Gooseneck v. Bumper trailer for me?

[Mikeeemo]

I have been researching the same need; A trailer that will work with a Tundra.

Looks like a 5 ton 22ft bumper pull (20ft floor + 2 foot dove tail) & a weight distribution hitch makes the most sense.

The GCWR for a Tundra is 8 tons.

The above trailer is about 1 1/2 - 1 3/4 tons.

If you go with a goose neck, in this situation, you lose capacity.

My tractor is about 2 3/4 tons.

This trailer should wind up at about 4 tons.

You have to allow for weight in the truck, driver, passengers, gear, etc.

The max tow rating factors a 150 lb driver, I am 250.

I am not saying the truck won't do it, I am saying that real world, you need that trailer to be no more than 4 tons, loaded.

As Chris mentioned, a 7 ton trailer will be too heavy, empty, for our truck.

BTW, in the deep South, we could pull the 7 ton, as long as the combination weighs less than 8 ton.

I hope this helps.

 

[Diamondpilot]

See previous post. LOL

While I agree with you the issue is the interpenetration of the law versus what is the law. I dont think anyone actually knows what the laws are especially the ones issuing the tickets.

Chris

 

[Maxamillion]

I have pulled both a bumper pull and a gooseneck. I have pulled a gooseneck with a 1998 Chevy 1/2 ton, ended up putting air bags in it and had a good brake control. I now have a 3/4 ton chevy and pull a 24 foot gooseneck flat bed which weighs about 4500 pounds and a 4 horse gooseneck trailer that is heavier than the flat bed. I perfer a gooseneck, and if you have a good brake control and a 6 1/2 box you should be alright with a gooseneck. I have a reese goosenck hitch in my pick-up, but wish I had one like the B&W.

 

[grsthegreat]

too bad you didnt live closer to idaho... i have a nice 16' trailer i could sell you. my new tractor is too heavy for this trailer, and ill need to get a dovetail flatbed soon.

 

[not2old]

I don't see how it can be. Tow rating isn't a legal rating for starters.

The province here made it the legal rating. Get caught more than 10% over your GCVW and you will sit on the side of the road until you remove your trailer with another truck. Just ask a bunch of U.S. tourists with their big 5th wheel trailers. No wonder I hate government, they all need to get a real job.

 

[texasjohn]

Once upon a time I was considering purchase of a Tundra. I need to do occasional pulling. Instead, I purchased a used 1 ton diesel dually because of price and towing capacity.

That said, I have lots of experience pulling both bumper pull and gooseneck trailers.

With a heavy load, give me a gooseneck every time. It's a safety thing for me. A gooseneck simply handles the weight MUCH better (IMHO) than a bumper pull, even with weight distributing hitch....which simply seeks to do what a gooseneck does inherantly and better. I have pulled heavy loads both ways, I know what I felt as the driver each way. Bumper hitch is white knuckle anxiety and extreme care in driving versus gooseneck is relaxed and extra care in driving versus regular care with no trailer at all.

Both ways work, which do you want?

The safety margin of heavy towing gooseneck versus bumper pull has been debated on TBN before. Some believe it, some don't.

Since the safety point had not been previously made in this thread, I felt I had to bring it up. Many other valid points have already been made in the thread.... now, it's up to your judgment as to how you wish to handle your towing chores.

Needless to say, it's not the average or typical situation that needs to be considered, but rather your handling capability at the boundary conditions you WILL encounter at some point in trailering....the sudden swerve to avoid a road obstruction, a little extra load, a little extra speed, slick conditions, unanticipated panic stop, cross winds, unimproved roads, etc... Think thru the physics of the forces applied when tow vehicle and trailer experience these boundary conditions and decide which you prefer versus other considerations....$$, raw tow capacity, tow vehicle flexibility, etc..

 

[Duffster]

The province here made it the legal rating. Get caught more than 10% over your GCVW and you will sit on the side of the road.

This actually makes some sense if they are using actual weight which is completly different than saying you can't tow an empty trailer because the GVWR exceeds tow rating.

 

[Runner]

I went through a similar decision making process on a recent trailer purchase. I wanted a deckover for ease of side-loading and needed something capable of accommodating about 4,000 lbs of tractor/attachments, construction materials and possibly a vehicle now and then.

I have an F350 (single rear wheel) but wanted to be able to use the trailer on other trucks as necessary. I also wanted to keep the bed open so ruled out a gooseneck. My initial thought was to get as much length and capacity as I could in a bumper-pull trailer. However, I learned that 24 foot, 14,000 gvw trailers are HEAVY and have LOTS of tongue weight (like 1,000 lbs).

This seemed excessive, even for a one ton truck. Also, there seemed to be about a $2,000 price difference in going from a 10k trailer to 14k. So, my decision was to drop back to a 20 foot, 10k trailer. Of the (few) brands that were sold locally, I liked the PJ the best.

As it is, this trailer squats the rear end of the F350 and I have a weight distributing system for it. I could not imagine trying to use anything heavier on a half-ton truck.

Another advantage with the lighter trailer (3,100 lbs, 600 lb tongue weight) is that I will be able to use it with a half-ton truck (Toyota Tundra..) if/when I decide to trade in the wild and wooley F350 in the future.

Wishing you the best of luck on your purchase.

 

[grsthegreat]

I went through a similar decision making process on a recent trailer purchase. I wanted a deckover for ease of side-loading and needed something capable of accommodating about 4,000 lbs of tractor/attachments, construction materials and possibly a vehicle now and then.

I have an F350 (single rear wheel) but wanted to be able to use the trailer on other trucks as necessary. I also wanted to keep the bed open so ruled out a gooseneck. My initial thought was to get as much length and capacity as I could in a bumper-pull trailer. However, I learned that 24 foot, 14,000 gvw trailers are HEAVY and have LOTS of tongue weight (like 1,000 lbs).

This seemed excessive, even for a one ton truck. Also, there seemed to be about a $2,000 price difference in going from a 10k trailer to 14k. So, my decision was to drop back to a 20 foot, 10k trailer. Of the (few) brands that were sold locally, I liked the PJ the best.

As it is, this trailer squats the rear end of the F350 and I have a weight distributing system for it. I could not imagine trying to use anything heavier on a half-ton truck.

Another advantage with the lighter trailer (3,100 lbs, 600 lb tongue weight) is that I will be able to use it with a half-ton truck (Toyota Tundra..) if/when I decide to trade in the wild and wooley F350 in the future.

Wishing you the best of luck on your purchase.

all good info. i was looking at the gooseneck myself for my f350, because i can place the loader up in the gooseneck thus getting by with a shorter overall trailer length. still looking for the perfect trailer.

 

[BandDcabinet]

Charles, Thought you might like to see how thw M59 fits on a deckover gooseneck. I'v trailered the tractor 100s of miles on the highway and through the hills without any issues except the cost of diesel fuel.