DRTRCR22

Ok then... all you trailer experts... I am looking for a worthy enclosed hauler for my dirt modified weekend warrior to the local race tracks. I don't need anything fancy, but the highways out here where I live are HORRIBLE with bumps and potholes and very rough bumps. It is going to get dirty and scratched up and abused in some people's eyes, but I just want a durable and secure enclosed to keep the theives and weather off my stuff while I am away from it. So what brand should I look for, and at what kind of price for a 26 to 28 footer?

DirkaDirka

Well I can tell you that I have a Featherlite Horse trailer that rides smooth and pulls really nice behind my truck. It is a gooseneck. Also you want ot make sure that the trailer you pick has tortion axles. They will ride smoother thru the bumps.

DRTRCR22

Ok, thanks Dirka, that's a start, now I got another question for you...?
I have heard argument both ways on this... some say the gooseneck is the smoothest easiest-on-your-truck-and-driving pull ever... some say (especially the horse trailer pullers) that the goosenock will jerk your head and neck around back and forth on bumpy roads like you are on a roller coaster ride...?
I have been leaning towards a goosneck for the manueverability and mobility and extra deck space up top, but it is hard to find a goose in 26' to 28' to 30' anywhere within half a continent from me...?
I have a single axle Dodge 2500 Ram V10 with the 8800 GVW tow package, so the truck can pull it, but the 32' tag I use to have overpowered the handling on these rough roads... even with equalizer and stabilizer... scared the shyt out of me...! If I get a 32' goose will I find a WORLD of difference from the tag? Thanks, Jim

DirkaDirka

To be honest I have pulled gooseneck and bumper pull trailers and the smoothest was the gooseneck. The reason why it is smoother is that it hooks up right above the axle so it doesnt put anymore stress on the suspension. The bumper pull trailers are hooked all the way in the back and stresses out the suspension more. I dont know if you have noticed looking at trucks with the diff trailers the ones with the bumper pulls are pretty much slammed on the rrearend unless they have overweight springs on them. I pulled my horse trailer thru Oklahoma on I-40. That is the roughest interstate that I have ever driving on with potholes everywhere and the times I was in the left hand lane it was still smoother and didnt whip me around inside the cab. Now with a bumper pull it would have prolly been all over the road due to the holes becuase as the trailer goes up it is also pulling the backend of the truck up and when it goes back down it pushes the back of the truck down too.

Also as the trailer sways it doesnt really affect the truck either. With hauling horses they will move around and with my goosneck I hardly felt them move. Only when they were really moving around when we were stopped did I feel the truck move. I saw the trailer swaying as I was going down the round and like I said it didnt effect the truck that much.

DirkaDirka

Also, my horse trailer is around 40' long from the front of the nose to the back of the trailer. Also Yes you will notice a big difference between a bumper pull and a gooseneck as far as handling of your truck. I pull with a 2005 F350 Crewcab Dually Diesel jusst for the fact that it is more stable for hauling horses. There are ALOT of people that haul horses with single rear rears to and they pull a gooseneck with no issues either.

Where do you live?? I can help find a place close to you if you want.

blownalky3

I have all three styles, fifth, goose & tag. Tag is scary sometimes. Goose is a pain in the @ss to hook up but tows fantastic. Now if you want to back up and in 30 seconds be pulling away, go fifth wheel hitch. I personally have the B&W Turnover Ball system for goose and bought the B&W Companion hitch for the fifth wheel and it is the best towing ever. I pulled through the bad roads in Texas and barely knew the trailer was there. Keep in mind that with length you lose 8 feet of floor space for it being a goose or fifth. You have upper storage, but be careful of needed floor space.

DRTRCR22

Ok Dirka... I am down in Carlsbad (southeast) New Mexico desert where there are huge stretches of absolutely nothing but cattle ranches and oilfield patches. NM176 to my IMCA dirt track in Eunice, NM is a two lane cow trail that somebody thought would be fun to paint black and call it a highway. When you come upon a water hauler or oil transporter the only thing you can do is close your eyes and hope for the best as you hang your right side trailer tires off the tore up roadway edge into the sand berm. Then if the very common 50 mph wind is blowing across you... well, you better be on real good terms with God!
I have the heavy overload spring package and gas shocks added to my truck, and it rides like a cement truck! I know what you say about the bouncing on the back, and sometimes that makes it even worse for loss of control. I almost turned over my new 32' Pace Daytona Special a couple times because of all the above factors. I finally sold it and went back to my smaller Big Tex open trailer with a small tool box on the front of it, and the rest of my gear in the truck bed... but it is such a pain loading and unloading every weekend! I want my enclosed trailer back...
Well, the State is finally starting to widen and rebuild a 30+ mile stretch of that horrible NM176, and they have about five miles of it done already. I also want a good enclosed that I can pull over the Guadalupe Mountains El Paso Gap south down 62-180 to El Paso TX Speedway, and Southern NM Speedway in Las Cruces. That mountain pull and cross winds require dropping down into second gear on any truck to get over the biggest peaks.

blownalky3... why is a goose any harder to hitch up than a tag? On a tag it is a pain rigging up the equalizer and sway all the time. It seems to me a fifth hitch would be cumbersome and take up a lot of your bed space, unless I get a removable hitch setup. I understand about the space shift, but I will mostly haul my short open wheel modified race car and only need about another 10' of garage area, so the loft will serve to store parts and supplies to leave the garage area more open. I haven't seen any smaller race trailers with a 5th setup...? Most of them are goose.
Ok, so goose it is, now what brand is the heaviest duty?
Jim

DirkaDirka

Ok I can answer part of that question about goosenecks and fifth wheels trailers.

They are pretty much the sam ething. Except that the gooseneck goes over the ball like a bumper hitch is. The fifth wheel slides into and locks in a lil "wheel" type fitting. So ity is easier to hook up and disconnect. They are the same other than that. I believe you can even get an adaptor for a fifth wheel for a gooseneck trailer.

I will do some shopping around in lower NM for trailers.

blownalky3

Dirka is correct. I want to hook up my goose I back up to hopefully the right spot. Get out and lower the trailer either by elictric or manual to down on the ball. Hook up chains etc and go. Fifth just back up, it couples and you put a clip through the locking bar and lift the legs and go. My companion hitch is the kind that comes in and out if you want in about 3 min. Same ride per se just way faster to hook and go with the 5th set up. The 5th has a little cusion to it as well that the goose does not. It is able to rock a bit side to side without moving the truck.

DirkaDirka

You know I have gotten really good at hooking my gooseneck up. If I position myself just right when I am backing up and can see the ball and the hitch and line then up. So all I would have ot do is lower the trailer, hook the chains, and hook up the lights and go. The fastest I have done it was about 3 mins total.