&W makes a 5th wheel that will work around this one?

You have several fantastic options with the turn over ball, the first being the B&W Companion. I would suggest looking hard at it.
The Anderson is getting great reviews as well.
MFL
Nomad II
Apr 12, 2016
Yes, the B&W Companion is made for the turnover ball. Look at Tweety's or e-trailer for best price.

Jerry
Neal_B_
Explorer II
Apr 12, 2016
I checked and my goose neck is a B&W turn over ball. So I wonder if B&W makes a 5th wheel that will work around this one?