# Type of trailer?



## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

I'm always keeping an eye out for a trailer, since the one I use isn't technically my own. Well, neither is the truck I use to haul, but I'm working on that. My question is, is there a safety difference in a bumper pull vs. a gooseneck for long-distance hauling? I'd love to travel and find some trail guide work (have a few jobs in mind for next year possibly) and some places require you to bring your own critter. Even if I don't end up doing that, I still will need a truck and trailer.

I've pretty much decided on getting a 2500 truck, not sure of brand. It'll be a Ford, Dodge, or Chevy. It'll be big enough to pull the size trailer I need. I'm a minimalist and need a very small area for tack and feed. I've only ever hauled bumper pull trailers. I've heard horror stories of hauling them on the interstate, but I suppose people do it all the time just fine. I'm told the smaller ones flip easily and are dangerous to haul for longer distances at higher speeds. Are these things true? These folks only haul with gooseneck trailers Ideally, I'd like to find a 2 horse gooseneck, but they're more expensive and I'll have to learn how to back up with one...

All the other specs I can figure out. Basically this all boils down to the bumper vs. gooseneck trailer. Which is safer for hauling live weight?


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

Both are safe to drive and haul long distances at highway speed is the truth.
It is opinion of the operator that you hear favors this or that.
For every horror story of BP there is one of a gooseneck and vice-versa.

What makes trailering to be "dangerous" is the nut behind the wheel or your rig or the others on the road.
You learn to drive, and drive comfortably in all kinds of weather and road conditions...
You know what you are able to handle and when you are reaching your limits and either park someplace or stop pushing so hard, but get back to a area of comfort as you drive.
Having equipment that meets the needs you will use it for is vitally important..
You don't under-horse your truck towing a trailer = you are going to get in trouble. You match your truck to the trailer or provide a bit more truck than trailer so having optimum handling conditions is present at all times when attached to that trailer.
Your trailer is also equipped and kept in best condition the safety features on it...brakes, tires, bearings..lights. Those are the biggies now go inside, underneath and above and look at care, history of and what you see and discover are issue and address, correcting problems.
Tires, you mention hauling on interstate highways, then make sure the tires your trailer has are rated for highway speeds...and don't exceed those ratings or invite disaster to your doorstep!

So, I've towed both kinds of trailers...
Either is fine with me on local roads and interstate driving.
I'm not afraid to drive my rig down the road in any conditions, not going to put myself in jeopardy pushing past my comfort zone but will go anyplace, anytime with directions and a full tank of gas too.
I respect other motorists and not antagonize them either...ride with the truckers and give respect and get it back from them very often.
Towing and what you tow is what you make of it.
Knowing your limitations is a must...knowing your comfort zone helps...and working within those parameters keeps you safest.
What style of trailer...personal opinion of likes, dislikes and abilities to drive it forwards, backwards and hopefully with wheels/tires forever on the ground at all times.
If you already own the truck...then you have your limitations already in place to tow safely.
If you not yet have anything...then it is decision time.
I would start with the truck and work from that to find a acceptable trailer towing part of the equation.
Happy shopping.
🐴...


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## Txshecat0423 (May 27, 2020)

I have a Ford F-250 with a three horse slant load gooseneck trailer with mangers, back tack and partial living quarters. I initially had a two horse slant load bumper pull with Chevy 1500, but we travelled so much with the horses that it only made sense to upgrade. I find hauling a gooseneck much easier than a bumper pull and my husband took me to a big open parking lot to teach me to back it up etc. Now that I don’t travel quite as much,
I wish I had a little bumper pull for running around in locally, but would still have my GN for long trips, and I would never have less than a 3/4-ton truck for sure. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

A gooseneck is safer.


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## ACinATX (Sep 12, 2018)

When I was looking into my trailer, I asked so many questions and did so much research, and at the end of the day it seemed that both types had advantages and disadvantages. I don't remember one type being better on safety.

A GN is going to be heavier for the same amount of floor space (you will gain that attic area) and also more expensive for the same number of horses. To me, this could impact safety in two ways: (1) heavier trailer creates more weight for you to tow, which means your acceleration is less and your stopping time is more. and (2) for the same price, maybe you could get a BP trailer with extra safety features rather than a GN.

One thing that kind of sold me on the BP was the idea that if I ever broke down, it would be easier to find a truck that could tow the BP than it would be to find one that could tow the GN. In other words, even if someone maybe wanted to help me, if I had a GN trailer and they didn't have a GN hitch, they couldn't.

I would highly recommend buying this book: The Complete Guide to Buying, Maintaining, and Servicing a Horse Trailer. You can buy it used on Amazon right now for two dollars. It cover everything you can think of in great detail, although it's about 20 years old now so it might not be entirely UTD on any new products.


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## lb27312 (Aug 25, 2018)

@ChieTheRider - with what you are wanting to do, long distance hauling I would go with the gooseneck. That way in case of a very long drive when you get tired you can get a horse hotel and then climb up in the gooseneck part and sleep... weather and what not permitting. I've done that a few times.... was able to put the horses in a paddock and sleep and then get up first thing and take off... I know there are some bumper pulls with small quarters but then you are adding additional weight, when I've seen smallish gooseneck trailers with just small quarters and a bed, that was the same size or smaller than the same thing with a bumper pull. Just my two cents! Good luck!


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

Are bumper pull trailers prone to tipping? That's really my greatest fear. The last thing I want to do is catch the wind off a passing semi and tip over. Is this a bigger risk in a bumper pull?


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

ChieTheRider said:


> Are bumper pull trailers prone to tipping? That's really my greatest fear. * * * Is this a bigger risk in a bumper pull?


I have been hauling a BP for 15+ years. In some very STRONG winds and all sorts of bad weather, some very scary. I have never had any feeling my trailer would tip and/or fall over at any time. I have a 2H 2005 Trails West Adventure MX pulled by a 2001 GMC 2500HD Silverado diesel 4x4.


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## boots (Jan 16, 2012)

I drive a half ton and pull a 3 horse bumper pull. If I have 3 horses loaded I have to go slower than the 75 and 80 mph permitted on the interstates.

I do not take it to the mountains. Mostly because I hate working cattle in the mountains. There has to be serious money, food, and libation, to bribe me up there. And they can haul me up or down, which ever is needed. 

Anyway, I pull year round. It's windy frequently and on those days I go slower. 

I've had this set up for 7-8 years.

I also drive one ton trucks and pull 12 horse gooseneck trailers at times.

It really is driver dependent.


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## kewpalace (Jul 17, 2013)

boots said:


> If I have 3 horses loaded I have to go slower than the 75 and 80 mph permitted on the interstates.


 I loved hauling outside CA ... here our speed limit for trailers is 55 - although it is rare that anyone, including big rigs, travel the speed limit.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

I don't have a truck yet. I'm in the process of finishing college and getting out on my own. I can afford a little bumper pull project and gradually fix it up and just tow it with my parent's truck (a F550, no worries about horsepower there! That truck is a BEAST). 

Just trying to think ahead. I'm probably just gonna face my destiny of driving gas-guzzlers forever...


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

ChieTheRider said:


> Are bumper pull trailers prone to tipping? That's really my greatest fear. The last thing I want to do is catch the wind off a passing semi and tip over. Is this a bigger risk in a bumper pull?


I moved three of my horses from PA to SoCal, then to TN in a 4-horse open stock bumper pull without any wind issues

Now I will say, when going thru New Mexico and those orange flags were flying in the wind, I did slow down to the speed limit.

While I did not have stabilizer bars, I do recommend them. DH has them on his race car trailer and they do make a difference to the better regarding sway for that trailer. 

My stock trailer has never swayed behind either truck - not even when my truck blew a rear tire at 70MPH on the OK City By-Pass I’m pretty sure I had help getting slowed down and stopped🙏🙏


FWIW, When the passing semi is beside you, give your truck a small amount of gas and that will stop the sensation of being sucked into the semi


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

ChieTheRider said:


> Are bumper pull trailers prone to tipping? That's really my greatest fear. The last thing I want to do is catch the wind off a passing semi and tip over. Is this a bigger risk in a bumper pull?


*No...*
Often BP sit closer to the ground reducing the air trapped underneath that aids in the flip action...
The lower the center of gravity, the better the balance, the safer keeping 4 on the ground...
Ever watch a car race...the faster the cars go the closer to the ground they are.
Goosenecks I see have greater ground clearances than BP I notice very often.

I towed my husbands enclosed hauler having semis pass me by....blew past me...zoooooom!!
I had less "suck" in to the passing truck, no tail-wag, nothing...
His trailer was a BP...
Some of the goosenecks can't say the same...
It is also very much how you load your trailer and driver capability.
The more experienced and competent behind the wheel you are, the better you can compensate to the tractor-trailer approaching and feel the push, then suck-in that can happen. Fact.
🐴...


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## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

I don't think that there's any real fear that a BP will tip over from the wind forced created by a passing semi. But I disagree with horselovinguy that a GN runs a greater risk of tipping over as a result of wind force created by a passing semi. I don't really know if GNs sit higher from the ground than BPs. But even if they do, it is a bit more complex than that. If it was simply a matter of height from the ground, semis would be flipping all over the road. Weight plays a big role. True, racing cars sit merely inches above the ground to prevent as much air as possible from getting underneath. But a Formula 1 car weighs less than 1,500 pounds. Think about that for a second. There are many horse/rider combination that weigh that much, or close! So F1 cars have aero dynamic features that create down force helping them stay grounded. It isn't just proximity to the ground. I haul my horses in a plain GN stock trailer, almost always along interstate 44, a major artery for semi trucks. I have never had any issues with any sort of wind.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

I did not mean to imply goosenecks are more apt to flip from a passing truck...  good grief *NO!!*

It is how you load your trailer, how competent you are behind the wheel and how you handle driving with big rigs that all combined will either having you white-knuckled or relaxed but very alert as you share the road with others.
There *is* a lot to the equation...

Bottom line is both BP or gooseneck *are safe *and not going to easily flip over because a truck goes past you.
Can things happen to change those dynamics...of course.
And that is where being competent behind the wheel and driving within your abilities is needed...fact.

I have noticed though it is more common to see a BP sitting on 15" tires and goosenecks sitting on 16" and even 17" tires today...that is ground clearance, no getting around that.
I have a 4-horse semi-stock trailer. Because of the trailer weight and size mine does sit on 16" and when I go to load you feel the extra height in step up compared to my friends 2 horse slant stock and she sits on 15"...there is a difference, there is.
🐴...


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## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

horselovinguy said:


> I did not mean to imply goosenecks are more apt to flip from a passing truck...  good grief *NO!!*
> 
> It is how you load your trailer, how competent you are behind the wheel and how you handle driving with big rigs that all combined will either having you white-knuckled or relaxed but very alert as you share the road with others.
> There *is* a lot to the equation...
> ...


Maybe you didn't mean to say that GN were more likely to flip over. But what you did say indicated GN were less safe than BP. Your BP had "less suck-in." "Some of the GNs can't say the same." But you didn't provide any evidence to support those assertions. I haul my horses in a 20' GN. I don't even tie them inside. And like I wrote before, INT 44 is a favorite of semis. I've never had any trouble. I've never used a BP to haul livestock. So no, I don't know about a height difference. I'm not arguing that point. But what I can assert is that a one inch difference in clearance from the ground isn't going to make a BP safer and that the comparison with race cars is non-valid because of the weight factor.


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## horselovinguy (Oct 1, 2013)

charro...
I apologized if anyone took my words as you did...they were _*not*_ meant that way as I've already stated.
I stated what I've found to be true...just as others have stated their opinions and in fact you are too.
I've driven goosenecks, BP both local and on interstates.
I have not had issues of "suck-in" with my BP when interstate driving.
I also did not have it worse with my gooseneck, but I also know how to set myself up for the push and pull to not upset my trailer...
As I said, driver ability behind the wheel has much to do with towing a trailer sharing the road with others.
You need to be on your "A" game when towing live cargo...always.


For Chie....
The choice of trailer is a totally individual thing.
Some like gooseneck, some like BP...I drive and have owned both.
What is truth is your horse needs to be comfortable in whatever kind of trailer you ultimately choose.
Height because of tire size could indeed impact your animal cause yes, a few inches difference in stepping up or walking on a ramp may affect some.. That can also impact you as you must also in/out and more in/out so do indeed make sure your body today healthy and on not such a good day and in the future can make those in/out trying on us.
The rest of the myriad of choices of trailers, the amenities they can provide or not, and then the truck and what those offer in cost to purchase, to run and maintain are things only you know what you want, can afford and are comfortable having, driving and calling yours.
Fun to plan for the when...the time is now to do the research so when can become now sooner.
🐴...


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## charrorider (Sep 23, 2012)

Chie. If an inch higher from the ground is going to create problems for you or your horse loading and unloading, by all means get a BP which will likely have 15" wheels (rims) instead of 16". But don't get a BP because it being lower is going to keep less air from getting underneath and be safer. There's too much weight and you're not going to be driving at 300 mph. It is a non-issue with either GN or BP. A trailer with a GN will transfer a certain amount of its weight to the truck. I think is something like 25% of its weight. It will put that weight right over the rear axle or immediately in front of it. The rear axle is the driving axle (i.e. rear wheel drive). All Indy and F1 race cars put most of their weight over the rear, driving axle. It makes a more stable configuration...and easier to drive IMO. A BP doesn't do that. With a BP you're pulling all the weight, all the time. With a GN, how you distribute the weight inside the trailer isn't crucial. The one thing you have to keep in mind with a GN is that when turning, the trailer isn't going to follow the same track of the truck as a BP would do. A GN trailer is actually going to make a tighter turn that the truck. So you have to allow for that.


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## ChieTheRider (May 3, 2017)

My main motivation for getting a bumper pull is because that's what I have experience with, they tend to be cheaper, and are fairly easy to troubleshoot issues with and hook up IMO. But I wouldn't know the difference. I just wanted to make sure they were just as safe as anything else when hauling on big roads. My horse's safety is my number one priority. I've heard horror stories about towing small bumper pull trailers from die hard gooseneck people and wanted to see if there was any truth to their claims.

I should probably learn to drive a gooseneck in case I have to but as far as buying my own trailer it'd be easier for me to find a bumper pull locally and not have to sell an organ to afford it.


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## walkinthewalk (Jul 23, 2008)

ChieTheRider said:


> as far as buying my own trailer it'd be easier for me to find a bumper pull locally and not have to sell an organ to afford it.


This is true but from what my life-long friend up in PA said, she is really regretting selling her 2-horse w/LQ bumper pull for 12K two or so years ago. 

She could have got more in today’s market, but her real reason is that her niece and daughter both just got back into horses, now that their kids are grown.

My friend managed to find a good trailer that needed about $1,500 worth of work. She caught the seller at the right moment and was able to buy it “right” with cash money. She still paid more than she would have been willing to pay two years ago.

My 87 stock horse trailer has been well kept. I know I could sell it for what I paid for it new and it needs tires, thanks to sitting and sun rot. I could probably even squeak another $500 out of it, given that it still doesn’t have more than surface rust on it, all the lights/ brakes work and it has a newer floor double floor that DH put in.

You might be better off pricing out a new or 2020 stock trailer that a dealership wants to get off its inventory. That way you would know what you’re dealing with underneath


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