Why Gooseneck?

NMDriver wrote:
A gooseneck is easier on the trailer to hook-up. You do not lift up the front with the hitch and push back against the landing legs. You lower the coupler on to the ball. Less stress on the frame and less jolt to any horse or mule in the trailer.

Overall a gooseneck is a better arrangement for towing and does not add stress to the pin or frame, like a 5er does, when it is articulated past the few degrees allowed by a 5er hitch.

A trailer will move once the required force is applied to the pin regardless of the type of hitch. One hitch does not apply more or less force than another once it is hitched and ready to roll.

Nonsense, when hooking up with a fifth wheel hitch, the trailer isn't lifted, the truck suspension is compressed. If the trailer lifted there would be no weight in the landing legs once hooked up. As for pushing back against the trailer when hooking up, in many cases the jaws are open. That is how mine works, for 17 years and I normally don't chock the trailer. Finally, fifth wheel hitches don't articulate further because the trailer frame will hit the truck bed side rails anyway. The only way a GN ball provides more articulation on a fiver frame is if a truck with lower side rails is used, a flatbed or a hauler bed. Fifth wheel hitche's could easily have more articulation but again the limited clearance between truck bed and trailer make that meaningless. True GN trailers can have more clearance for the simple reason again that there is no living area above the hitch.

We have this Bulldog coupler on our 3-axle GN trailer: https://www.etrailer.com/Gooseneck-Trailer-Coupler/Bulldog/BD0289500300.html. Works well and is a solid coupling. Can be a right PITA to get aligned properly, though.

Tried to get Dad to order the hydraulic landing legs since we were already getting the hydraulic ramp, but he didn't want them. I should have insisted! :B

Lyle

gkainz wrote:

NMDriver wrote:
A gooseneck is easier on the trailer to hook-up. You do not lift up the front with the hitch and push back against the landing legs. You lower the coupler on to the ball. Less stress on the frame and less jolt to any horse or mule in the trailer.

Overall a gooseneck is a better arrangement for towing and does not add stress to the pin or frame, like a 5er does, when it is articulated past the few degrees allowed by a 5er hitch.

A trailer will move once the required force is applied to the pin regardless of the type of hitch. One hitch does not apply more or less force than another once it is hitched and ready to roll.

All the gooseneck trailers I've used have a jaws and hoop coupler, so they most certainly did require backing into the coupler on those.

Similar to this:

Years ago I towed a 16ft triaxle gooseneck grain trailer with a jaw type like this. I don’t know if the works were bent or what but twice when pulling out of the fields it came unhooked with the latch still down and locked and really did a number on the tailgate. I went from liking the hitch to hating it real quick. Never did figure out how it was possible but went to the type that had to be lifted up off the ball. It was a lot more work hooking/unhooking turning the jack crank as it was a big jack not the little stuff on current 5th wheels. It was more like a semi trailer jack with one speed... too fast when loaded, too slow when empty.

The entire frame of a horse trailer is designed to a different standard. The load from a horse is carried to the trailer frame as 4 point loads; the 4 hoofs. Each in a small area.

This heavier frame is carried to the goose neck and resist the transmission of twisting forces to the rest of the trailer.

Add to that the benefits others have pointed out (empty bed, articulation, etc) and the popularity with ag types is easy to see,

romore wrote:
I have towed both and prefer the fifth wheel for ease of hooking up and unhooking. If I need to take the hitch out to haul a sofa or a few sheets of plywood it only takes a few minutes. For those that need the bed ready for cargo and are constantly switching goose neck is the answer.

My B&W Turnover Ball works great! My B&W Companion works great, too!

Lyle

I have towed both and prefer the fifth wheel for ease of hooking up and unhooking. If I need to take the hitch out to haul a sofa or a few sheets of plywood it only takes a few minutes. For those that need the bed ready for cargo and are constantly switching goose neck is the answer.

NMDriver wrote:

gkainz wrote:
All the gooseneck trailers I've used have a jaws and hoop coupler, so they most certainly did require backing into the coupler on those.

Similar to this:

And all the ones I use do not require backing in, maybe you should change and avoid stress on your trailer and stock. Even the one in your picture looks like it could be lowered over the ball and save spooking the stock.

My favorite is a Cody Coupler. Simple, strong, and reliable hook-up.

I just googled Cody Coupler - it's a 5th to gooseneck adapter?

I was referring to all the different gooseneck trailers I've had experience with - equipment trailers and horse trailers. All had the type of coupler I pictured above. So, changing that would require cutting and welding to replace something that worked just fine. Caveat - that was a number of years ago and I no longer haul any of those.

gkainz wrote:
All the gooseneck trailers I've used have a jaws and hoop coupler, so they most certainly did require backing into the coupler on those.

Similar to this:

And all the ones I use do not require backing in, maybe you should change and avoid stress on your trailer and stock. Even the one in your picture looks like it could be lowered over the ball and save spooking the stock.

My favorite is a Cody Coupler. Simple, strong, and reliable hook-up.

It is all about money. A goose neck hitch requires a much stronger frame, thus more expensive. The RV industry isn't known for building anything robust.

NMDriver wrote:
A gooseneck is easier on the trailer to hook-up. You do not lift up the front with the hitch and push back against the landing legs. You lower the coupler on to the ball. Less stress on the frame and less jolt to any horse or mule in the trailer.

Overall a gooseneck is a better arrangement for towing and does not add stress to the pin or frame, like a 5er does, when it is articulated past the few degrees allowed by a 5er hitch.

A trailer will move once the required force is applied to the pin regardless of the type of hitch. One hitch does not apply more or less force than another once it is hitched and ready to roll.

All the gooseneck trailers I've used have a jaws and hoop coupler, so they most certainly did require backing into the coupler on those.

Similar to this: