Bumper Vs. Gooseneck Payloads

[TheTrailerGuy]

Nobody is mentioning weight distribution bumper pull hitches. Does anyone use these anymore? I towed with one on a 3000 mile trip to Alaska and now hate having to use standard drawbar.

Love them! Great old story. My dad was an old farm machinery trader since the 50's. one time he had bought a bunch of goodies at a farm auction and since the big trucks were all busy, he sent me to get it all with his 1/2 ton 4x4 chevy truck with a 12k bumper pull trailer and he had me take along his monster 1,000lb equalizer hitch.

I loaded it all up and the rear axle was on the snubbers, so i pulled those big bars and a cheater pipe and kept playing each bar against each other until she was all pulled up nice and level looking. the problem was, i had overtensioned them.

I pulled up the first stoplight with probably 12-13,000lbs on behind a 350 small block in a 4x4 chevy truck and when the light changed, i SMOKED the rear tires like a funny car.

Pulled over, dropped the chains down about two notches each and drove it on home. do they work? Oh yes... they work.

 

[slowzuki]

A GN always cuts the corner is a straight line towards the hitch. Partly why they don't sway badly and why the term big trucker turn exists. The bumper pull countersteers due to the tail swing in the turn letting it track the tow vehicle better.

When you get a short overhang like a van, and a long wheel base trailer, like my 27 ft, it acts almost the same as a GN. Cuts corners, but backs up like a dream.

Big overhang like my 1 ton long box, and short trailer, it follows perfectly the path of the truck, but you can't back it up hardly.

 

[Dargo]

A GN always cuts the corner is a straight line towards the hitch. Partly why they don't sway badly and why the term big trucker turn exists. The bumper pull countersteers due to the tail swing in the turn letting it track the tow vehicle better.

When you get a short overhang like a van, and a long wheel base trailer, like my 27 ft, it acts almost the same as a GN. Cuts corners, but backs up like a dream.

Big overhang like my 1 ton long box, and short trailer, it follows perfectly the path of the truck, but you can't back it up hardly.

Agreed completely.

 

[xtn]

If we could just get a few more conflicting opinions we should be able to settle this thing once and for all.

 

[Diamondpilot]

If we could just get a few more conflicting opinions we should be able to settle this thing once and for all.

Guess that is why they make both kinds. Some like me would only have a BP while others only will have a GN.

I have had both types and it would be hard for me to ever go back to a GN. Just did not work for me.

Chris

 

[davygp38]

Oh yeah? Wanna follow me through some extremely narrow roads with sharp turns loaded with mailboxes and trees? I didn't believe it for a while, but a bumper pull is far, far better when you have to make sharp turns where the trailer has to follow the tow vehicle and not cut off 5 or 6' from the tow vehicle's tracks. After 20 years of using GN trailers, I got rid of my last one this spring. You can keep 'em as far as I'm concerned. That along with all the drama associated with wiping out poles, mailboxes etc. because the trailer took a short cut when you went around a corner. In many cases where I live, you don't have the luxory of making a 60' sweeping turn into a drive or small road.

I guess it depends on what kind of driving you do. If,like yourself you are running the ridge tops, and Hollows, like the dukes of Hazzard, then the bumper pull works. For me, I drive on paved roads, highways, and streets, for the most part. There is no doubt in my mind,that in normal driving situations the gooseneck will haul more freight, more safely, with less "drama," than a bumper pull. Although it is interesting watching someones bumper pull trailer weaving down the road, using both lanes due to instability, I will leave it to others.

 

[Dargo]

I guess it depends on what kind of driving you do. If,like yourself you are running the ridge tops, and Hollows, like the dukes of Hazzard, then the bumper pull works. For me, I drive on paved roads, highways, and streets, for the most part. There is no doubt in my mind,that in normal driving situations the gooseneck will haul more freight, more safely, with less "drama," than a bumper pull. Although it is interesting watching someones bumper pull trailer weaving down the road, using both lanes due to instability, I will leave it to others.

Well, no, not really. With a GN trailer if you're in a RH turn lane and there's a utility pole on that corner (very common across this country) and there's a filled turn lane on the cross street with people coming from your right to turn onto the street you're on (not allowing you to make a big sweeping turn), you're stuck with a GN trailer where a bumper pull or pintle hitch trailer can make that turn easily. Go back and read Slowzuki's post about how a GN trailer follows it's ball and cuts off the corner.

With proper tongue weight on a bumper pull or pintle hitch trailer, I've never had any "drama" in hundreds of thousands of miles of pulling trailers. If you have "drama" towing that way, it is you who drives like they are a Dukes of Hazzard wannabe. Otherwise, what you're thinking "in your mind" simply is not true. Sorry, facts just do not support it. If you need to back a trailer into a small space and need to jack-knife the trailer to do so, then a GN is the way to go. However, with my uses and needs, I never have the call to park my trailer that way. Besides, doing so with a heavy load is brutal on your trailer tires, wheels, bearings and axles.

Believe me, I would not have bought the GN trailers I had if I had not incorrectly thought the same as you for many years. So, believe me, I'm not making any judgments about your current thoughts; I was there and thought the same until it was proven differently to me. If you have weak rear springs, you may want to go with a GN trailer to compensate. The other issue is that GN trailers typically put much more weight on the ball by nature; most have their axles placed further towards the rear than a pintle hitch construction trailer. If you don't want to go with a dually (which I prefer myself anyway), it's not always the best setup with a SRW 1 ton pickup. You'll get more of your "drama" towing heavy with only 2 rear wheels than you want in many instances.

 

[slowzuki]

GN is great for stability at highway speed, less sensitive to weight distribution, I don't think anyone will argue. GN is great at backing into tight spots as you can jackknive. GN is great at prevent your friends from borrowing your trailer. Great off-road with the oscillation of the hitch and no WD hitch and bars hanging down.

It is not great at tight roads, not great for gas mileage, not great for loaning out. So you take your pick.

I have a 27 ft deck over bumper pull right now, its good but I would like a GN for hauling my tractor. I don't live in an urban area and my field accesses are wide for pulling balers and double haywagons. (Which is fun when its behind the baler)

 

[Iplayfarmer]

...not great for gas mileage

Really? Is there a difference in gas mileage between goosenecks and bumper type trailers?

 

[AGGIE00]

Well, no, not really. With a GN trailer if you're in a RH turn lane and there's a utility pole on that corner (very common across this country) and there's a filled turn lane on the cross street with people coming from your right to turn onto the street you're on (not allowing you to make a big sweeping turn), you're stuck with a GN trailer where a bumper pull or pintle hitch trailer can make that turn easily. Go back and read Slowzuki's post about how a GN trailer follows it's ball and cuts off the corner.

With proper tongue weight on a bumper pull or pintle hitch trailer, I've never had any "drama" in hundreds of thousands of miles of pulling trailers. If you have "drama" towing that way, it is you who drives like they are a Dukes of Hazzard wannabe. Otherwise, what you're thinking "in your mind" simply is not true. Sorry, facts just do not support it. If you need to back a trailer into a small space and need to jack-knife the trailer to do so, then a GN is the way to go. However, with my uses and needs, I never have the call to park my trailer that way. Besides, doing so with a heavy load is brutal on your trailer tires, wheels, bearings and axles.

Believe me, I would not have bought the GN trailers I had if I had not incorrectly thought the same as you for many years. So, believe me, I'm not making any judgments about your current thoughts; I was there and thought the same until it was proven differently to me. If you have weak rear springs, you may want to go with a GN trailer to compensate. The other issue is that GN trailers typically put much more weight on the ball by nature; most have their axles placed further towards the rear than a pintle hitch construction trailer. If you don't want to go with a dually (which I prefer myself anyway), it's not always the best setup with a SRW 1 ton pickup. You'll get more of your "drama" towing heavy with only 2 rear wheels than you want in many instances.

I'd say yes, really. For me it depends on weight. If I'm hauling light loads I'd rather a bp, but for my tractor or skidsteer it is only a gooseneck. It's not possible for me to fit my tractor or a smaller one on a bp and distribute the weight so that my receiver is not overloaded, but with a gooseneck I can pull the load all the way to the front of the trailer and be just fine. I do get a lot of drama with bp trailers and it has to do with the tongue being attached 4 feet behind my axle as opposed to a few inches in front of it.

I also don't see where a pintle hitch trailer behind a dump truck can be compared to a bp. They are not even remotely the same given bp axles ares till to the rear of the trailer and pinlte hitch trailers have them almost centered where tongue weight is minimal.