Gooseneck for 150/1500 truck

[TMGT]

I don't believe you have the springs or rear tires to handle a gooseneck SAFELY. While it's possible for some 1/2-ton trucks to tow certain gooseneck trailers, it's not generally recommended due to potential safety and mechanical issues. Gooseneck trailers typically exert a higher percentage of their weight onto the truck's hitch, potentially exceeding the truck's payload and tow ratings even if the overall trailer weight is within limits.

Here's why:

• Higher Tongue Weight:
  Gooseneck trailers, compared to bumper-pull trailers, place a larger percentage of their weight (20-25%) on the truck's hitch. This can quickly overload the truck's payload capacity, even if the overall trailer weight is within the truck's tow rating.
  
  
• Payload Capacity:
  A half-ton truck's payload capacity (the amount of weight it can carry in the bed and on the hitch) is often limited. Exceeding the payload can lead to unsafe handling, increased braking distances, and potential damage to the truck.
  
  
• Safety Concerns:
  Overloading a half-ton truck with a gooseneck trailer can result in compromised handling, especially in situations like turns, braking, or encountering uneven road surfaces.
  
  I'm not saying it can't be done, but if a crash happens, you may not have a leg to stand on, legally or insurance wise. Certainly, the gooseneck type hitch has some great advantages: turn radius, emergency avoidance, and very high speed stability (as long as the truck can take the side to side load transfer that goes on during all of this). Plus, it isolates the trailer's roll mode from the truck's roll dynamics, unlike a 5th wheel hitch).
  
  But, people do it with campers all the time. Ask your insurance company what they think, and have the GVWR and tire placard info handy if the DOT police pull you over.

Lighter duty trailer with proper axle placement would be perfectly fine, actually safer than the equivalent tag trailer. While the options for lighter goosnecks aren't as many, they do exist.

 

[newbury]

Pretty sure that is going to be the rated capacity of the trailer, as a really heavy built dual axle dual wheel trailer usually doesn't weigh close to 10, 800 pounds and the O/P is looking at a lot lighter trailer!
David from jax

Yeah, that's what I was thinking but Paystar did mention a 550 which I guessed might pull a big trailer.

 

[sandman2234]

Just use a WD hitch. That's about as close to getting the same outcome as your going to get. It moves the tongue weight forward just like a gooseneck.

W/D hitch doesn't help with the maneuvering aspects that a gooseneck improves, such as when backing into tight areas. A bumper pull can only go so far before contacts the bumper, whereas a gooseneck can go just a few degrees past 90 before it contacts the side of your truck.
Adding a weight distributing hitch helps with weight issues, but it also tends to tighten up the steering aspects as well. Been a while since I hauled a bumper pull camper with a w/d hitch, but it wasn't as good as a gooseneck(or a 5th wheel) but it would be a lot less money to invest if you didn't already have the truck set up. If I were in the O/P position, I would probably shop marketplace or ebay for a good deal on a W/D hitch, and give it a try. If it works, then you would have a whole lot less money tied up. If it doesn't work, or if you tend to haul around tight areas, or in tight places, then you might need to spend the large amount needed to convert to gooseneck.
David from jax

 

[Lineman North Florida]

Paystar & Lineman - Is Paystar's "10,800 pound bumper pull beavertail equipment trailer" 10,800 pounds capacity or weight?

You are probably right, but for some reason I took it to mean trailer weight.

 

[Lineman North Florida]

W/D hitch doesn't help with the maneuvering aspects that a gooseneck improves, such as when backing into tight areas. A bumper pull can only go so far before contacts the bumper, whereas a gooseneck can go just a few degrees past 90 before it contacts the side of your truck.
Adding a weight distributing hitch helps with weight issues, but it also tends to tighten up the steering aspects as well. Been a while since I hauled a bumper pull camper with a w/d hitch, but it wasn't as good as a gooseneck(or a 5th wheel) but it would be a lot less money to invest if you didn't already have the truck set up. If I were in the O/P position, I would probably shop marketplace or ebay for a good deal on a W/D hitch, and give it a try. If it works, then you would have a whole lot less money tied up. If it doesn't work, or if you tend to haul around tight areas, or in tight places, then you might need to spend the large amount needed to convert to gooseneck.
David from jax

In my opinion there are only 2 things that are better about a bumper pull. 1. It leaves the bed of your truck open to haul tools, materials, coolers, etc. 2. A bumper pull trailer will follow or track the tow vehicle closer than a gooseneck will, making it a good choice where you don't have the room to make wide swings to get in tight driveways etc. I use a 22' bumper pull tilt deck to haul my skidsteer on and some of the pig trails that I have to go down I would never be able to get my gooseneck deckover in , but the gooseneck is superior in all other aspects IMO.

 

[Paystar]

Paystar & Lineman - Is Paystar's "10,800 pound bumper pull beavertail equipment trailer" 10,800 pounds capacity or weight?

The rated gross....trailer and load weight.

 

[Paystar]

I tried a weight distribution hitch back when I was hauling new travel trailers across the country with my old F350. Personally I didn't like the feel it gave. tried adjusting it numerous ways and then just quit using it.

My current F150 pulls my trailer and tractors just fine. No handling issues. I just keep feeling like a gooseneck or fifth wheel is a safer way to tow than any bumper pull.

 

[Paystar]

EQUIPMENT TRAILER CE.10K | Canada Trailers

Here is trailer I ordered. The 18 foot with 2 foot beavertail.

And here is my axle weights (if you can make sense of my chart, LOL) of the two tractors I usually take to the shows and parades. As I said, I haul one at a time.
I just scribbled this down when returning them home one day. The inspection station was closed so I used the scaled to check my weights.

 

[D&D]

I don't believe you have the springs or rear tires to handle a gooseneck SAFELY. While it's possible for some 1/2-ton trucks to tow certain gooseneck trailers, it's not generally recommended due to potential safety and mechanical issues. Gooseneck trailers typically exert a higher percentage of their weight onto the truck's hitch, potentially exceeding the truck's payload and tow ratings even if the overall trailer weight is within limits.

Here's why:

• Higher Tongue Weight:
  Gooseneck trailers, compared to bumper-pull trailers, place a larger percentage of their weight (20-25%) on the truck's hitch. This can quickly overload the truck's payload capacity, even if the overall trailer weight is within the truck's tow rating.
  
  
• Payload Capacity:
  A half-ton truck's payload capacity (the amount of weight it can carry in the bed and on the hitch) is often limited. Exceeding the payload can lead to unsafe handling, increased braking distances, and potential damage to the truck.
  
  
• Safety Concerns:
  Overloading a half-ton truck with a gooseneck trailer can result in compromised handling, especially in situations like turns, braking, or encountering uneven road surfaces.
  
  I'm not saying it can't be done, but if a crash happens, you may not have a leg to stand on, legally or insurance wise. Certainly, the gooseneck type hitch has some great advantages: turn radius, emergency avoidance, and very high speed stability (as long as the truck can take the side to side load transfer that goes on during all of this). Plus, it isolates the trailer's roll mode from the truck's roll dynamics, unlike a 5th wheel hitch).
  
  But, people do it with campers all the time. Ask your insurance company what they think, and have the GVWR and tire placard info handy if the DOT police pull you over.

Im gonna vote for, it depends....
see page 7

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/cpo/pdf/2023_Ford_F-150_Towing_Info_Dec16.pdf

 

[S854]

Im gonna vote for, it depends....
see page 7

https://www.ford.com/cmslibs/content/dam/brand_ford/en_us/brand/cpo/pdf/2023_Ford_F-150_Towing_Info_Dec16.pdf

Best answer by far.