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Gooseneck/bumper pull

The Luke

The Luke

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Dec 12, 2010
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I'm sure this has been discussed a thousand times over. I've currently got a 16' bumper pull trailer. It's pretty rough cosmetically. It used to be a tilt trailer and has since been welded solid. When I bought it 4 years ago, I stuck brand new axles under it. Lights work. Tires are ok. Pulls straight as an arrow. Weighs 1740 lbs. Overall, I'm happy with it.

My truck came with a gooseneck hitch and I've been contemplating going to a 24' ish gooseneck. Possibly adding a camper and doing a crawler hauler setup at some point.

The question is, is the trailer change worth making if I did not go the camper setup? Let's say I only hauled the jeep and got a 20' ish gooseneck. Is it worth doing? noticeable difference in towing? Added benefits I'm not thinking of?

I use the trailer probably 8-10 times a year for the jeep. and 5-10x a year for misc use(tractors, etc...)
 
I've had goosenecks and bumper pulls, long and short. At the end of the day give me the shortest possible bumper pull that my rig and toolbox will fit on. I'm currently on an 18' and love it. The bigger the trailer the more headache. I can turn around in a small lot and even go through the drive through at certain places if I want. That kind of piece of mind is nice. Pulling a big ass trailer is kind of nerve racking especially if you don't do it often and especially when you're in new unfamiliar areas such as a new offroad park. You don't know where you can fit the monster, or turn around. And as far as the gooseneck issue, I like having all my bed area so I'm team bumper pull. Unless you need the extra load capacity of the gooseneck, it's not worth it. I'm sure team gooseneck will show up and tell me I'm an idiot, but that's ok.
 
You know me, i love that black trailer we have. It's 20' bed space and it hauls the tractor perfectly. With the camper in the bed It's long enough that the front of the jeep doesnt get near the camper on a tight turn. Goosenecks have their place, i dont think a 20' gooseneck would be worth it. Here's another issue i'm running into with the crawler hauler, you now have a semi useless trailer. Would it be nice, probably, but i think now i'm going to sell my camper and get a enclosed bumper pull. My .02
 
Unless you got a big tractor or more than one rig to pull, it's hard to beat a small car hauler trailer.

I liked the PJ buggy hauler I had, with the extra wide sides. No fenders to tear up and you could walk around on it pretty easy.

I think I'd rather have a slide in truck camper and a small trailer than a gooseneck.

Actually I'd just stay in a hotel or tent/hammock camp. Campers kinda seem like a pain in the ass.


but yeah, small goosenecks don't really make much sense.
 
If you might be interested I will have a 25ft LoadMax gooseneck for sale in the next couple of weeks.
 
There's something so appealing to being able to climb into a camper with ac during lunch to cool off a bit before you go back out in the heat. Especially with kids.
 
And I will say I've not ruled out a slide in camper in the truck and keeping my trailer. Obviously I'm hesitant having a half ton truck. That said, my tundra tows the Jeep like it isn't back there.
 
i Don't really see why a 1/2 ton gasser truck would want a gooseneck trailer. Especially hauling a buggy and camper on it. Sure it can do it but it's hard on it
 
@Zjman my trailer loaded up is about 7k.

I know a few guys that pull 10k dry weight campers all over with a tundra. Zero issues.

My thoughts are that with it being a gooseneck and I pickup one of the lighter half ton sized campers, I don't see any reason I'd have any issues. Whether on a goose or in the bed. I just assumed I'd be in a better spot with it on a gooseneck instead of the bed. Weight distribution?

But I've not pulled enough goosenecks to know any better.
 
Might not help with decision making but I've been pondering trailer upgrades recently. I've got an 18' bumper pull car hauler that does everything I need it to. However, the 2nd rig will be done relatively soon so I need to haul 2 which means a much larger trailer. I'm leaning towards an enclosed gooseneck so that even though I'll lose my bed, what would've been in there can go in the trailer. Also, most of the enclosed goosenecks have a "loft" area which could come in handy. The original plan was to sell the 18' but now I'm considering keeping it for the single rig trips. Plus, it's probably a lot handier for all of the other misc uses like lumber and yard stuff. Now, back to your regularly scheduled programming.
 
The Luke said:
@Zjman my trailer loaded up is about 7k.

I know a few guys that pull 10k dry weight campers all over with a tundra. Zero issues.

My thoughts are that with it being a gooseneck and I pickup one of the lighter half ton sized campers, I don't see any reason I'd have any issues. Whether on a goose or in the bed. I just assumed I'd be in a better spot with it on a gooseneck instead of the bed. Weight distribution?

But I've not pulled enough goosenecks to know any better.
Click to expand...

If you run a slide in and pull a trailer with a Tundra I want a picture so I can post it to the big dumb loads thread on Pirate.
 
I have both types and prefer a bumper pull for most things. Much easier to maneuver and pulls well. My gooseneck crawler hauler and the toy hauler are OK, but just more of a pain to drive around. I've always heard that a goose is more stable at speed, but I really haven't seen that.
 
I tow a 19' gooseneck with my 1/2 ton all the time. It just maid the 4 hour drive to harlin towing my early bronco crawler. Its easy to get around with. Honestly i thank i can get around with it easer then with my 18' tag along.
 
I have both and prefer my bumper pull. I like my slide in on the gooseneck but only when we're camping. it is a lot more to maneuver than the bumper pull for me. Even with the Goose at 29' and bumper at 24'. Maybe it's just me tho... but I couldn't have just the gooseneck I don't think. Plus the camper is a bitch to get on and off for me without a tractor. So it just stays on there. I do like it when we're out in it but is tight with two kids.
I'd consider a bumper pull enclosed and an air mattress just for the extra room. I just hate the thought of dragging a broken rig into it if you had to
 
i went from a 16ft car hauler to a 30ft deckover gooseneck in Nov 18 due to the width of building a rockwell rig + needing to put a 4seat RZR and two dirtbikes on a trailer. When we talk about maneuverability, the one thing I think about is our back lot at work is pretty tight, and turning the 30ft gooseneck around back there by myself was definetely much easier with being concerned with pinching something. As far as ride is concerned, i think the gooseneck is just a little smoother and stable at highway speeds, but my 16ft bumper pull was not 14,000lbs+ loaded.
I will say this about the 16ft carhauler is that is was MUCH easier to snake into the spot next to my garage. that may not be a problem though for you depending on your property layout. Hooking to the 16ft to go to Home Depot and rolling was more convenient, but i replaced the 16ft with a 5x10 for that kind of stuff.
One other thing i learned as I was researching goosenecks and maybe i am the only dummy that did not know this so I'll put it out there for those that are as ignorant as me...open goosenecks manufacture's list their length based on available deck space. Closed goosenecks are listed from nose to tail. Just keep that in mind when surfing the interweb if you are seeking an enclosed gooseneck.

I love the idea of a crawler hauler since the night before I leave is always filled with rounding up bedding/tent/chairs and other crap that could just be kept in a camper. If you got to load that camper into the bed of a pick-up and unload it, all your doing is changing one task for another. i don't think that it will save any time if that is what you're after.

my 2¢.
 
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