Bumper pull or gooseneck flatbed?

[tom4018]

I am looking to get a bigger trailer to speed up my hay hauling. Wanting g something I can do 10-12 rolls on but want a multi purpose trailer. I see 20+5 gooseneck trailers around along with some 20-22 foot bumper pulls.

I have never owned a gooseneck and only 16 foot bumper pulls in my small operation. What are the pros and cons of gooseneck? I was thinking better turning, better weight distribution. I would like to be able to more a tractor if needed but don't expect that often, may rent a mini excavator or skid steer once a year I could save delivery on. Main use would be 4x5 bales on the farm and from other farms to mine.

My wife likes the thought of a tilt bed but the gooseneck tilts are high and a 22 foot bumper pull is $6700.

Just looking for a good multi use trailer. Thought I might ask others to avoid a mistake.

 

[bird dog]

Trailers are like work shops. You always wish you had a bigger one.
Get the big gooseneck if you have the truck to handle it. Unless your tractor is toy size you will never be happy with a bumper pull.

 

[Ky hills]

I prefer goosenecks. The weight is better distributed for a better load stability in my opinion. I will say that I miss the bumper pulls when it comes to hooking and unhooking. I'm getting older and it's getting harder to climb up in the truck bed to deal with the gooseneck.

 

[A.J.]

I prefer a gooseneck for the reasons you gave Tom. We're a small operation, but a 20 ft gooseneck has served us well. I can haul up to 14 4x5 bales at a time if double stacked on top, or 15 with one on the gooseneck. It's a good size to haul a tractor as well. 20 ft is shorter than a lot of folks like, but it's a good length for us with the way our facilities are set up and getting in and out.

 

[Nesikep]

I'd say if you want to haul over 10K, get the gooseneck.. bumper pull is alright for a car hauler and such, but any more and it gets sketchy

 

[SBMF 2015]

We have a 25+5 gooseneck and a 22' bumper pull. We haul hay, tractors, concrete blocks, ect. on the GN and use the bumper for everything else. If I could only have one it would be the GN.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

I have a 32' GN flatbed and a 22' BP tilt deck trailer. Use them both equally. The GN is good for 21k lbs so its great for hauling lots of hay or tractors but is big and hard to maneuver also heavy if needed to haul smaller things.

The 22' trailer is good for 14k lbs and is great for getting into tight fields, delivering small loads of hay (expecially the tilt deck), moving smaller tractors or skid steer, general purpose hauling like lumber or fence supplies.

Wouldn't want to be without either as they each excell at different tasks.

 

[callmefence]

7 goosenecks and one bumper pull. (Welding trailer). I'm currently looking at ~20 foot bumper pull equipment trailers. Just so when I need to move a machine down the road but close I don't have to clammer up on the back of the truck. The goosenecks only drawback.
Another thing you need to be aware of is the CDL laws. If you get a trailer with tandem duals it's CDL.
If you get a trailer with 7000 pound axles it's CDL on a dually truck. 6000 pound axles on a lot of duallys will get you there.
CDL laws don't apply to farm tagged trailers as long as the truck is also farm tagged.

 

[simme]

Stability was mentioned. The attachment point for a gooseneck is a few inches in front of the rear axle. The attachment point for a bumper pull is a few feet behind the rear axles. A poorly loaded bumper pull tends to want to fishtail. That attachment point feet behind the truck axle wants to move the truck around like a lever effect. Much more stable with a gooseneck. Amplified by the size of the load on the trailer and length of the trailer. I know a young couple that was pulling a bumper trailer loaded with hay using an SUV. Fishtailed on the interstate, overturned and the woman is paralyzed from the neck down. Another person that borrowed a skid steer and truck and bumper trailer. He did not load it properly and only went a couple miles before it fishtailed and flipped. Five year old boy went out the rear window of the truck, but no major injury! Truck and skid steer not so lucky. Bumper pull requires more attention to how it is loaded and size of load and size of truck. Gooseneck is more forgiving on those points.

 

[cfpinz]

7 goosenecks and one bumper pull. (Welding trailer). I'm currently looking at ~20 foot bumper pull equipment trailers. Just so when I need to move a machine down the road but close I don't have to clammer up on the back of the truck. The goosenecks only drawback.
Another thing you need to be aware of is the CDL laws. If you get a trailer with tandem duals it's CDL.
If you get a trailer with 7000 pound axles it's CDL on a dually truck. 6000 pound axles on a lot of duallys will get you there.
CDL laws don't apply to farm tagged trailers as long as the truck is also farm tagged.

Those laws are different from state to state, so be aware of the laws in your particular state.

 

[tom4018]

I prefer a gooseneck for the reasons you gave Tom. We're a small operation, but a 20 ft gooseneck has served us well. I can haul up to 14 4x5 bales at a time if double stacked on top, or 15 with one on the gooseneck. It's a good size to haul a tractor as well. 20 ft is shorter than a lot of folks like, but it's a good length for us with the way our facilities are set up and getting in and out.

Is yours 20 ft straight or with a dovetail? I found a 20 straight but looks like loading anything up the long ramps would be scary. Most I find are 20 flat with a 5 foot dovetail.

 

[Bigfoot]

I prefer goosenecks. The weight is better distributed for a better load stability in my opinion. I will say that I miss the bumper pulls when it comes to hooking and unhooking. I'm getting older and it's getting harder to climb up in the truck bed to deal with the gooseneck.

You can fab up some things to help with that.

 

[A.J.]

Is yours 20 ft straight or with a dovetail? I found a 20 straight but looks like loading anything up the long ramps would be scary. Most I find are 20 flat with a 5 foot dovetail.

It's 20 ft with the pop up dovetail.

 

[callmefence]

You can fab up some things to help with that.

I've got a hay hook welded to 4 foot long piece of 1 " pipe. What you got??

 

[Silver]

I've got a hay hook welded to 4 foot long piece of 1 " pipe. What you got??

I guess that's where a 5th wheel is handier than a goose neck. No safety chains to fiddle with either.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

Somebody mentioned a BP causing the truck to fishtail, the same can happen with a GN. The GN just happens to be a little more forgiving in load placement. But loaded properly each pulls the rated load just fine.

Results of a GN fishtailing... had their been a passenger in the truck they wouldn't have been in good shape.

 

[callmefence]

You can fab up some things to help with that.

I've got a hay hook welded to 4 foot long piece of 1 " pipe. What you got

I guess that's where a 5th wheel is handier than a goose neck. No safety chains to fiddle with either.

Never been around one. But that would be fine by me " no chains"

 

[Bigfoot]

I've got a hay hook welded to 4 foot long piece of 1 " pipe. What you got??

Wow. Like minds. A horse shoe.

 

[chevytaHOE5674]

5th wheel is great on the pavement, but off-road they are terrible they don't have any oscillation so if you get twisted up the trailer will lift the back tires of the truck leaving you stuck.

 

[SmokinM]

I am not much on a tag trailer much over 16' but to each their own. I do take the tailgate off or put a flatbed on trucks that pull a gooseneck so that it is easier to access and hookup. However I hate a flatbed with the ball down in a well that's worse than in a pickup bed as far as hooking up. It takes 5 mins. to hookup you may be pulling it for hours, go for what pulls better IMO.