Car hauler or Equipment Trailer for my Tractor?

[some zilch]

I'd suggest a GN no matter the type of trailer you get, they pull Sooooo much nicer than a BP trailer and the heavier the load the bigger the GN advantage is.

goosenecks are awesome for 1/2tons:confused2:

either trailer would be more than adequate for the OP

 

[Duffster]

goosenecks are awesome for 1/2tons:confused2:

Actually they are.:thumbsup:

 

[ModMech]

^^^^ Right!

800# OVER the axle is a LOT better than 800# on a 4 foot lever behind it!

 

[Soundguy]

the price you pay for a good gn and the ball kit for the half ton though.. it's almost a waste since the half ton don't have the gvwr to really use the gn.

of course if money is of no concern and you are just looking for hte best pull for a small truck. then yeah...

soundguy

 

[Duffster]

^^^^ Right!

800# OVER the axle is a LOT better than 800# on a 4 foot lever behind it!

Better yet....in front of the rear axle. :thumbsup:

 

[Diamondpilot]

Biggest issue with a GN trailer and a 1/2 ton is weight. A good modern 1/2 ton of any brand can pull right around 9,500# to 10,500# give or take a few.

A 20' GN weighs in the 4,500# area leaving 5,000# to 6,000# for payload. With such a low payload you could not get a 25HP tractor, FEL, and 5' BH on the trailer with out being overweight.


A 20' BP weighs in around 2,750# leaving a payload of 6,750# to 7,750#. Much more reasonable for a 1/2 ton truck.

If you want to do heavy towing get a 1 ton and skip the 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks. Now you can use a GN and have a real load on it. To me the 1/2 ton has its place and I own one. They give a good ride and can haul upto 10,000# occasionally. The 3/4 tons really should not be made in my opinion, again I have one. They should just skip the 3/4 and go strait to the 1 ton SRW. Again I own one and its hands down more truck than the 3/4.

Chris

 

[ModMech]

Chris,

Your points are all well taken and good advice.

From my looking around, a significant portion of a GN's GVW is hitch load, maybe even the weight of the trailer itself. That leaves you with the axle ratings for load capacity, or near that when loaded carefully, that's a HUGE advantage aside from the superior towing manners.

Right, with a 1/2 ton you can't really use the added capacity to it's full potential. From my shopping, you pay about double for a GN over a BP with similar load capacities but you are getting a MUCH heavier trailer in terms of build; full frames, 5.2k axles, brakes x 4, d-rings and HD ramps. When you add those options to a standard BP trailer the weight and price differences almost disappear and you are left with a 3.5k load capacity difference to the GN (16' - 20' models I looked at).

For my application, a GN is total overkill, even a light duty 16' tandem would be enough for the frequency and loads placed upon it. But, if I ever need to buy a larger 5k+ tractor and factor weighted tires etc, you are out of capacity very fast with the lighter trailer with no good options except another trailer.

My thoughts are to spend wisely, ONCE. Any GN hitch I put on our 1/2 ton will work just as well on the same make of 1 ton (with a few minor modifications if I go new). So the money for the hitch isn't "lost" at least.

 

[Soundguy]

yep.. my point exactly.. you can't use the gn for all it's worth on a half ton.. wasted capacity..

soundguy

Biggest issue with a GN trailer and a 1/2 ton is weight. A good modern 1/2 ton of any brand can pull right around 9,500# to 10,500# give or take a few.

A 20' GN weighs in the 4,500# area leaving 5,000# to 6,000# for payload. With such a low payload you could not get a 25HP tractor, FEL, and 5' BH on the trailer with out being overweight.


A 20' BP weighs in around 2,750# leaving a payload of 6,750# to 7,750#. Much more reasonable for a 1/2 ton truck.

If you want to do heavy towing get a 1 ton and skip the 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks. Now you can use a GN and have a real load on it. To me the 1/2 ton has its place and I own one. They give a good ride and can haul upto 10,000# occasionally. The 3/4 tons really should not be made in my opinion, again I have one. They should just skip the 3/4 and go strait to the 1 ton SRW. Again I own one and its hands down more truck than the 3/4.

Chris

 

[AKfish]

If you want to do heavy towing get a 1 ton and skip the 1/2 and 3/4 ton trucks. Now you can use a GN and have a real load on it. To me the 1/2 ton has its place and I own one. They give a good ride and can haul upto 10,000# occasionally. The 3/4 tons really should not be made in my opinion, again I have one. They should just skip the 3/4 and go strait to the 1 ton SRW. Again I own one and its hands down more truck than the 3/4.

Chris

I don't completely disagree... but then again; I don't completely agree, either.

I'll gladly give up my 3/4; the day I can cruise down the highway in a 1 ton SRW @ 70mph and average 23mpg+ like I get with my current Dmax.

AKfish

 

[lawn_king]

I haul my machine at least once per week for work. I use a double axle beaver tail car carrier with spruce deck and electric brakes. I have my 3 trucks set up with controllers and pentel hitch. Your truck is good to go, i would recommend you install a brake controller and haul with a pentel hitch.