Who do you like for a trailer manufacturer in the mid-south

LittleBittyBigJohn · Jan 20, 2026

Lineman North Florida said:
If you have to get in lot's of tight places the bumper pull will win every time, it also allows the bed of your truck to be free to haul or carry other things, a bumper pull will track the truck more closely and you can get in pig trails and tight driveways that you can't with a gooseneck, those are the only two things that the bumper pull is advantageous over the GN. GN tows better is easier to balance/adjust load on and is just generally more of a pleasure to pull, a properly loaded GN is hardly noticeable to the driver rolling down the highway, the same can rarely be said about a bumper pull. I have both types as I have different needs that one trailer can't accommodate, evaluate what your needs will mostly be and go from there. Good luck.

So I might should prioritize the 400 miles of driving over the first and last 10 min in the lots?

Lineman North Florida · Jan 20, 2026

LittleBittyBigJohn said:
So I might should prioritize the 400 miles of driving over the first and last 10 min in the lots?

If that's your normal deal absolutely, highway driving pulling the gooseneck will be night and day difference over the bumper pull.

Hay Dude · Jan 20, 2026

If you can tow the loads you are required to tow, even with the heavier weight of the GN, always go with the GN,

unless

You have to constantly enter very narrow driveways that are 90 degrees to the road you are coming off of. Especially ones with pillars, mailboxes, boulders, etc.
The GN will “cut across” the corner and hit those objects. A BP will track almost directly behind the truck towing it.

The GN isn’t terrible on 90 degree turns, just something to keep in mind.

bigdeer2000 · Jan 20, 2026

GN trailers seem to love tailgates on new trucks.

Lineman North Florida · Jan 21, 2026

bigdeer2000 said:
GN trailers seem to love tailgates on new trucks.

That ain't something that just started they been liking them from the time folks started pulling them.

D&D · Jan 21, 2026

bigdeer2000 said:
GN trailers seem to love tailgates on new trucks.

Especially when the driver doesn’t open/close them when hooking or unhooking?

Too many Kubotas · Jan 24, 2026

Lineman North Florida said:
...those are the only two things that the bumper pull is advantageous over the GN.

I would add the one thing I think a bumper pull has as an advantage, it can be used with a weight distributing hitch.

On the flip side, a bumper pull almost has to be used with a WD hitch for things to work correctly.

Yes, I love my gooseneck trailers.

4570Man · Jan 24, 2026

Too many Kubotas said:
I would add the one thing I think a bumper pull has as an advantage, it can be used with a weight distributing hitch.

On the flip side, a bumper pull almost has to be used with a WD hitch for things to work correctly.

Yes, I love my gooseneck trailers.

A gooseneck is a weight distribution hitch. That’s the whole point it exists.

Too many Kubotas · Jan 24, 2026

4570Man said:
A gooseneck is a weight distribution hitch. That’s the whole point it exists.

Umm, no. Not even close.

It does put the weight in a far more favorable spot, but that doesn't make it a WD hitch. I have occasionally thought about how to make a WD hitch for a gooseneck, but that's easier said than done if also wanting to be able to turn.

4570Man · Jan 24, 2026

Too many Kubotas said:
Umm, no. Not even close.

It does put the weight in a far more favorable spot, but that doesn't make it a WD hitch. I have occasionally thought about how to make a WD hitch for a gooseneck, but that's easier said than done if also wanting to be able to turn.

If not for weight distribution then why does it exist? It wasn’t for the fun of welding extra joints.

Too many Kubotas · Jan 24, 2026

4570Man said:
If not for weight distribution then why does it exist?

As mentioned earlier, a gooseneck does put the weight in a far more favorable spot, but that is quite different from a weight distributing hitch.

As its name strongly implies, a WD hitch transfers weight from the rear axle and distributes it to the front and trailer axles. A gooseneck doesn't do that.

I don't remember the story about the first fifth wheel, other than that it was literally a fifth wheel placed horizontally on the back of a tow vehicle. From there the step of moving the trailer ball to where a 5th wheel was surely came quite naturally.

After all, it doesn't exactly require a degree in engineering to see how a bumper pull affects the weight applied to a tow vehicle, or how a gooseneck applies it differently, just like a 5th wheel.

I really don't care why goosenecks exist, but am quite grateful that they do. Much like that I appreciate WD hitches when having to tow a bumper pull.

4570Man · Jan 24, 2026

Too many Kubotas said:
As mentioned earlier, a gooseneck does put the weight in a far more favorable spot, but that is quite different from a weight distributing hitch.

As its name strongly implies, a WD hitch transfers weight from the rear axle and distributes it to the front and trailer axles. A gooseneck doesn't do that.

I don't remember the story about the first fifth wheel, other than that it was literally a fifth wheel placed horizontally on the back of a tow vehicle. From there the step of moving the trailer ball to where a 5th wheel was surely came quite naturally.

After all, it doesn't exactly require a degree in engineering to see how a bumper pull affects the weight applied to a tow vehicle, or how a gooseneck applies it differently, just like a 5th wheel.

I really don't care why goosenecks exist, but am quite grateful that they do. Much like that I appreciate WD hitches when having to tow a bumper pull.

A gooseneck is mounted in front of the rear axel slightly so it does load the front axel. Class 8 trucks have taken it one step further with sliding hitches and sliding axels.

Too many Kubotas · Jan 24, 2026

4570Man said:
A gooseneck is mounted in front of the rear axel slightly so it does load the front axel. Class 8 trucks have taken it one step further with sliding hitches and sliding axels.

It's been a while since gooseneck hitches have been ahead of the drive axle. These days they're pretty much right above the axle, be it a factory setup in a pickup or an aftermarket flatbed.

Little to no weight ends up on the steer axle, but that's still superior to a bumper pull without a WD hitch.

When making the mount for a B&W gooseneck ball I couldn't even get it directly over the axle, but with a 23K axle it doesn't matter. And there's plenty of weight up front. The ball has to be removable for the 5th wheel to slide back to normal position.

Lineman North Florida · Jan 24, 2026

Too many Kubotas said:
I would add the one thing I think a bumper pull has as an advantage, it can be used with a weight distributing hitch.

On the flip side, a bumper pull almost has to be used with a WD hitch for things to work correctly.

Yes, I love my gooseneck trailers.

I have never used a WD hitch in my whole life with all the bumper pull trailers that I have owned and pulled, sounds like I'm missing out lol.

Too many Kubotas · Jan 24, 2026

Lineman North Florida said:
I have never used a WD hitch in my whole life with all the bumper pull trailers that I have owned and pulled, sounds like I'm missing out lol.

I couldn't run without when having a very long extension for the receiver, due to a camper, then started out without on small (16') enclosed trailers.

Didn't take me long to get a good WD with active anti sway, which helped quite a bit with less than precise load placement, and was extremely helpful on the empty return trips. Passing tractor trailers was no fun without it.

With two 1,000 mile trips per month for a couple of years I got a fairly good feel for what worked and what didn't. I only wish I had switched over to gooseneck trailers earlier, even thought it would've meant getting rid of the shell on the pickup. Easily compensated for by a 2' longer trailer.

LittleBittyBigJohn · Feb 2, 2026

I ordered one this weekend. I did opt for the bumper pull for several reasons, but cost was high on the list. I also went ahead and ordered a set of AirLift airbags for my truck with an onboard compressor. It's amazing how hard it is to get exactly what you want even when custom ordering one. The only compromise I had to make was that the drive over fenders are about 3" higher than I would like. But they should still be fine.

D&D · Feb 2, 2026

LittleBittyBigJohn said:
I ordered one this weekend. I did opt for the bumper pull for several reasons, but cost was high on the list. I also went ahead and ordered a set of AirLift airbags for my truck with an onboard compressor. It's amazing how hard it is to get exactly what you want even when custom ordering one. The only compromise I had to make was that the drive over fenders are about 3" higher than I would like. But they should still be fine.

Youre not gonna share details on brand, etc until ??