Gooseneck versus 5th Wheel hitch

I have pulled a travel trailers, tounge pull utility trailers, and goosenecks all my life. When I bought my last trailer I wend with a fifthweel and bought the companion/slider. I wouldn't go to any other way. easy to hitch up to and pulls wonderful. Then backing into place, slide it back and don't worry about taking out the corners or back window on the truck

Sorry about the typo....it is a 6.5' bed.
I viewed the video on the Andersen Ultimate Hitch and it looks like the best way to go. Nothing else compares to the features of this hitch. Thanks for the input.

Having made a living pulling heavy GN and 5th wheel trailers for several years and over a million miles I prefer a 5th wheel hitch set up. These hitches range from the light weight RV hitches like a Reese/Pulrite/B&W and Curt and all the way up to a big rig SAF Holland......Binkley.... or a Fontaine at any weight up to 200k draw and 150k load.

The GN set ups are good for around 7k-7.5k load a 40K draw. Anyone that has been around pulling with GN hitches around pastures (offroads) or construction worksites know their advantage and also knows how easily they can be separated and why professional owners and operators use safety chains.

One company I sub'ed with had rules that required safety chains regardless of what any one state requirements were. You either followed their safety rules or hit the road.

The OP says he has a 2500 chevy Dmax 5.5' bed. As one poster says a short bed 2500 GM dmax should a 6' 6" bed.

RCMAN46 wrote:
There are 5th wheel hitches that leave a clean bed.

As for which is best the big guys use the 5th wheel for many reasons.

As for the goose-neck being idiot proof why are safety chains required in most states?

If its on a ball it needs chains...which I think is dumb as its less likely to come off the ball than it is to come unclasped from a 5th hitch, but I feel this law stemmed from bumper pull and is just if its on a ball it must have chains.

goose neck is easier to hook up on off camber spots when truck and trailer are not square and level.

I read an interesting thread titled 5th wheel hitch questions in the Fifth-Wheels forum. It contains a post from TucsonJim with an informative video link about Andersen Ultimate fifth wheel hitches which are Gooseneck. They connect to the ball with an adapter on the pin and put the trailer 9 inches to the rear which in turn limits the chances of contact with your truck.

I was impressed. Check out the video in the quote from that thread.

TucsonJim wrote:
You'll lots of different recommendations on classic fifth wheel hitches in this forum. Most of these hitches are classic designs and have been around for years. The problem with them is that they are very heavy which takes away from the payload in your truck. I belong to several other RV related forums where the word has gotten out about Andersen Ultimate fifth wheel hitches. They only weigh 30-35 pounds! When you configure it with the ball mounted towards the rear, it gives you an extra 9" of clearance which eliminates the need for a slider hitch. Check out the video below and you might decide to go with one of them.

Andersen Ultimate Hitch

Jim

I would and went with the Anderson Ultimate hitch myself.

Should be 6.5', and should be fine with a newer trailer that has a curved front cap.

Thanks for the input guys. I think since I have the B&W ball hitch already it would make sense to just add the B&W Companion adapter and go with a 5th wheel hitch rather than a gooseneck. Another issue just came to mind...the former owner confessed that he once busted the back window out the pick up when he was backing into a tight spot. This is a short bed truck (5.5') and it would be easy to kiss the cab in a jack knife situation. I think B&W makes a sliding Companion that might allow for more clearance. Tomorrow I'll give them a call for advice.

RCMAN46 wrote:
Snip...

As for the goose-neck being idiot proof why are safety chains required in most states?

Probably because a goose-neck hitch uses a ball and the states regulations specify that a ball hitch must use safety chains.

In my opinion, the law makers probably were not thinking of goose-neck hitches when they wrote that law. The goose-neck hitches have very little, if any, chance of coming off of the ball while in use and probably do not need to use them. Even if one did, the tailgate of the truck would probably catch the hitch and keep the trailer from running away.

In addition, the location of the ball in the middle of the bed above the axle rather than 3 or 4 feet behind the axle results in much less bouncing at the ball area. Also, the hitch itself is part of the framework of the truck and not stuck on the back like a normal receiver is with the ball attached to a shank. I have seen normal hitches torn loose but have never seen a goose-neck hitch torn out of a truck.

All of the above, in my opinion, would be reasons that a goose-neck hitch does not need safety chains even though they are required in some states because of faulty regulations.
By the way, bringing the "big guys" into the conversation has no bearing on this discussion. They are two completely different things in my opinion and probably the reasons the "big guys" use normal 5th wheel hitches is because that is the only type of trailer made for commercial, over the road, interstate commerce. I have never seen a goose-neck commercial box trailer. I have seen car haulers and some other types of flatbed trailers but never a "normal" over the road trailer. Hence, they have no bearing on the topic being discussed here.
Barney