Trailering 101
Part III: A Word About Goosenecks
Disclaimer: Please refer to the manuals of tow
vehicle, trailer and hitch for recommended operating procedures and limitations before use
and/or purchase.
This is the third article in a series related to educating our readers
on vehicles, hitches and trailer compatibility. Part I: What Can My Vehicle Tow? and Part
II: And Now The Hitch. are still on line for your convenience.
This month we are going to cover goosenecks. The first item of
business is to clear up a common misconception that: A "fifth wheel" and a
"gooseneck" are one in the same. They are not. Yes both types of
trailer hook into the bed of the truck, but the actually connections are different. When
asking about hitch installation using the incorrect terminology can present problems.
  The first
picture to the left
shows a trailer attached to a
"Gooseneck hitch", the
second is a close up of the
hitch plate itself. This plate
or something like it, is normally
visible on the top of the truck bed. Underneath the bed are
supporting rails that are usually welded into place, and serve as
the actual support structure for the hitch assembly. For the most
part, there are two configurations for a gooseneck hitch, hide
away as shown above or one which remains upright at all times. The hide away, which
is becoming pretty much standard these days, when not in use folds down into the bed of
the truck, once again making it useful for things like hay and plywood. The other as
indicated just stays upright in the middle of the bed at all times. (Note: the trailer at
left is not totally connected, before moving a trailer make sure all safety equipment is
connected per manufacturer's recommendations).
 Now
for the fifth wheel. This is a fifth wheel hitch. As you can
see there is no ball. We apologize for not being able to show you
the matching trailer end but basically as opposed to having a
couplerwhich accepts a ball hitch, the trailer has, for lack of a better
word, a disc on the end of the coupler which slides into the hitch
shown at left. Most horse trailers you will find come standard with
the "gooseneck hitch" as in the previous section. However, most
trailer manufacturers will offer a fifth wheel attachment or coupler as an
option. You may ask which is better, we can't answer that question. If you are going
to haul a really big trailer you may wish to speak with your manufacturer and hitch
installer to see if one coupler has benefits over the other. Like weight carrying
capabilities etc...
2) Hitch Installation. We are not going to address this issue
to much accept to say that most "gooseneck hitches" are installed anywhere from
2" to 6" in front of the back axle. Installation directly on or behind the
back axle is usually not recommended for handling and stability purposes.
3) Trailer Towing Height. Just like bumper pulls goosenecks
too have a recommended tow height. Just like bumper pulls they should be riding
level to just slightly nose high and never down. Exaggerated attitudes in either
direction can place more stress/weight than intended on the axles and cause driving
instability. Unlike the bumper pull where the hitch was adjusted to accommodate height, in
this case it is the neck of the trailer itself which is adjustable. Most goosenecks
are equipped with two vary large self taping bolts which when loosened allow the inner
portion of the coupler to move allowing you to raise or lower the neck/trailer height.
(more about this in item#6)
4) Vehicle Capabilities. Make sure that if you have or intend to
purchase a truck for use with a gooseneck that you check your trucks towing capacities.
Make sure that the GVW of the trailer you are towing falls within the capabilities
of your truck and that there are no restrictions against hauling a gooseneck.
5) King Pin Load. This refers to the amount of weight your truck
can handle in its bed, or on the gooseneck hitch. Different gooseneck trailers apply
differing amounts or percentages of weight to this area. Usually this amount is
dictated, first of course by the size of trailer and intended load, but secondly by the
placement of the axles on the trailer. The farther back the heavier the load.
Some of the larger head-to-heads and living quarters can have as much as 20-35% of the
load placed on the hitch, smaller trailers can be as little as 900-1000 lbs. In any
case, check with the trailer, truck, and hitch manufacturers/installers to make sure all
components are compatible.
6) Truck Bed Length & Height. Both of these have become
issues since 4WD shortbeds are so common place. Lets tackle bed length first.
Most folks prefer a shorter bed especially when going to a super or crew cab truck due to
length considerations. That is okay except, if a gooseneck is in your future keep in
mind you may be limiting your trailer selection. The problem comes in the area of
"turning". For a typical full nosed gooseneck depending on the interior
width the trailer may hit the back of the cab or only clear by inches. Either case
is not very comfortable. Just keep in mind that if you have a truck bed less than 8' you
must shop wisely for a trailer. We strongly recommend "test driving or turning"
before you buy. Also, where your hitch is installed may help to give you a
little more maneuvering room, but again we do not recommend going on or behind the back
axle. Now with any gooseneck you can turn far enough to hit the cab but it would be
nice to at least get close to 80-90 degrees before encountering problems. One other
note, there are some "fifth wheel" hitches which have releases on them so that
you can move the trailer back from the cab when maneuvering in tight spots like gas
stations. Once you make the corner you lock it back into towing position. This
type of apparatus is used quite often with travel trailers.
Now for height. Most manufacturers over the years have made
adjustments to their trailers to accommodate the higher beds. As we discussed
trailer towing heights in #4, there is only so much you can do with the actual trailer
neck/coupler to compensate for a high truck bed and still stay within the recommended
towing height. The changes that had to be made for the trailers were in the trailer
bulkhead itself. They had to make the height from the trailer floor to where the
neck started taller. In this way, they could clear the bed rails of the truck and
still maintain a level towing height. However, we do want to point on that in the
'99 model years of some trucks the bed heights have increased again! In one case as many
as 3" to 4". Usually this becomes an issue with the 4 wds. We pointed this
out because if you have a new 4WD and are considering an older trailer again shop wisely,
not all trailers will be appropriate. In fact it wouldn't hurt to check this out
even if you are buying a new one.
Well that's it for this month. We did not have time to do the
electrical system justice so we will get to it next time.
Happy Trailering... See you Next Month.
If you have any comments, suggestions or topics for
a "Trailering 101" article we'd be happy to take them. Trailering
education is our goal.
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