Anyone use 5th wheel flat bed trailers

[Ramairfreak98ss]

Any negatives asside from not being able to use the bed of the pickup truck?

We dont have any 5th wheel hitch trailers or any pickups with a 5th hitch in the bed... but ive always considered them.

Im looking for an open flat 14k trailer, id like a deck over if possible and a 5th wheel would allow more weight of supplies and a tractor up on top at the same time than a standard pull trailer.

Anyone use these for landscape purposes?

[meets1]

Yes. 1 truck is set up just for 5th wheel. I have 2 trucks with the ball in the bed though. Negatives - my balls were after market installed. There on GM trucks. I know a few guys will actually weld these plates to the frame. My are bolted on with a high away ball feature - so if you need that bed - pull a pin and drop the ball and go. Weight is great, but make sure the axles are what you want. With the ball in bed I can't say it is a problem unless we place in plywood but then I have 4 other trucks that are open so I really don't worry about that so much.

[Junior M]

You can get the B&W hideaway hitch, pull the handle on the inside of the right fender, crawl in the bed pull the hitch out, and go. Thats what I plan on getting when I get a GN trailer when I get out of high school...

[Gravel Rat]

If you want to do this with a P/U truck your trailer is going to be high off the ground unless you want a step deck trailer. Second problem with a P/U box the fifth wheel sits in a hole so to make a fifth wheel to work means you still have a center pressure point because the king pin on the trailer hangs down like a gooseneck hitch.

You would need to have a flatdeck say a F-450 F-550 with a 11-11.5 foot bed with a fifth wheel mounted over the rear axle. If you did it that way you could have a deck over trailer " Highboy" that you could load front to back just like a tractor and trailer.

[Junior M]

Forgot to add one thing I assume you mean gooseneck. Am I correct?

[twj721]

you mean like this

[Ramairfreak98ss]

you mean like this

yeah man.. and yeah gooseneck, dont gooseneck trailers hook up to 5th wheel hitches? 5th wheel are the ones in the bed? why would you need a specialized truck with a 5th wheel hitch to trailer 5th wheels? were talking JUST a ball in the bed, not those huge massive things that are the size of a 18 wheeler tire that the ball slides into like an 18 wheeler big rig... were on the same page here right, not to confuse anyone if my terminology is wrong :/

[mike lane lawn care]

gooseneck hitches have an assembly that goes in your truck bed, and the trailer mounts to that. 5th wheel hitches are a ball in the bed that the trailer pivots on 5th wheel is better for off road conditions, I.E. livestock and off highway trailers. gooseneck is better for long highway hauls.

[PLM-1]

gooseneck hitches have an assembly that goes in your truck bed, and the trailer mounts to that. 5th wheel hitches are a ball in the bed that the trailer pivots on 5th wheel is better for off road conditions, I.E. livestock and off highway trailers. gooseneck is better for long highway hauls.

You have it just backward.

A gooseneck hitch is just a ball in the bed and a 5th wheel hitch is similar to a semitrucks hitching system that utilizes a king pin on the trailer.

[Junior M]

Bobcat Ron has a set up with a kingpin on the bed and the reciever on the trailer. Most guys around here just run a standard gooseneck, with the reciever on the trailer and the gooseneck hitch (regular ball hitch) in the bed..

A fifth wheel is like the set up to pull a fifth wheel camper, its just a smaller kingpin set up off a semi that sets in the bed of your truck..

[Ramairfreak98ss]

so why do they make both setups? whats the advantage to the 5th wheel over a gooseneck just using a ball in the bed? i thought the only advantage really is weight distribution over the rear axle instead of behind it, thus lifting up the front?

I pull a lot of heavy stuff with my srw f350, problem is, pushing that threshold of "heavy" starts to lift the front, enough that it could become unsafe with more weight for handling purposes.

[Junior M]

so why do they make both setups? whats the advantage to the 5th wheel over a gooseneck just using a ball in the bed? i thought the only advantage really is weight distribution over the rear axle instead of behind it, thus lifting up the front?

I pull a lot of heavy stuff with my srw f350, problem is, pushing that threshold of "heavy" starts to lift the front, enough that it could become unsafe with more weight for handling purposes.
I have always understood a fifth wheel hitch was a stronger set up for pulling heavier loads, Ron did his because it is hard to steal his trailer with that set up because you have to have the kingpin in the bed to pull it.. There is no difference in trailer type between a gooseneck and fifth wheel set up. the only difference is the way they hook to the pick up pulling them.

and yes wieght distribution is the advantage of a gooseneck trailer over a pintle hook trailer.

[ken gustafson]

Just throwing in my comment.....on gooseneck setups. There is probably some way of telling the difference in words just have not run across the words.
On some goosenecks...you use a 2 5/16" ball in the bed of whatever you are towing the trailer with. On others you use a king pin on the trailer with a setup in the bed or on the bed to tow the gooseneck. In my mind....the use of the word "gooseneck" only describes the neck of the trailer type of hauling but not in the type of actual hookup. So...... in gooseneck type trailers you have 2 different types of hookups....some with 2 5/16" ball in the bed of the vehicle and others with a king pin on the trailer and a receiver plate in the towing vehicle.
I am certain someone will straighten out what I tried to convey.. Ken

[ken gustafson]

Just so I make the point..... the king pin is by far the stronger of the 2 setups when talking about 2 5/16" trailer ball and a king pin. Almost without exception when either setup is mounted in the towing vehicle....it is usually just forward of the rear axle. Just a very big difference between using a 2 5/16" ball and using a king pin....hands down king pin is superior for weight. Ken

[TXNSLighting]

yeah man.. and yeah gooseneck, dont gooseneck trailers hook up to 5th wheel hitches? 5th wheel are the ones in the bed? why would you need a specialized truck with a 5th wheel hitch to trailer 5th wheels? were talking JUST a ball in the bed, not those huge massive things that are the size of a 18 wheeler tire that the ball slides into like an 18 wheeler big rig... were on the same page here right, not to confuse anyone if my terminology is wrong :/

Uh no 5th wheels is a semi hitch. like rv's use. Gooseneck is the ball in the bed...

[TXNSLighting]

gooseneck hitches have an assembly that goes in your truck bed, and the trailer mounts to that. 5th wheel hitches are a ball in the bed that the trailer pivots on 5th wheel is better for off road conditions, I.E. livestock and off highway trailers. gooseneck is better for long highway hauls.

youre wrong.

[TXNSLighting]

and 5th wheels are easier to hook up!

[ConstSvcs]

Oh come on now people.

See here...........Gooseneck:
http://www.gooseneckpopuphitch.com/

See here...........fifth wheel:
http://www.etrailer.com/pc-5WH~30084.htm

And this is one of the most informative topics about the two that I've seen:

http://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/181797-gooseneck-vs-fifth-wheeler.html

[Gravel Rat]

You can use a fifth wheel with a gooseneck a friend of mine has a tandem axle gooseneck flatdeck with a fifth wheel king pin and plate in the drop tube where ball used to go into. He has a 15,000lb rated fifth wheel for his RV and modified his gooseneck hitch on his trailer to work with a fifth wheel.

[LindblomRJ]

I had a pickup with the turnover goose neck ball. I hated it and vowed never again to use anything like it.

[ovalracer44]

I had a pickup with the turnover goose neck ball. I hated it and vowed never again to use anything like it.

I see you have never towed a gooseneck trailer.

I want to convert my landscape trailer to a gooseneck. I can turn my 36 foot trailer around on a 2 lane highway. Weight distribution is 10 times better and the ride is smoother.

Less wear to front truck tires because the trailer does not pick the front of the truck up. No coon hunting going down the road at night.