Gooseneck or bumper pull?

[Jimc295]

Bumper pulls if not set up properly can get you into a wreck. a goose neck is the safest way to tow heavy. I think a bumper pull is easier to back but you can learn to back a goose neck also.

 

[remman2506]

I would go hands down with a gooseneck above a bumper pull. I have 3 ranging from 14' to 30'. They are much more forgiving when pulling and a lot more stable and easier to get into tight places.

 

[LD1]

I would go hands down with a gooseneck above a bumper pull. I have 3 ranging from 14' to 30'. They are much more forgiving when pulling and a lot more stable and easier to get into tight places.

Agree to disagree

 

[Hay Dude]

I would go hands down with a gooseneck above a bumper pull. I have 3 ranging from 14' to 30'. They are much more forgiving when pulling and a lot more stable and easier to get into tight places.

You had me on the first 2, but tighter spaces? I think the BP is a little better there.
But I wouldn’t turn down a GN for maneuverability. The advantages of the GN mostly outweigh the BP.

 

[troverman]

My general rule of thumb is that a gooseneck should be heavy enough to require a dually to pull it, or you're probably better off with a bumper pull anyway. Gooseneck trailers are more expensive than a bumper pull, since obviously they have a lot more steel in them, which also makes them heavier. Some guys make use of the "neck" portion of the goose, building a small deck up top which can provide more load area. Of course, this would increase pin weight and that needs to be taken into account. A gooseneck trailer is easier on the pulling vehicle's chassis, since there is a little less lever action. Lots of guys run single wheel tandem goosenecks with a 16k GVWR behind a 3/4 ton 10k pickup, making them under CDL by a hair. I like the idea of a trailer for your bagged wood with a tractor on the back for loading and unloading. As you mentioned, the trailer has other value such as moving the tractor for other purposes, or you could move a car, bulky object, etc.

I would recommend a 1-ton truck instead of the 3/4 ton truck simply for its added payload, but you might run into the CDL problem. You can "help" a 3/4 ton with a squatting problem by adding helper airbags to the rear axle, but you still don't want to overload it. Personally, I run a 30 foot gooseneck behind an F-350 dually. Bumper pull can be move useful because it can be pulled by a number of vehicles. You definitely want a deckover for your purposes.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

I would go hands down with a gooseneck above a bumper pull. I have 3 ranging from 14' to 30'. They are much more forgiving when pulling and a lot more stable and easier to get into tight places.

IMO a bumper pull will follow a truck much better when pulling into tight places like narrow driveways , but I do feel like I can back a gooseneck into a tighter place.

 

[Cowboyup4Christ]

Which one is safer and more forgiving with respect to trailer load balancing?

Which one is easier to back up?

Looking at a 14-16k GVWR trailer.

Gooseneck is safer. Bumper pull will be a little easier to tow because the trailer follows your trucks turning radius where a gooseneck will take a turn tighter because it connects in the center of your bed. You can back up a goose neck into a tighter spot. Gooseneck still east to tow and safer.

 

[1026R owner]

Which one is safer and more forgiving with respect to trailer load balancing?

Which one is easier to back up?

Looking at a 14-16k GVWR trailer.

Gooseneck is much better. I have a 40-foot gooseneck trailer for two cars and a 24-foot bumper pull for single car towing. The gooseneck is very stable, forgiving on load. More maneuverable for similar lengths.

 

[Flogger]

I would choose gooseneck. I have a 26 + 6 which gives me room to balance the load by moving it back or forward. It is a 25k trailer and I pull it with my 3/4 ton. More stable towing and easier to back are the bonuses.

 

[Flogger]

About 100 yrs ago my friends dad had mounted a ball hitch on the front bumper ( think it actually bolted to the frame) for backing his trailer way back in between the house and a fence. I use the skid steer with the trailer hitch QA plate.

I have front mounts on both my UTV's for that very reason.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Gooseneck.

One advantage, at least for me is the ability to drop my B&W Companion 5th Wheel Hitch into the gooseneck receiver (also B&W).

It's also easier to add the other one later down the road if needed. I also have a 16K tow bar on my truck.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

Every one I’ve ever installed (B&W and others) is just FORWARD of centerline. Including factory installed from Ram.

My Ford with factory B&W is also just forward of the rear axle.

 

[Shenandoah MF1760]

2-7/8"?? I thought most were 2-5/16" or 3"

My Ford has a factory 16K hitch that uses a 2-1/2" shank. The tri-ball has 2-5/16", 2", and 1-7/8 balls on it.

 

[Flogger]

I can't find my paperwork for my B&W hitch. Best I can tell the GN ball is 3.5" ahead of axle center. This is on a 2002 SD Crew Cab short bed.

The longer the wheelbase the farther forward the ball needs to be. (Think of a lever.) 1" makes a big difference. I moved mine back 3/4" on my 6.5' bed and it was a little to much in the end so I have a little rear end sag.

 

[Marslander51]

Which one is safer and more forgiving with respect to trailer load balancing?

Which one is easier to back up?

Looking at a 14-16k GVWR trailer.

The goose neck is definitely better for load balancing and road ability. For me, bumper pull is way better for backing up ease and precision. Goose neck will allow you to jacknife if that’s what you want to do.

 

[Marslander51]

The goose neck is definitely better for load balancing and road ability. For me, bumper pull is way better for backing up ease and precision. Goose neck will allow you to jacknife if that’s what you want to do.

Also, the gooseneck will track inside your truck when pulling around a turn. Bumper pull will follow more in the truck’s wheel track.

 

[JBM7040]

GN you wont regret it

 

[kpsp50]

Just a little info stay below 26,000 GVW truck and trailer or you will end up getting a CDL driver's license people are starting to get popped. Definitely a gooseneck best of luck

 

[Kenduro]

1. Goose neck hands down for being more forgiving on load placement.
2. Both are easy to back, IMO you can actually jack knife a goose neck and back it in a tighter spot , but a bumper pull will follow a pick-up better when pulling into a place.

Amen to that, also, unless using a GN for an RV/camper where the forward portion can house a bedroom etc., you will loose deck space per overall length vs. a conventional hitch trailer. Back-up maneuverability with GN is nearly unbelievable, but they will cheat much more on turns when going forward. Longer lighter trailers can benefit from a longer hitch (truck end), which helps towed rig follow the PU. Take a good look at the long tongue on logging trucks. The hitch (pivot) is essentially at the middle of the load. This allows them to make tight turns on logging roads.

 

[LD1]

Just a little info stay below 26,000 GVW truck and trailer or you will end up getting a CDL driver's license people are starting to get popped. Definitely a gooseneck best of luck

Unless the trailer is under 10k, then the truck can be 26k.....meaning you can have 36k GCWR without a CDL