gooseneck

[Anonymous]

I am finally going to break down and buy a trailer. I'll be using it to haul weaned calves and the occasional cow or bull to the market. I'll be using dad's 250 with a 6.0. I looked at a few trailers and I think the gooseneck brand and stoll are the brands I have settled on. This will be a tarped bar steel trailer. My question is the size and options I need or can live without. A 16ft. would be handy in some of the places I load from but I'm afraid I will wish I had a 20 if the manuverablity isn't that much different. Also width 6ft, 6ft 8in or full 7ft.. What are the trade offs? I think the ones I have looked have two gates in the rear and a middle cut gate. My little tag along racks have a rear sliding gate and that has been pretty nice when loading about backing flush with the chutes.
I don't know alot about these and I would like to only make this decision only once. Thank you in advance for any opinions about these.

Patrick

 

[LonePine]

I would't go less than 20' and 7' wide. You can haul 10 cows that way. We also have two gates on the inside. Spaced 4' and 8'. That way we can put 8 calves up front and 8 cows behind in two compartments. The back gate also has a sliding gate in it used to load.

 

[Anonymous]

Hey Poorboy I live only 14 miles from the Stoll headquarters in Abbeville, SC and I can say that they build very good quality trailers, and they stand behind their product. The company I work for has purchased 5 over the last few years and the durability is great. The last price list I received is as follows: Goosenecks 16x6=$4495 + 220 for canvas top. 20x6=$4765+240 for canvas top installed. A new option they are offering is a Rumber floor with a 20 year warranty for $550 for the 16ft. and $750 for the 20ft. If i can be of any more help just let me know.

 

[Campground Cattle]

I pull a 16 and a 24. The 24 footer can be a real pain.

 

[D.R. Cattle]

I bought a 24' stock combo. It's not a straight stock and partly closed for long haul of horses. 24' is cumbersome, but nice. I bought 15 heifers in the 800 lb range from Adam's Ranch last fall and loaded all in one trip. Whatever you do, look closely at the construction near the floor. Mine collects waste at he bottom where the walls and floor meet and it's hard to clean, thus it is rotting out already. Also, I've had to re-weld a lot of the spot welds that came on mine. I like having a big goose, but I'm sorely disappointed with the quality. To do it again, I'd spend the extra bucks and get a well made trailer. The gooseneck brand is a well made trailer from what I've seen.

 

[txshowmom]

Have you considered an alluminium trailer? They are a lot easier on your truck. With the cost of steel these days they are not that much more and are well worth the extra dollars in my opinion. I wouldn't go any shorter that the 20 foot. We have a 24 ft trailer and wish we had a 28.

 

[txag]

we bought a Gooseneck brand aluminum open-top trailer about 2 years ago. it's a 20' x 7' w/1 divider gate in the middle & a slide gate on the back (or the full back gate can swing open) & it's great. w/the full 7', that makes a pretty wide trailer. it pretty much fills up a full lane in town on a multi-lane road. previously we had a 16 footer w/the two swing gates on the back. i'd definitely recommend the slide gate......much easier to load & then if you unload at an open gate or in the pasture, just swing open the whole back gate.

 

[Anonymous]

Thanks for all the opinions, Still alot of things to consider. I am going to check on a sliding gate and price on alum.. I am trying to keep this purchase at a minimum though. Just now justifying the cost with only 50 pairs. Nice to pull them off when they are ready and my tag along is a little small and getting risky for the 200 mile round trip. I see a 20 foot maybe an option I need to consider as well as a wider one than 6ft..
Does anyone have any idea what I'll be able to haul with a diesel 250? I wouldn't want the cart to overload the mule.

 

[Anonymous]

Just of interest, if you take the square feet of the trailer and take that times 83.3, you will have how many pounds your trailer will haul. For example, 20 foot trailer times 7 foot wide is 140 square feet. 140 times 83.3 is 11,662. Your trailer should hold 11,662 pounds of livestock.

 

[TXBobcat]

Just of interest, if you take the square feet of the trailer and take that times 83.3, you will have how many pounds your trailer will haul. For example, 20 foot trailer times 7 foot wide is 140 square feet. 140 times 83.3 is 11,662. Your trailer should hold 11,662 pounds of livestock.

I've never heard that one. Where did you come up with that formula?

As far as gooseneck trailers go, I would get a 24' Gooseneck brand with a tarp. The 3 compartments are nice to have.

 

[dun]

Just of interest, if you take the square feet of the trailer and take that times 83.3, you will have how many pounds your trailer will haul. For example, 20 foot trailer times 7 foot wide is 140 square feet. 140 times 83.3 is 11,662. Your trailer should hold 11,662 pounds of livestock.

Or you can read the plate that's attached to it giving the weight that it's rated for. Too frequently to sell a bit of an economy trailer the manfacuter will use lighter weight rated axles on the same trailer.

dun

 

[Anonymous]

TX, that formula was something I have had around for quite awhile. It seems to work for anything I have tried it on. I think you can get more weight on your trailer with cows than what the formula figures if you want to. I have a small truck that the formula works good on also.

 

[LonePine]

We have two Ford F250 diesel pickups, one with a 6.9 the other has a 7.3. They both handle the 20' trailer real well. Ours trailer is a Titan.

 

[MrBilly]

I have a wide 16 gooseneck brand trailer. I put the metal roof on because those tarp roofs will eventually need replacement a lot more often than metal.

I also put in the rumber flooring and had the rumber boards spaced 1/4 inches apart so that cleaning is easy. I like the rumber, but despite what people might tell you, you will still need to place a cattle panel over it to prevent slipping and sliding of the cows.

As for the rear gates we have used both types, presently this one has the swing gates which works for us.

 

[txag]

I have a wide 16 gooseneck brand trailer. I put the metal roof on because those tarp roofs will eventually need replacement a lot more often than metal.

I also put in the rumber flooring and had the rumber boards spaced 1/4 inches apart so that cleaning is easy. I like the rumber, but despite what people might tell you, you will still need to place a cattle panel over it to prevent slipping and sliding of the cows.

just our opinion, but we prefer no roof (just bars). unless you're hauling horses, show cattle, or long distances in cold weather, a roof isn't a necessity. imo, open trailers are much easier to load & unload. you can reach over the top to swing gates instead of through little slots or getting in there with them.......safer on the arms. also, the folks at the auction barn will thank you.....easier to tag w/o a roof.

we, too, have rumbar flooring and haven't had a problem with slipping.

 

[TheBullLady]

I've got a 32' Travalong trailer that is a GREAT trailer. We had it custom made with a "bull package" to help keep the big butt cows from bending out the sides of the trailer, and it's been worth every penny. We also have the rubber flooring, and find that spreading a thin layer of sand on the floor will help it from becoming slippery when wet.

I'm in the market now for a 20' trailer... the 32' is overkill for hauling a couple of heifers to show! I think a 16' would be too short, that's what I had before the 32'.

 

[Anonymous]

I think I need to take a 20 ft. for a test drive and then wheel and deal on the slide gate. Lone Pine one of the trailers I looked at last weekend was a titan, the price was a little higher than the gooseneck of the same length but with several more options. How has yours held up? Pros and Cons? Mr. Billy how many calves 4-5 weight will fit on that 16 ft. and how wide?

Thanks again to everyone for the replies and info. I can't find much info from people who have experience with a trailer. How much trouble will I have with the short box on this truck?

Patrick

 

[LonePine]

Our Titan is a 1991 model. It has a wood floor and we have not had to replace it yet. We use sand to prevent sliding and slipping of the animals. We really enjoy the 3 compartments a 4'and two 8'. Ours also has a bull package (has twice as many up rights on the outside). Kansas salts their roads in the winter and that has caused some rusting where the sides and the floor angle iron meet. But it has had 13 years of hard use.
Our truck has and 8' box, our son-in-law has a short box and he gets along fine. You can't turn as short is all.

 

[eric]

As long as we're on the subject, has anyone ever heard of Ponderosa trailers? They are made in Arkansas and also in Colorado. They have a dealer near me in Denton. They are selling a 16' bumper pull fully enclosed stock trailer for about $3500. I have been looking for a used trailer for a few months now, and have'nt come across anything I'd consider buying yet. The used ones in good shape are pretty pricey, and the used ones under $1500 are pretty used up! I hate to spend $3500 on something I'll probably only use 3-4 times a yr, but at least it should last me a lifetime if taken care of.

On that note, anyone near me have a trailer they want to sell? I am looking for a 16'-20' stock trailer, covered or open makes me no difference. I dont have a gooseneck on any of my trucks, but might be willing to install one if necessary.

 

[sidney411]

What is 'rumbar' on the floor that several of you said you had?