Larger trucks with Gooseneck hitches

[DirtyWorks]

Hey Alan if your still lookin' ----> 1996 INTERNATIONAL 4700LP For Sale at TruckPaper.com is what we've been checkin out. would like to find a similar truck but with no sleeper as I need a spot for fuel tank and tool box. Any suggestions?

 

[QRTRHRS]

I saw a rig advertized in a newspaper published once a week called Lancaster Farming which some of you may be familiar with.

Pricey at 89k obo and not quite what I would want nor could afford, I thought it was a neat truck.

The truck is a Freightliner 106 extended cab, 300 CAT, Allison, 4x4 with high/low, full locker, aluminum bed, etc., etc.

I am curious about the 4x4 conversion? Wonder if it was ordered through Freighliner or what?

 

[QRTRHRS]

Hey Alan if your still lookin' ----> 1996 INTERNATIONAL 4700LP For Sale at TruckPaper.com is what we've been checkin out. would like to find a similar truck but with no sleeper as I need a spot for fuel tank and tool box. Any suggestions?

That is not a bad looking setup. I don't know that the 444E is the best engine for power, anyone?

I like power, lots of it! That is one issue I have with many of the medium duties you find, wimpy engines. That and no true engine brake.

 

[DirtyWorks]

I'm no expert but what i've heard is the 444 is just a ford 7.3 like in the f-450s. the motor is basicly disposeable where the 466 is rebuildable in the frame. the 466 is way better but harder to find in the 4700 lpx like we're lookin 4. let me know if yall see one near Mississippi!

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Handles it is one thing, being able to back it up like a goose? I don't think so.


jb

For many years I hauled with a gooseneck. Then I got a heckuva deal on a twenty five foot tag with a pintle hitch. I picked it up planning on converting it to a gooseneck. But I've only found one advantage to having a gooseneck over a good tongue pull. That's the ability to turn around inside of oneself.

A gooseneck really screws up the ability to carry stuff in and have access to stuff in the truck bed. They take up more space when parked. and they want to cut the corner more than a comparable tongue pull does.

As for backing, a trailer is a trailer. The degree of difficulty comes in when the trailer gets shorter. The ultimate nightmare to back up is a compressor. You don't see it in your mirrors until you've jacknifed it.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

I'm no expert but what i've heard is the 444 is just a ford 7.3 like in the f-450s. the motor is basicly disposeable where the 466 is rebuildable in the frame. the 466 is way better but harder to find in the 4700 lpx like we're lookin 4. let me know if yall see one near Mississippi!

And the V365 is the 6.0 that's causing Ford owners so much trouble. They're both detuned, make that properly rated, at about two thirds of what the Ford version claims. Always look at the torgue numbers.

 

[wroughtn_harv]

Somwhere, I am not communicating well what I am saying.

Let me try again please.

Link

Used Vehicle Sales - Find a Vehicle

search for vehicle # 547481

Like a 24' bed which puts the tail of the truck, well behind where a "standard" (read "my currently owned pulled by my F250") gooseneck would reach.

So, the goose would have to be very, very long, or I would have to chop off part of the bed, or I would have to mount the hitch behind the axle, or Maybe a variation of the above mentioned, mount a goosneck hitch back where a reciever would go.

I am familiar with the larger truck's pulling the campers etc. but then I would always have to pull a trailer, and they are "relatively" new, and not common on the well used market I am shopping. These large flats (or a box I would make into a flat) are fairly common and relatively inexpensive. I could see running 100 miles and picking up a load of plants etc, just using the truck. I would also like to use that heavier driveline to pull the bumper pull dump trailer (bet it would be a bear to back a 10' bumper pull behind that truck at least for me) and more likely the tractor trailer, which currently is a 20' gooseneck.

Think I may try going with a small single axle dump (assuming I can farm tag and insure it) and a "new" tag along (probably pintle) trailer.

So, short question, has anyone seen a truck like pictured above, with the long flat bed, towing a goose?

The proper place for a gooseneck coupler on a tow vehicle is about two inches if FRONT of the centerline of the rear axle. The reason for a gooseneck is to allow a small tow vehicle handle a larger load by placing the tongue weight in front of the rear axle.

The biggest problem with the truck in your ad is it was designed to carry bulk and not weight. The spec's, springs, axle ratio, transmission, and motor are minimum requirements for a truck of that physical size. It's not unlike someone looking at a small half ton and comparing it to a single axle one ton because they are the same size.

I see people buying those delivery vans all the time and putting landscape dump beds on them. The trucks already have lots of city miles, wore slick if you will, then they're put to real work. They're underpowered, geared wrong, and fail miserably. Again, think of the half ton and the single axle one ton comparison.

Occasionally I'll see a bigger truck dragging a gooseneck with the ball at the rear of the truck. The bigger truck has the springs and capacity for the tongue weight so far behind the rear axle. And if you only have one or two trailers and you need to tow them with either the big truck or a one ton this set up works. But cutting corners, man the swing.......

If you're looking at a bigger truck to haul your gooseneck consider your trailer tongue weight when loaded with your typical load. Make sure the truck under consideration has the capacity to carry that weight safely at the point in the bed you'll have to locate the hitch ball. If that criteria is met then you've got a dog that not only will point, it can hunt too.

 

[AlanB]

Well, one of our freinds from Cali who we saw this past week, has one of the larger trucks, a Chevy, I do not remember the actual numbers on it, but I would call it a mid size, bigger then a one ton, with a 5th wheel rig but looked like an overgrown pickup.

The discussion pretty much stopped when my wife looked at it and said NO, that is not happening.

So, I think the end result is I start looking at one ton duallies, and try and find a balance between what the bank account can handle and what I can find.

Thanks for the input from all.

Wroghtn Harv, you need a free worker for a couple days? Thinking of coming out and getting a bit of education.

 

[deereguy]

I am considering a larger (medium duty) flat dump (16') truck with grain sides that I can take off and put shorter sides on for landscaping,etc. and pulling a 20'-25' "back-hoe pro" type trailer for equipment. I have seen several landscapers in this area do it and it makes sense, bulky material and plants in the truck and skid loader,track loader, or backhoe on the trailer. If things get slow, put the grain sides back on in the fall and haul grain or bulk mulch in the spring.

 

[dakota22]

lots of guys around the house run around with international 4700s with gooseneck flatbeds. works out really well. ive always heard to stay away from the ones with 7.3 in them. one friend of mine runs a 4700 and he told me he thought the frame rails may even be predrilled out to move axle closer and could bob the framerails off if you found a good deal on a 4700 box. but in tn there seems to be 4700 for sale off an on. they will be several for sale with flatbeds already then none for awhile then another will pop up for sale. so if you keep an eye out you can probably find one with gooseneck bed already. around here you can seem to find them for 4-7k. pretty cheap for what it is. they tend to have poor resale value.