Deciding what type of trailer will suit your needs is an important first step in choosing a trailer. Since the gooseneck trailer centralizes the weight in the truck bed it has the capability to carry more than a standard hitch trailer. A 40-foot gooseneck trailer is the longest option available to you. Even knowing all of this, it’s not always clear as to what you can really haul on your 40-foot gooseneck trailer. Just be cautious of the truck and trailer’s maximum weight limits (they will vary by make and model) to stay safe.
Vehicles
These trailers can hold all-terrain vehicles, cars and even some tractors. Farmers may use them to haul heavy machinery and other equipment. It would be easy to load a car or two on a 40-foot gooseneck trailer to transport them to another location.
Bales
Hay and other products in bales can be loaded onto 40-foot gooseneck trailers for transport. Load up the trailer and strap everything down to get it where it needs to go for sale or to feed cattle.
Industry
40-foot gooseneck trailers can haul an assortment of other items. Plumbers may haul large pipes, loggers may haul timber and, with a tarp and some tie-down straps, you can haul just about anything else.
Many heavier trailers such as horse trailers and recreational trailers require a Class V trailer hitch. One such option is the gooseneck trailer hitch, named for its shape. A gooseneck trailer connection implements a socket coupling which connects to the trailer, a ball located in the truck bed forward and above the back axle of a towing vehicle and a king pin connecting the two components. Specifications are categorized by the amount of weight the total unit and each component is able to withstand.
Gross Trailer Weight
• The Gross Trailer Weight (GTW) is comprised of all the weight of the trailer, plus the weight of the cargo, fluids, equipment and passengers, weight put on the each trailer’s axle (Gross Axle Weight, or GAW), weight on any deployed jacks and the tongue weight. Some of the trailer’s weight transfers through the hitch to the towing vehicle. Therefore the hitch must be able to accommodate the GTW.
Tongue Weight
• The tongue or king pin weight is the actual weight pressing down on the king pin or tongue of the trailer or the arm of the trailer that attaches to the truck bed. The recommended ratio of the king pin weight is 15 to 25 percent of the Gross Trailer Weight. Most standard tongue weight (TW) capacity gooseneck hitches range from 6000 pounds TW to 7500 pounds TW.
Towing Balls
• The larger the ball, the more weight it can accommodate. The standard 2-5/16 inch hitch ball can tow up to 6,250 lbs. TW and 25000 lbs. GTW, while the three-inch ball can tow up to 30,000 lbs. GTW.
Hole in Truck Bed
• A hole is drilled into the truck bed above the rear axle in order to connect the gooseneck hitch to the underlying frame of the towing vehicle. Although older gooseneck hitches required a four-inch diameter hole, some hitches require only a three to three ½ inch hole as of 2011.
Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission Standards (VESC-19)
• The Vehicle Equipment Safety Commission issued a VESC-19 safety regulation to provide the states with a basic uniform performance requirement for towing methods and devices for connecting fifth wheel vehicles. Approved in July 1980, this regulation describes standards for towing, certification and testing methods and installation and compliance requirements.
