Goose neck, 5th wheel connection, Long bed, short bed truck

[DIVE2XS]

Hi, I'm moving from a travel trailer to a 5th wheel.
I like the idea of having a goose neck connection as if I want to use all of the bed space on the truck, I don't have to remove anything.
However, we want to go with a short bed 4-door truck. In order to have the same turning radius, I would have to go with a 5th wheel with a adjustable base to push the king pin father back .
If I went with a long bed, it seems to me that the problem is solved. The goose neck mount would be further back, and I wouldn't have to go with a adjustable 5th wheel hook up.
We are getting a 1 ton SRW to tow a 18,000 gross lbs 5th wheel. Tow capacity is 21000 lbs. I am thinking that it's best to go by the gross trailer weight that net.
Ok, some questions:
1. Pros and cons of 5th wheel vs goose neck.
2. Is there that much of a different between a short bed and a long bed truck? ie...tow characteristics, ability to park in parking lot(just truck).
3. In ordering a truck I have to deduct the weight of options, like 50 lbs for bed liner, 200 lbs for 4 wheel drive, if it goes up high enough to 3000 lbs, then tow capacity is at the 18000 lbs gross of the trailer.
Does the new tow capacity of 18000 lbs make a difference?

Thanks!

[laknox]

As others have said:

1. GN converter on virtually all mainstream FWs will void the frame warranty...PERIOD.
2. 18k GVW FW is solidly in dually territory. It's not what you can TOW, it's what you can CARRY. Figure that that 18k FW will have a =minimum= of 20%, or 3600 lbs on the pin, which is payload directly in the truck bed. Some FWs have upwards of 25% on the pin, so now you're north of 4k lbs on the pin. That payload doesn't include the hitch, people, tools and whatever other "stuff" you want to carry in the truck.
3. A long bed truck will usually have slightly more payload than a short bed and will give you more room in the bed for storage. As others have said, turbulence in the bed can be ferocious, so you need to only put heavy stuff there or use low-profile boxes. There are a lot of options for storage, though.
4. While a Reese Goosebox is an option, again, not all mfrs will warrant the frame when using one. Some do.
5. There are 3 main options for FW hitches. a) Newer trucks have OEM FW hitch prep. Several companies make drop-in FW hitches using them, B&W being, arguably, the premier hitch. Andersen makes a hitch that would use an adapter to use the OEM mounts. B&W makes the TurnoverBall GN hitch and the Companion FW hitch. Andersen makes a version of their hitch that uses the GN ball as a hold-down (doesn't have to be a B&W TO Ball). My biggest issue with the Andersen is that I'm not sure how well it would stand up to the weight of your FW, though it's rated to. All these options give you a clean bed when the hitch is removed.

Lyle

[Sea_Six]

18,000 pounds?

Dually, Dually, Dually, Dually, Dually.

[valhalla360]

Get a dually long bed of sufficient capacity to handle 25% of the GVWR plus whatever is going into the truck (that includes passengers).

Problem with a gooseneck is it moves the pivot point down which creates a greater lever arm on the trailer frame. Many are not designed for those extra forces. If you look at dedicated gooseneck trailers, they usually have it welded to large I-beams...you won't find anything similar on your typical 5er. It may work for a while but fatigue loading creates a high probability that you eventually have a frame failure.

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

Take a look at Reece Goose Box pin box replacement. I have a Cyclone 4000 that goes 18,000lbs and use a 20,000lb Reece Goose Box. Our TV is a Chevrolet 3500 DRW but I have read that others do use the Reece Goose Box with a 4’” offset ball. Below is a post on another forum regarding others using the Reece Goose Box

http://www.irv2.com/forums/f44/any-last-warnings-before-i-buy-reese-goose-box-371605.html

Reece Goose Box

“Happy Trails”
Chiefneon

[WTP-GC]

Just cut all the other conjecture out and listen to this:
You need a DRW 1 ton...PERIOD
This means you also need a long bed...cause DRW short beds just look dumb.
Then just pick whatever hitch you want (but not a GN adapter).
It's an easy problem to solve because of the weight of your proposed rig. If you were going with a substantially smaller rig, then you'd have more options to discuss.

[kaydeejay]

I agree with most here, a fiver that heavy is well into Dually country unless you want to be over truck ratings.
Cargo capacity of any truck is reduced by EVERYTHING in the truck - passengers, hitch, tools, the dog, auxiliary gas tank etc.... well, I'm sure you get the picture.
You are probably going to need close to 5000# of payload unless you plan to drive an empty truck solo.
And no way on a gooseneck for a fiver. Frames are not designed to take that stress.

[NMDriver2]

I love a gooseneck but not for a short bed truck. For a short bed you need a slider and that means a regular hitch. There are pin extensions, and goose ball pivots etc. but to keep it simple, a gooseneck is best in a long bed.

You are failing to consider the CARGO/Carrying capacity of the truck as the main factor. Towing capacity does not matter with a 5er. With a Travel trailer most of the weight is carried by the axles not the hitch. With a 5er the hitch carries a lot of the weight. 15-20 % or around 2500-3600 lbs for a 18000lb loaded 5er. That is what matters with a 5th wheel tow truck.

What everyone is saying is get a dual wheel truck or smaller 5er. That is not to say you will not see someone pulling a 40ft monster with a single axle 3/4 ton, but it is not good for the truck to work at its limits all the time.

[Cummins12V98]

"We are getting a 1 ton SRW to tow a 18,000 gross lbs 5th wheel. Tow capacity is 21000 lbs. I am thinking that it's best to go by the gross trailer weight that net."

You are way beyond SRW territory!!!

For one do you think the RV magically stops gaining weight at 18k? My 21k RV actually weighs 23k.

[KD4UPL]

Good luck finding a GN RV. They may exist but are extremely rare. Converting one isn't advised due to differences in frame.
For a trailer that heavy I think you would want a dually.
I would always prefer a long bed truck. Truck's are generally for hauling and a bigger bed fits that need. Also, as you are aware, it's simpler to pull a FW trailer with a long bed. Often, long bed truck's have larger fuel tanks than their short bed equivalent.

[Allworth]

I have to second John's thought.

With the pin weight of a 18K fiver on the rear axle, you are not going to have a lot of capacity to carry a lot of stuff in the bed.

Long bed; short bed, single rear; dually; they all run out of carrying capacity long before they run out of towing capacity.

[jkwilson]

If you want to carry things in the bed while towing a 5th wheel, they better be heavy. It's like a tornado back there. But if they are heavy, you will eat up your payload.

[MFL]

A goose-neck is not the best choice for a FW trailer, as the framing is not nearly as strong as an actual goose-neck trailer. Many FW trailer manufacturers will not warranty a FW towed this way.

A SRW truck would not have the RAWR to haul an 18K gross FW trailer, in most cases. It may easily pull a 21K trailer, but could not carry it.

I'm not even a forum weight cop, but our regular WP seem to have moved on, or passed on. 🙂

Jerry