Gooseneck trailers

What is a gooseneck trailer used for?

It is the trailer for big jobs: heavy machinery, farm equipment, long lumber and steel, vehicles and commercial loads. Contractors, farms and haulers choose it when a regular trailer reaches its weight or length limits.

It comes as a flatbed, a flatbed with a beavertail and ramps, a dump trailer and an enclosed trailer. The gooseneck extends the deck over the truck bed, which gives more loading space for the same overall length.

Common sizes and capacities

The main deck of a gooseneck trailer measures 20 to 40 ft, and the neck adds about 5 ft of deck over the truck bed. It rides on two or three axles of 7,000 to 12,000 lb, often with dual wheels on heavy models, for a gross weight rating of about 14,000 lb to more than 25,000 lb.

To choose, start from your longest and heaviest load: a mini excavator with its buckets, a compact loader, a tractor with its implements or several vehicles. Then choose the length, axle rating and ramps, and keep a margin under the payload.

Why a gooseneck rather than a regular hitch?

The tongue weight sits over the truck’s rear axle, not behind the bumper. The truck stays better balanced, the trailer tracks better in a straight line and in the wind, and you can tow heavier loads safely.

A gooseneck also turns tighter, since the hitch point is closer to the centre of the truck. That is a big advantage when manoeuvring on a job site, in a farmyard or in a narrow driveway.

Gooseneck or fifth wheel?

Both hitch in the pickup bed. A fifth wheel hitch is mostly used for fifth-wheel RVs. A gooseneck, with its more compact ball, is the standard for commercial and farm trailers, and it frees up almost the whole truck bed when you are not towing.

Ramps, dovetail and deck

The dovetail lowers the rear of the deck to reduce the loading angle. Spring-assisted stand-up ramps suit most machines; full-width ramps and hydraulic ramps make it easier to load low or wide equipment.

The deck can sit between the wheels, for a lower centre of gravity, or over the wheels, for a full 102 in width. Stake pockets, D-rings and a tie-down rail let you secure machinery at all four corners.

The truck and the hitch

A gooseneck trailer calls for a three-quarter-ton or one-ton pickup, often with dual rear wheels for heavy models, and a 2 5/16 in gooseneck ball mounted in the bed. About 15 to 25% of the trailer’s weight rests on the ball: that weight counts toward the truck’s payload, along with passengers and gear.

You also need safety chains attached to the truck, a brake controller and mirrors that show both sides of the trailer. We order Gen-Y Hitch gooseneck hitches and Curt, Tekonsha and Hopkins brake controllers.

Inspection, roadside checks and the CTQ

With a gross weight rating of 4,500 kg (9,920 lb) or more, a gooseneck trailer is almost always a heavy vehicle in Québec. It must pass periodic mechanical inspection, with some exceptions based on use, and you must stop at roadside inspection stations when the lights flash.

If the trailer is used for your business, you must be listed in the Commission des transports du Québec register of heavy vehicle owners and operators; an individual who uses it for personal purposes only does not need to register. Also check with the SAAQ which licence class your truck and trailer combination requires.

Weberlane gooseneck trailers

At Weberlane, a brand we sell, standard and heavy equipment trailers are available with a gooseneck hitch, three axles, a 10 ft hydraulic beavertail and ratchet rails. We order it in the configuration that suits your machinery and your truck.

Ordering your gooseneck trailer

Tell us what you haul, the weight and length of the load, and the truck you use. We will suggest the gooseneck trailer that fits: deck length, axle rating, ramps and options, then order it for you.

Once the trailer is delivered, our workshop maintains it, and bank financing with National Bank or commercial leasing with Crédit-Bail CLÉ lets you spread the cost over payments.