Do I Have A 5th Wheel or Gooseneck?

5th Wheel Trailer or Gooseneck Trailer

Some people confuse 5th wheel and gooseneck. If you have a hitch ball in the center of your truck bed, that is for a gooseneck hitch and a gooseneck trailer. If you have a large bulky hitch inside your truck bed that has a plate, that kind of looks like a upside down horse shoe, along with with jaws for a kingpin, then you have a 5th wheel.

Gooseneck Hitch

A Gooseneck trailer with a gooseneck hitch or coupler attaches and connects to a gooseneck hitch ball in the center of your pickup truck bed. The gooseneck ball is either 2-5/16″ or 3″. The gooseneck hitch ball is easily removable. Towing with a gooseneck is common for gooseneck horse, livestock, flatbed, living quarter and race trailers.

5th Wheel Hitch

A 5th Wheel trailer, generally a camper normally comes with a pin box on the front that have a kingpin in it.. This kingpin connects to an in-bed 5th wheel hitch that as a plate. The 5th wheel plate connects to the kingpin on the front of the RV 5th wheel camper to the pickup truck.

Visual Check:

  • Gooseneck: Do you drop a coupler over a ball in the center of a pickup truck bed or flat bed truck? If Yes, you have a gooseneck.
  • 5th Wheel: Do you back up until a pin locks into a bulky heavy plate in the center of a pickup truck bed? If Yes, you have a 5th wheel.
  • FAQ: Types of Trailers and Types of Horse Trailers
Gooseneck air hitch & coupler shown
Gooseneck air hitch & coupler shown
5th wheel camper pin box with kingpin connected to in-bed 5th wheel hitch.
5th wheel camper pin box with kingpin connected to in-bed 5th wheel hitch.

FAQ