Is this right? I can tow MORE with a bumper pull than I can a Gooseneck?

[Piston]

I'm thinking about my next trailer purchase, and it seems like everyone is recommending Gooseneck trailers for heavy loads, so I'm keeping an open mind about it. I've never used one before but I'm up for trying new things.

My tow vehicle is a 1999 F-350 with the 7.3 diesel. It has a GVWR of 10k lbs. (Actually 9,900 but for the sake of easy math, 10k).

My current trailer is an 18' Hudson with a 4T capacity, trailer weighs close to 2k lbs. I have overloaded it a couple of times which I prefer not to do, but my main concern is that I really don't have enough real estate on the trailer, it's just too short. Ideally I'd like a 26' bumper pull style trailer with either a 14k or 16k lb weight rating, not including the trailer itself.

I started doing some math (oh boy did my little brain hurt afterwards!)

I figure my truck weighs around 7,500lbs, so that leaves me with 2500lbs left to load on the truck. If I had a 26' GN style trailer, it would weigh around 6k lbs, so let's assume it was 16k lb trailer, that leaves me with 10k lb payload...HOWEVER, the recommended 25% tongue weight would be 4k lbs, which is quite a bit over my payload capacity on my truck.

If I used a 26' bumper pull, it would weigh around 4300lbs, and I'd be able to put a total of 11,700lbs on the trailer itself, and have a tongue weight of around 1600 lbs.

It seems to me that I will have more ability to tow a heavier trailer....LEGALLY, than I would on the Gooseneck.



Am I doing this right? (FYI, I'm using PJ trailers as my baseline for weights because they list pretty good figures on they're website, who knows if they are accurate or not).

 

[Diamondpilot]

Your math is right. I ran into this with my 9900# GVWR 2005 3500 Dmax. I traded it for a 2006 F350 with 11,500# GVWR and it solved the issue.

Chris

 

[Rustyiron]

I have a similar sized g/n trlr with dual tandems and it weighs around 6k. (25,500 gtwr). A single wheel 16k trlr should weigh less I would think. I like my g/n but want to add a deck over bumper pull. I may be wrong but it seems so much easier and faster to hitch up and disconnect a bumper pull. Does your truck have an "juice" tranny?

 

[nc redneck]

You have a 3500 like I do. No reason to lose your bed space with a gooseneck. Get the bumper pull. You will never know its back there. You may want to look at Kaufman Trailers. They make a nice 24 or 26 tilt.
Scott

 

[newbury]

What's the GCVWR rating? You might be above the rated tow capacity with a 16K trailer. My 2002 max tow capacity is rated at 12,500 lbs. according to published specs. And I've a 11.5K GVWR.

View attachment 1999-tow-ratings.pdf

 

[Piston]

Rusty,
What is the "juice" transmission? I have an automatic tranny with a deeper (higher capacity) oil pan. The code on the door sticker for the tranny is "D1" for the axle, does that tell you anything?


Newbury,
I don't know how to tell what my GCVWR is, it doesn't say it on the door sticker? The link you posted looks helpful, but there are a million choices for my truck. I have a crew cab SRW short bed with tow package, it seems to have heavier duty springs (like 6 of them) in the back than I think a stock F350 has.


I was a little bit excited to try out a gooseneck, but honestly I'm not concerned with the ride as much as I'm concerned with being able to "fit" everything, and for that, I really need my bed space.

 

[Piston]

Just found this one, any opinions on it? I don't know what they go for new, but this would be about perfect for my needs.
26ft PJ Deckover Trailer

All I know is, my current trailer just isn't working out for me.

 

[mikehaugen]

Not sure about your state, but from what I've heard, IL has made it near impossible to register a trailer without a title, even homemade.

 

[Piston]

I believe all I need is a bill of sale and a copy of the former registration. I'll have to check on that first though.

 

[mikehaugen]

I believe all I need is a bill of sale and a copy of the former registration. I'll have to check on that first though.

A copy of the last registration will certainly help.