Prospecting for a used Gooseneck Trailer

Ol Chief,

1st, on the value of the trailer, new trailers of that size with 10K Dexter axles would be a minimum of $5K. Used with 10K axles (oil bath tandem dual) I've seen prices as low as $2500 to $4500 depending on age/condition. Since the axles on that trailer are 16K, I would first find out the weight of that particular trailer. My guess is that it'll weigh somewhere close to 5000#'s or more. I would recommend you go with one with the 10K axles since it will likely have a lighter/smaller frame. Our trailer (shown in the photo) weighs about 5500#'s empty and the F350 SRW handles it fine. The only concern I have is when we get into off-highway mountain conditions where the grades can exceed 7-10%. The factory clutch in these trucks is not heavy enough for the 7.3 engine. Back to your trailer, I would still go with the tandem duals, but with a 20K capacity to get trailer weight down so as to allow a higher payload capacity. The SRW can handle the dual wheels with no problem--ours is also a 4x4 and this comes in handy when negotiating parking lots and tight spaces--use low range and it's like having a "creeper gear". Another good thing about have the tandem duals, you can really load up the axle position on the trailer and better control the weight on the truck's rear axle. Last Saturday we hauled my brother's JD 310 backhoe out of New Orleans--it weighs about 14K #'s. No problems with the run.

Bottom line--I would say go for a tandem dual with 10K axles and with a 28' length, you can haul two good sized tractors and it'll be easier to work in tight spots than our 36'. Weight of a 28' TD should be around 4500-5000#'s depending on frame size and other design factors. On ours, we're about to go to 5/4 treated decking to reduce weight even further.

One last suggestion and comment--get a good brake controller and if you don't already know about electric brakes, start learning. Don't know if it's just our trailer but the electric brake conponents seem to be "high need"--For just about every trip we make, I have to adjust the shoes and the magnets (~$55 each) are prone to break wires right where the wire goes into the magnet. Lately we haven't had as many problems but for the first few years, it seems like we had more than our share of brake problems. Also you'll need a 3/4" drive socket for the axle nuts. I forget the nut size but I think it's over 2".

This past summer prices:

20ft+5ft dovetail, Dexter 20k dual tandum with oil bath, forward self adjusting brakes, spring assist ramps, torque tube, all rubber mounted lites, Bulldog GN and landing gear, $5300 new.

About $160 a running foot. I probably called 15mfg in TX and they were all close on price. Very few trailers in stock and build to order about 2wk wait. Deliverly was running about $400/unit.

My thoughts, buy one trailer to last you a life time that will carry anything you want, with-in reason, for a reasonable price. You don't have to load it to maximum load weight and load it to what your tow vehicle is capable of.

Being it's a flatbed, you can load the trailer to pull great at 12% pin weight with GN hitching. That's with-in your F350 SRW spec's but a tad too heavy for GCW. Keep your GCW under 26k if you want long life out of your truck and under 20kGCW since your SRW as you don't have the control that the DRW gives you.

Dual tandums are too much trailer for any SRW tow vehicle. You'd be wasting the capicity of 4 tires.

You might consider single axle duals if your going to order a new trailer. That way you would have the side to side stability of the duals. That should drop off another $800 off the price.

The trailers are running about 150lbs to 170lbs per running foot empty weight.

T_Bone

The only problem with using 1/2ton for pulling heavy weight is they don't have a floating rear axle.

A typical 1/2ton has a pressed on axle bearing. The problem with this is if the trailer doesn't stay behind you and starts pulling side ways on the pick-up, the axle will slip off the bearing, and we all know what happens at that point.

A typical 3/4ton or 1ton has a floating axle. The wheel bearings are mounted on a stub shaft with a lock nut holding the bearing and hub on. The drive axle bolts to the hub with 8 bolts to apply torque to the wheel. In this arangement then the axle can't slip off the bearing like a 1/2ton can. This is a huge difference between a 3/4ton and 1/2ton when it comes to pulling load weight.

The same would also apply to a SRW to a DRW. Again if the trailer doesn't stay behind you then you have all that load weight pulling against two tires on a SRW but the load weight pulls against four tires on a DRW. There's alot less chance you would not blow out a tire nor would a DRW side as far on the pavement as you have more traction with the duals.

When you start getting up there in the 20kGCW plus load weights, one really has to becareful using the smaller pick-ups or that load weight will eat your lunch very fast if you make a mistake.

T_Bone