Matching a trailer to my load/truck, current setup isn't cutting it????

[Piston]

Here is what I currently have:

A '99 F350 SRW and a 10,000lb Hudson 18' bumper pull.




As you can see, when I need to bring numerous implements to a job, I have a hard time squeezing it all in. I really wanted to bring my chipper on this job as well but I just couldn't fit it, there was no way.
With the above setup, I'm positive I'm overloaded. All together the tractor, and implements on the trailer weigh in at about 8,500lbs. The trailer is another 2k so that is 10,500 total right there, not including the fact that I have way too much tongue weight on my hitch.
The stumpgrinder in the bed of the truck weighs either 1200lbs or 1400lbs, I forget off the top of my head. My truck weighs somewhere in the neighborhood of 8k, so total combined weight of everything is estimated to be between 19,000 to 19,500lbs.

I think it's safe to say that this load would pull a little better with a gooseneck! Although I have to admit, with heavy duty springs in the back, the truck actually rode decent with all this weight, I was even able to drink a cup of coffee without spilling it while driving, I can't do that too often in this truck! :laughing:

I have some questions about Goosenecks. First of all, I was thinking about a 24' GN. However, my tractor, grapple, and 6' rotary cutter are 22' long, so that only leaves 2' for another implement. I'd like to be able to take along the stumpgrinder and chipper, if possible. Most likely I would not need all these implements at the same time very often, so fitting one of the two would be sufficient. I figure if I had an additional 4' extra space I'd be okay. That brings me to 26'.

Just for safety sake, and the ability to shift weights slightly, I would most likely go with a 28' GN. I like the flat deckover design with slide in ramps. I am interested in something like the PJ classic flatdeck.

The issue is, it seems like no matter how I cut it, I am still limited to around a 10k lb load on the trailer. The trailer weighs just shy of 5,500lbs. It's rated for 15,600. Does that mean that I can only put 10,100lbs on the trailer?

PJ Trailers - Classic Flatdeck with Singles (FS)

 

[Xfaxman]

They list optional 8K axles, but don't say what the GVWR would be.

Check this company. Gooseneck Trailers - Kaufman Trailers

I an considering this one. 17,000 GVWR / 24 ft. Equipment Tilt Gooseneck

Can get 26' and 28' also.

 

[nvkubot]

You can do this with a smaller GN trailer than 28 foot. Mine has an upper deck of 8X7. The bed is 20 with 4 foot dovetail. I lift extra implements up to it. Just be careful with your turning radius with a shortbed truck. Too tight a U-turn and the deck can hit the back window. Use of an extended ball helps.

 

[Ken45101]

First of all, you would do better (and be safer) with a weight distributing hitch on your existing trailer.

Have you weighed each axle to see how you are loaded? When we bought our horse camper (gooseneck), we found that we were 300# overweight on the rear axle without horses or water. I could feel the instability on mild curves. We upgraded to a dually, much, much better and safer. There is not much difference in rear axle capacity between a SRW 1 ton and a 3/4 ton.

With a gooseneck, a significant amount of weight will go onto the truck rear axle. Perhaps 4000# or more. So a gooseneck rated for 12,000# can actually haul 16K without exceeding the ratings (12K on the trailer axles and 4K on the truck rear axle). However, your truck needs to be able to handle that.

Depending on your state laws, you could possibly haul your existing trailer behind a gooseneck. My gooseneck equipment trailer has a hitch receiver on the rear. That sounds like a nightmare loading and driving, but it would be an option for hauling everything on rare occasions.

 

[Diamondpilot]

I think you are in the same boat as me. I had a 25' GN and now a 18' BP. I actually can take more with the BP. With the GN the loss of the 8' bed killed me. My GN was 6500# empty and had a GVWR of 25,000# leaving about 18,500# for payload. My BP has has plenty of payload for my needs and my 06 F350 can handle 3,900# in the bed/tongue weight legally.

I think you would need a 30' or better GN with tri 7K axles to come close to your needs.

Chris

 

[Piston]

You can do this with a smaller GN trailer than 28 foot. Mine has an upper deck of 8X7. The bed is 20 with 4 foot dovetail. I lift extra implements up to it. Just be careful with your turning radius with a shortbed truck. Too tight a U-turn and the deck can hit the back window. Use of an extended ball helps.

I didn't realize I could put implements on the top deck of the GN, so that could help save 4' or so with one implement.

First of all, you would do better (and be safer) with a weight distributing hitch on your existing trailer.

Have you weighed each axle to see how you are loaded?

With a gooseneck, a significant amount of weight will go onto the truck rear axle. Perhaps 4000# or more. So a gooseneck rated for 12,000# can actually haul 16K without exceeding the ratings (12K on the trailer axles and 4K on the truck rear axle). However, your truck needs to be able to handle that.

Depending on your state laws, you could possibly haul your existing trailer behind a gooseneck. My gooseneck equipment trailer has a hitch receiver on the rear. That sounds like a nightmare loading and driving, but it would be an option for hauling everything on rare occasions.

I have not weighed each axle. I typically load differently on each job I go to, some require a lot of implements and some don't. When I have the RC on the back of the tractor, I end up with a lot more weight forward, when I don't have the RC, I end up with more room forward. So basically, my weight distribution on the trailer changes from job to job.

Thanks for mentioning about how a 12k GN can actually haul 16k without exceeding the limits, that was going to be one of my next questions.

I can not legally tow a second trailer, behind a first, nor would I want to do that.

I think you are in the same boat as me. I had a 25' GN and now a 18' BP. I actually can take more with the BP. With the GN the loss of the 8' bed killed me. My GN was 6500# empty and had a GVWR of 25,000# leaving about 18,500# for payload. My BP has has plenty of payload for my needs and my 06 F350 can handle 3,900# in the bed/tongue weight legally.

I think you would need a 30' or better GN with tri 7K axles to come close to your needs.

Chris

Chris,
I think that is the main problem I'm facing, I don't see me gaining a lot of capacity by going to a large GN, weight wise. If I had a 12,000 lb bumper pull, I could load around 9000 lbs on it, plus put an implement in the back of the truck, and probably do it a whole lot cheaper.

I would like a GN for how well they supposedly tow, but if it's going to cost me 6-8 grand, and not give me much more capacity, well I wonder which way I should go. As you can see, I am not decided on what to do, I don't know what would be best for me, short of buying a dually with a huge capacity, which is out of the question.

 

[Harold_J]

Your F350 looks like a short bed in the picture. Do you really want the potential hassle of a GN on a short box?
If you can't put the GN ball where it's supposed to be, slightly ahead of the truck axle, you're really not taking full advantage of the GN design.

If that's the truck you're going to use why not consider a long tri-axle bumper pull with a GOOD weight distributing hitch?
I think that combo would do the job and you would still have the truck bed available to load things in. The truck will ride a lot better with the WD than your current setup.

 

[Harold_J]

First of all, you would do better (and be safer) with a weight distributing hitch on your existing trailer...

With a gooseneck, a significant amount of weight will go onto the truck rear axle. Perhaps 4000# or more. So a gooseneck rated for 12,000# can actually haul 16K without exceeding the ratings (12K on the trailer axles and 4K on the truck rear axle). However, your truck needs to be able to handle that...

If a trailer is rated at 12K on the chassis tag that is all it is supposed to weigh including the hitch weight. I know what you're saying, if the trailer has two 6K axles you could probably load it up over 12K because some of the weight is on the hitch and the trailer axles would not be overloaded; but what about the rest of the trailer?

The problem is some manufacturers, especially with goosenecks, have already included the tongue weight in their "rating" You will see some GN's with two 7K axles rated at over 15K. On the other hand some trailer manufacturers do not do this, the trailer with two 7K axles is rated 14,000 GVW and that's that.

I think you're being generous when you say a trailer with 12K of axle capacity can be loaded up to 16K. If you did that you would need to have 25% of the total on the hitch, which is on the high end even for a GN; and with his SRW F350 4x4 crew cab I think 4K in the bed would be over the truck's payload rating and possibly rear axle rating.

My main point is if the tag on the trailer frame says 12,000 GVW, then you really shouldn't go over that. They could have designed the neck, frame, coupler brakes, etc., for 12K but no more.

 

[Piston]

Your F350 looks like a short bed in the picture. Do you really want the potential hassle of a GN on a short box?
If you can't put the GN ball where it's supposed to be, slightly ahead of the truck axle, you're really not taking full advantage of the GN design.

It is a short bed. I really don't know about the potential hassle of a GN with the short bed. I have never once towed anything on a GN trailer, I've never even been in a truck towing anything with a GN, so I really have zero experience with this. The ONLY reason I was convinced that a GN was better, is from all the threads on here from people saying how much better GN's are for towing. It's one of those things that I didn't realize how much I "needed" a GN until I learned WHY they were "better" from reading online, so basically, I have NO experience with them.

I've actually been really happy with bumper pull trailers in general, I have a LOT of experience towing bumper pulls, and really have never had the issues people talk about.

I "originally" was set on a longer bumper pull, because I'm used to it, it's worked well for me, I like the ability to put other implements in the back, and also because my next truck will most likely have a cap on the back, which of course I can't do if I have a GN. Then, after reading a lot online about longer bumper pulls, I started seeing how almost everyone was recommending GN's, and how much "better" they are.

Now you guys might be knocking some sense into me and convincing me that maybe my original idea of a longer bumper pull is the way to go.

If that's the truck you're going to use why not consider a long tri-axle bumper pull with a GOOD weight distributing hitch?
I think that combo would do the job and you would still have the truck bed available to load things in. The truck will ride a lot better with the WD than your current setup.

I'm hoping that in the next few years I'll be buying a new truck, it will either be a 3/4 ton or another 1ton diesel. It seems like a lot of the new trucks come with class V hitches, whereas mine is only a Class IV I believe (it's rated at 10k lbs)

I've also never used a WD hitch, but have talked to a lot of friends who have, they say they make a big difference as well. Again, I've really not had many problems towing my current trailer, except for when I try to "fit" a whole lot more that I should. With this trailer, I don't have much room to balance the load.

I'd really like to have a 5 ton capacity trailer, so I assume any trailer that has that capacity, would probably weigh 3-4k lbs? I guess I'd need a 15k lb trailer?

Since posting this, and reading some of your replies, I started looking at 24'-26' bumper pulls, that may be my best route?

 

[Diamondpilot]

I think a BP is the best choice. I have had them all upto 25000 # GVWR and by far the BP is my choice for all the reasons listed above.

Chris