zap

The 5.9 is an I6. I know plenty of stock Common Rail 5.9's that get 24-26. A few get better than that depending on the drivetrain. Torque is what matter most when talking about towing. Engine config only has a bit to do with it as different configs have different torque advantages (inline engines are more torquey while V engines are more powerful). A lot of people rather have high horse engines but remember to right the U.S.S Oklahoma, 21 5 hp electric motors that each produced 500 lb-ft of torque righted her in a period of 3 months. Horse power is just the rate at which you can apply torque which is why righting the capsized Oklahoma took 3 months.

You can make up torque by using gears and pulleys, but you can't do the same with horsepower.

p38fln

Are gooseneck hitches weaker than 5th wheels? I've never used anything with a gooseneck, used plenty of receiver hitches and 5th wheels, though.

I almost never hear of a 5th wheel failing during an accident - I've heard of 5th wheels that were broken prior to an accident contributing to one, or people that don't understand them not latching them properly, but never one that actually broke during an accident. Seen them deform, twist and bend, but never one that actually released the king pin or broke from the frame rail when it was being used properly and in good repair.

We actually had an accident here a few years back where one of our fully loaded tractor trailers had to swerve to avoid hitting a pickup truck that ran a stop sign, our driver lost control of the truck and ran into a railroad depot's concrete base at about 45 MPH. The CAB snapped off the frame rails, and the engine broke from its mounts, punched through the nose of the truck, and slid a full block. The trailer though - the trailer stayed attached to the fifth wheel, and the fifth wheel stayed attached to the truck.

Somehow, the driver walked away from the wreck with only minor scrapes and bruises. He got an award from the Minnesota state police for wearing his seatbelt ("Saved by the belt award").

zap

Depends on the setup. The base 5th wheel hitch for a pickup is rated to 15K lbs. For the same price, you can get the base hideaway gooseneck which is rated to 25K lbs where the same weight rated 5th would be $200-$400 more depending on the vehicle. There is also for about $300 more a 30K lb rated gooseneck. Now the 5th's on tractors are rated to something close to 125K lbs. The strongest goose's were the first gen. However, most people failed to maintain them since they were a different set up the ball had to physically be able to rotate and most people would not unscrew it to grease the threads. It would cause it to seize and then snap when you tried to take turn.