the number of people who believe that the fifth wheel type couplings as shown in the top photo on this page are a good idea is mind boggling, the amount of room they take up, and the difficulty presented if/when you want to utilise that tray space is ridiculous.Quote:
Originally Posted by uninformed
a proper gooseneck using a 75mm tray mounted ball takes up bugger all space when the trailer isnt being used, takes up little more when the trailer is being used, and if you need to use all the tray space available, you can remove the ball in less than 5 minutes using one spanner....
the drop down ball as illustrated in the last few photos is actually of serious concern for several gooseneck hitch/trailer manufacturers in Australia, I've had a look at one personally and I'm concerned about its capacity in terms of shock loading and outright strength, and I, along with others in the trade question the legality of that style of ball, as well as that i'm pretty sure that unless its a 75mm ball and not the 60mm (?) its not actually legal in Australia any more.
as for a light/medium rigid truck being a better option, in some circumstances, yes, but usually not for the average person, as it means another vehicle, along with associated costs for essentially a specialised purpose.
examples: a friend has a single axle gooseneck car trailer that he had built to be towed behind his BA falcon ute, its rated capacity is well over 2500kg, and even loaded up with a 4wd colorado dual cab, it tows, handles and reverses like a dream, and articulation is to the point where when maneuvering in reverse, you can actually get the trailer well past 90 degrees and probably approaching 120 degrees to the tow vehicle.... try turning a normal car trailer around like that!
in the last 7-8 years it has done well over 80,000km, and this year alone has done two return trips to melbourne, loaded both ways....
when i was building gooseneck trailers for a living we had a combination caravan/mobile workshop that was to be towed by a F350 dual cab, the owner had looked at buying and fitting out a medium rigid truck to do the same thing, but made the decision for the trailer as it would allow him to still keep his F350 as a personal vehicle on weekends, use the trailer for holidays, and if he was working on site, drop the trailer and shoot off into town to pick up parts or equipment without the hassle of packing up a truck, while allowing his worker to keep going with the job. airbag suspension made for a VERY soft riding trailer, one story i heard was a coke can had been left open on the table inside, they packed up and drove ~250km home, and the can was still upright on the table!
for clearance around the tub, a properly built gooseneck will be find swinging around as far as the drawbar will clear the cab, which will be limited by the balls proximity to the back of the cab..... as for taking one offroad, given sufficient suspension articulation, clearance between your drawbar and the sides of your tub is the issue..... what are you planning on using the trailer for?Quote:
Originally Posted by akelly
