Buying our first stock trailer, what says you?

[Farmer495]

Gooseneck is more stable, and at least when I was shopping, easier to find. Con is having to cut up your truck and put a ball in the bed.

Gooseneck is also harder to "borrow"....

bumper pull can be pulled by tractor if you are in real muddy yards and don't want to get truck dirty or stuck badly, or have a 2wd...

 

[displacedPA]

Texas john, you think the F150 is up to pulling a goose neck>?I mean down the road we plan on moving twoards a 3/4 or 1ton. I think it will for what i wanna do and im not gonna be towing everyday or anything. I have a teckonshia prodigy brake controller in the cab currently. BTW it is a great unit!

Craigslist seems to be full of used goosenecks. not so much bumper pulls. I suppose not everyone has the truck to pull goose necks.

I started with a smaller bumper pull, as you are considering. From my experience and considering what you have said regarding your needs....

I would recommend a used gooseneck...the wider, longer, the better. Much more stable pull and far safer than a bumper pull. The pros and cons have been much discussed on several TBN threads. Will cost some more than bumper pull, but it's a good place to spend a little more and by not purchasing new you can keep total cost down, as needed since you are just getting started. Yes, center gate and escape door are good. A good brake controller is needed. A single axle brake system is OK for the size trailer you are considering.

Craig's list is a good place to find a trailer.

 

[texasjohn]

If you can pull a bumper hitch, then you can pull a gooseneck even more easily. Yes, fewer people have a gooseneck hitch in their pickup. Many do not realize that you can get a hitch which can be removed so you have a flat pickup bed when not trailering.

There are LOTS of physics behind why a gooseneck is more stable than a bumper hitch. Weight is directly on rear and front wheels, no leverage lifting front wheels and no leverage pushing rear end around dramatically when you get out of the straight-in-line situation. Yes, a 150 will pull a gooseneck for your purposes. A gooseneck has a tad more metal in it than a bumper hitch thus a tad heavier. Either way, the pulling capability is a factor of how much load you have in the trailer. BY FAR, an overloaded gooseneck pulls MUCH BETTER than a bumper hitch, even with a f150. And, you WILL sometime overload it...you will. Ground contact is clearly more because weight is on tires, not bouncing vehicle up and down....trailer weight distribution is not nearly as critical with a gooseneck.

Yes, LOTS of people successfully use a bumper hitch attached to cars, pickups, etc. I did so myself. Many, many white knuckled trips made with cattle bouncing around in bumper hitch trailer and making their forces felt in the towing vehicle, carefully applying the brakes and hoping that things went ok...

When I got a gooseneck, I was AMAZED at the difference...I almost forgot I was towing a trailer. In my opinion, a gooseneck is about 10 times safer than a bumper hitch. Not under "normal, OK" conditions, but when things get really crazy. Panic stops, really bouncy cattle in the rear, slick rainy or icy condition, going around curves too fast, etc....I could go on and on.

Yes, you can get the job done with either. Many have. If, over time, you are anticipating an expanding operation and upgrading to a larger pickup, I would go now for the trailer you can use for a good time and not be concerned about upgrading a trailer in the future.

Perhaps someone else with experience with both trailers and hauling live loads of cattle can comment on their perception of safety differences between the two trailer types.

Something like this would work...
24 ft gooseneck stock trailer, dual axel, solid floor & frame, TRD ok

 

[lostcreekranch]

If you can pull a bumper hitch, then you can pull a gooseneck even more easily. Yes, fewer people have a gooseneck hitch in their pickup. Many do not realize that you can get a hitch which can be removed so you have a flat pickup bed when not trailering. There are LOTS of physics behind why a gooseneck is more stable than a bumper hitch. Weight is directly on rear and front wheels, no leverage lifting front wheels and no leverage pushing rear end around dramatically when you get out of the straight-in-line situation. Yes, a 150 will pull a gooseneck for your purposes. A gooseneck has a tad more metal in it than a bumper hitch thus a tad heavier. Either way, the pulling capability is a factor of how much load you have in the trailer. BY FAR, an overloaded gooseneck pulls MUCH BETTER than a bumper hitch, even with a f150. And, you WILL sometime overload it...you will. Ground contact is clearly more because weight is on tires, not bouncing vehicle up and down....trailer weight distribution is not nearly as critical with a gooseneck. Yes, LOTS of people successfully use a bumper hitch attached to cars, pickups, etc. I did so myself. Many, many white knuckled trips made with cattle bouncing around in bumper hitch trailer and making their forces felt in the towing vehicle, carefully applying the brakes and hoping that things went ok... When I got a gooseneck, I was AMAZED at the difference...I almost forgot I was towing a trailer. In my opinion, a gooseneck is about 10 times safer than a bumper hitch. Not under "normal, OK" conditions, but when things get really crazy. Panic stops, really bouncy cattle in the rear, slick rainy or icy condition, going around curves too fast, etc....I could go on and on. Yes, you can get the job done with either. Many have. If, over time, you are anticipating an expanding operation and upgrading to a larger pickup, I would go now for the trailer you can use for a good time and not be concerned about upgrading a trailer in the future. Perhaps someone else with experience with both trailers and hauling live loads of cattle can comment on their perception of safety differences between the two trailer types. Something like this would work... 24 ft gooseneck stock trailer, dual axel, solid floor & frame, TRD ok

That CL trailer is a pretty old GN if you look at the hitch, it would tear the box of pickup off in a tight turn.

And it's not a 24', probably a 16'.



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[texasjohn]

The info says trailer is 5x16ft cage area and the description mentions 24 ft. I bet that the measurements depend on where you are measuring ... and the instrumentation...I guess you have calibrated eyes and can do it from a photo and make a judgement based on the OP's unseen pickup.

The OP is in NC. I'm not trying to point him to this specific trailer, but to provide an idea of what can be found on CL at a reasonable price. The OP has mentioned that he has looked at trailers in the $6k - $11K range. Pretty pricey for something he is only going to use infrequently, by his own account. Hard enough to make money on cattle without spending a bunch on seldom used equipment.

All the goosenecks I have ever seen have adjustable ball height attachments...and, of course, the OP would do a trial attachment to see how it fits his specific vehicle before purchase.

 

[WM75Guy]

Needs for hauling cattle and hauling horses are a little different, there is no perfect trailer for both. Good ventilation is important when you pack a bunch of cattle together, they can get overheated. A solid front and top is good, enclosed is better for horses. Cattle going to market can take a June bug at 60 mph in the eye without much concern, horses can't. Weather is also a factor for horses, 60 mph in an open trailer in 32 degree cold rain or snow, even with a blanket, can cause problems. With horses you usually need tack storage. If you pack everything in the truck there is no room for people. I prefer aluminum goosenecks but as others have said, they still require cleaning and maintenance. I will not have another steel stock trailer, after a while they all have paint and rust issues more than aluminum. Consider a 20' stock/combo option that has a small tack room in the front, you still have 16' of stock trailer. There are several aluminum ones on the Horse Trailer World website under $12,000.

Sundowner Trailer Corporation

 

[lostcreekranch]

The info says trailer is 5x16ft cage area and the description mentions 24 ft. I bet that the measurements depend on where you are measuring ... and the instrumentation...I guess you have calibrated eyes and can do it from a photo and make a judgement based on the OP's unseen pickup. The OP is in NC. I'm not trying to point him to this specific trailer, but to provide an idea of what can be found on CL at a reasonable price. The OP has mentioned that he has looked at trailers in the $6k - $11K range. Pretty pricey for something he is only going to use infrequently, by his own account. Hard enough to make money on cattle without spending a bunch on seldom used equipment. All the goosenecks I have ever seen have adjustable ball height attachments...and, of course, the OP would do a trial attachment to see how it fits his specific vehicle before purchase.

Agreed John but, stock trailers are measured by usable length not total length including the hitch.

My point about the old style GN hitch is if you look at the way the side channels of the hitch start out near the ball mount and rise at an angle. It is the angled channel that looks that they could hit sides of P/U bed during a sharp turn, any P/U bed. If you look at the pictures there would /could be very little vertical adjustment. Compare this to new style GN hitches with long vertical tube and horizontal channels that would be above the sides of bed. I know this because the very first flat bed GN trailer I bought used, in the early 1990's, had this style hitch and was a PIA to try to maneuver. Sold it 3 months after I bought it and luckily lost no money on it.

Yes, I also assumed that to OP in NC would not go to Austin to by a very old trailer.

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[schmism]

Thats my $400 CL special. It looks a bit diffrent now that its had various rusted portions cut out and replaced but specs are

16' dual axle 5200lb dual brake 10K trailer.

with yearlings at 800-1000lbs each and market weights of 1200-1400lbs your 5 (finish) cow load is pushing 7000lbs.

with those weights make shure your looking for 6 bolt axles on the trailer (likely 16" rims) and not the 5 bolt 3500lb axles.

Note on towing one. If you haven't towed a 24' BP RV behind your truck, be prepaired to be surprised. My 1 ton van barely notices when i have my 20' equipment trailer hitched up with tractor (7K avg load) but if I hitch up the livestock trailer even empty its a pull with the truck. that wind resistance is a real killer.

 

[displacedPA]

yea I was kinda comparing the 6-10k trailers with the 4200.00 steel trailers that are brand new.(CM trailers,Delta,Corn pro.) but the more I look the more I think finding a galvanized or aluminum goose neck used is the way to go. if a all aluminum bumper pull presented itself id have to look at it if it were a good price.




The OP is in NC. I'm not trying to point him to this specific trailer, but to provide an idea of what can be found on CL at a reasonable price. The OP has mentioned that he has looked at trailers in the $6k - $11K range. Pretty pricey for something he is only going to use infrequently, by his own account. Hard enough to make money on cattle without spending a bunch on seldom used equipment.

All the goosenecks I have ever seen have adjustable ball height attachments...and, of course, the OP would do a trial attachment to see how it fits his specific vehicle before purchase.[/QUOTE]

 

[two_bit_score]

Here will give you an idea:
http://www.ddfarmranchtrailers.com/products/2014_ww_roustabout_16_x_6_gooseneck/