Gooseneck trailers

[forwhldrv]

It’s legal until it isn’t 

[Binderdan]

Wow! I'll stay out out of the derailed part of the discussion. As previously stated on here, everything varies so much state to state and can be up to interpretation of the individual and/or officer and a whole lot of grey area. I try to keep a clean, well maintained truck/trailer, use "NOT FOR HIRE" magnets(personal use only), and don't do anything to draw attention to myself. Has worked well thus far, knock on wood...

As far as choosing a gooseneck trailer, here is what I chose and why...

On my last tour in Iraq in 2016 I saved my pennies and custom ordered a new 32' Lamar gooseneck. I came home to and picked up my new trailer and I'm very happy with it. I had it narrowed down to a PJ or a Lamar. Both are excellent choices, I went with the Lamar for two reasons. PJ used powder coating and I'm not a fan of doing touch ups on powder coat as it never looks right. Second reason was PJ uses tube steel instead of Lamar using C channel which encloses the wiring for protection, but makes it perfect for rodents to move in and eat the wiring. Here is the options I chose.

*12,000 lb axle upgrade. Minimal cost increase, only difference is thicker axle tube. Oil bath bearings too. 

*Rhino Ramps(or Monster Ramps) are half width spring loaded ramps that when folded up become a full level trailer deck. These are excellent for tricycle tractors, and eliminate the need to move ramps side to side on a bar that is damage prone on most trailers. 

*Higher profile option. They offered a pieced beam option that had a 5" lower deck. This sounded good for hauling tall stuff but it also lowers the rear bumper 5" making it a better road grader than a trailer in some uneven ground situations. 

*13,500 lb electric winch, mount, roller fairlead, and battery. I wanted a WARN but they would only install a SuperWinch. Not really happy with the SuperWinch but beats a come-along. It will be replaced with a WARN when it quits. I also upgraded the group 24 winch battery to a group 31 that is MUCH better!

*Electric over hydraulic disc brakes. This was a $2,500 option and I LOVE it! The brakes are amazing! Down side is the module is expensive $1,200 and has been stolen once on the dealers lot, and failed once on the trip in the photo.

*Torque Tube. This is a heavy pipe that runs from the front to the axle area between the frame rails to reduce frame twist.  Less tilt going around corners and makes for a more stable load. No regrets here.

*6" taller gooseneck. Mainly targeted for lifted truck clearance, it was a cheap option and you never know what you may need to pull with someday. 

*Rough cut oak decking. This was a $500 option but since I have crawlers it holds up MUCH better than the standard pine decking. 

*Front tool box with chain bar for hanging chains. Great for keeping the 3/8" Grade 70 chain organized, and binders. 

*Two speed manual crank spring loaded jacks. They offered power ones but with my luck the battery would always be dead. 

*32' length. That's 27" of flat deck, with a 5' self cleaning dove tail. This becomes a full 32' flat deck with the ramps folded closed. 

*26,000 GVW. Although capable of more, GVW under the magic 26,001 rating keeps me out of some scrutiny.  

Standard features: spare tire/wheel, LED lights, Bridged frame(standard over a certain length), 10 Ply 235/80R16 tires, Rub rail and pipe tie down points, Slipper spring suspension, Front step and grab handle on both sides, 7 pin RV style plug. 

Regrets?   10 ply trailer tires in general are hot garbage! Upgraded to 14 plys with 81 mph speed rating and never had another problem. Wish I had spent the extra $500 to upgrade to 2 speed "Yost" semi trailer jacks. SuperWinch winches are cheap crap, but get the job done, eventually upgrading to a WARN. Not really a regret but this thing is heavy! Weighs about 7,500 lbs empty. 

Cost with all my options was $14,000 in 2016, probably around $20,000 today. Yea, that's a lot but it should last me my lifetime with proper care and maintenance as long as I don't abuse it or loan it out(except to Mike (below) who always brings it back better than he found it(and goes to get stuff for me. lol)). I hope this was helpful to someone.

[vtfireman85]

Whatever this guy is doing, he’s clearly a professional, try to do it like that! 
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/167VSLbY2N/?mibextid=wwXIfr

[Dirt_Floor_Poor]

50 minutes ago, vtfireman85 said:

Whatever this guy is doing, he’s clearly a professional, try to do it like that! 
https://www.facebook.com/share/p/167VSLbY2N/?mibextid=wwXIfr

The comment section is the best part, as usual. There must have been an awful lot of commerce for the DOT to put him out of service. He’s clearly a professional OTR driver. 

[Gearclash]

18 hours ago, Binderdan said:

*Electric over hydraulic disc brakes. This was a $2,500 option and I LOVE it! The brakes are amazing! Down side is the module is expensive $1,200 and has been stolen once on the dealers lot, and failed once on the trip in the photo.

*Torque Tube. This is a heavy pipe that runs from the front to the axle area between the frame rails to reduce frame twist.  Less tilt going around corners and makes for a more stable load. No regrets here.

Concur on E/H brakes.  Highly effective -- and costly up front, and the actuator can fail. 

Torque tube is a good idea once trailer length approaches 30 ft. 

[jimw]

  I think this was a minn kota trailer . I was very envious as it had a hydraulic tail . Kinda like how had it painted. I’m sure way above my budget. 

[stronger800]

I have almost no use for a trailer, have a small 5ton bumper pull that I don’t use 2x a year.  I think it weights about 2500, so I can legally only put 7500 on it .  A bigger trailer that would haul a 1066 legally, even just hooked to a single rear wheel pickup, would be heavy enough to require a CDL, here in NY