Fifth Wheel & Gooseneck Hitch Guide (Canada)

Fifth-wheel and gooseneck hitches live in the truck bed — not in a rear bumper receiver. Compare the two, learn bed / rail / puck basics, then jump to related hitch pages.

Built for Canadian truck owners. Free shipping on CURT towing gear from Lots of Parts.
Start with your truck year page (examples below), or browse 5th wheel hitches and gooseneck hitches. Prefer the full index? Open the towing guides hub.

Official CURT videos (5th wheel & gooseneck)

Public videos from the CURT YouTube channel (@curtmfg). Watch here, then keep reading.

If an embed does not load in your browser, use the YouTube link under each card.

How to Measure Truck Bed for 5th Wheel & Gooseneck Clearance

CURT · Cab clearance and bed-length measuring

Do this first — short beds and crew cabs need clearance math before you buy a hitch head.

Watch on YouTube →

How to Hook Up a 5th Wheel Hitch

CURT · Coupling and uncoupling overview

Orientation for jaws, locking, and the typical hookup flow at the campground or yard.

Watch on YouTube →

Gooseneck Hitches Introduction

CURT · Under-bed gooseneck overview

Intro to gooseneck balls, under-bed kits, and when a gooseneck is the cleaner heavy-haul choice.

Watch on YouTube →

The Double Lock EZr Gooseneck Hitch

CURT · Double Lock EZr product overview

Closer look at a popular under-bed gooseneck design used with vehicle-specific kits.

Watch on YouTube →

Fifth wheel vs gooseneck

Fifth wheel

Kingpin RV / camper towing

A 5th-wheel hitch mounts over or just ahead of the rear axle and locks onto a kingpin. It is the usual path for recreational fifth-wheel campers.

  • Head + rails or OEM puck legs
  • Often sliding heads on short beds
  • Higher profile in the bed when installed

Shop 5th wheel hitches →

Gooseneck

Ball in the bed

A gooseneck uses a ball that rises from the bed floor (often removable) and couples to a gooseneck coupler. Common on livestock, flatbed, and many commercial trailers.

  • Under-bed kit + ball (OEM puck or drill kits)
  • Adapters exist both ways (watch capacity limits)
  • Popular when the bed must stay usable between hauls

Shop gooseneck hitches →

Truck bed basics

  • Bed length & cab clearance: Measure first. Short-bed crew cabs often need a sliding 5th-wheel head — see the CURT measuring video above.
  • Rails / brackets: Many 5th-wheel installs use vehicle-specific side brackets plus base rails.
  • OEM puck systems: Newer trucks may have factory pucks. Matching CURT legs or balls can avoid drilling — confirm your prep package.
  • Payload & GAWR: Pin / tongue weight counts against payload. Half-tons are often payload-limited before hitch-class-limited.
  • Rear receiver still matters: You may still want a Class III/IV bumper hitch for a boat or utility trailer. That is a separate product.

Who needs these

Likely yes

Pin weight & heavy trailers

  • Fifth-wheel campers with real pin weight
  • Gooseneck stock, dump, and flatbed trailers
  • Loads that beat a comfortable bumper tow on your truck
  • HD trucks (250/2500/3500) doing regular heavy hauling
Maybe not

Stay conventional

  • Light utility, small boat, and cargo trailers within bumper-hitch comfort
  • CUVs / SUVs — these are truck-bed systems
  • When payload is already maxed by people + gear — fix payload first

Conventional hitch picks →

Canada highway & season notes

  • Long Trans-Canada / prairie pulls reward a stable in-bed pivot.
  • Winter: keep coupler / jaws clean; follow CURT torque and lube notes.
  • Verify provincial trailer brake and lighting rules for what you tow.

Popular truck hitch landers

Related guides & shopping

Hitch Buying GuideClass I–V basics Weight DistributionWhen bumper towing needs WD Class 3 vs Class 4Rear receiver classes How to ChooseTruck / SUV picks + videos Towing Guides HubAll guides

Shop 5th Wheel Hitches

Browse CURT fifth-wheel heads and hardware. Confirm bed length, rail/puck compatibility, and pin-weight capacity on the product page.

Open 5th wheel hitches →

Or gooseneck

Prefer a removable bed ball for stock and flatbed trailers?

Open gooseneck hitches →
Rear receivers →

More help: towing guides hub · Class 3 vs Class 4 · wiring & electrical · contact support