towing with 16' trailer?

orange150

orange150

Well-Known Member
Joined
Mar 20, 2005
Location
Fairfax City, VA
I am about to go look at a 16' gooseneck trailer. Is 16' long enough to tow my truck on? single cab, short bed F-150 with 120ish" wheel base. I took some measurements and the overall length is somewhere around 16'3". I am bringing my camera and will upload some pics when i get home. The price is right for the trailer so as long as there are no snags I will probably end up getting it.
 
a lot depends on the placement of the trailer axles, and if you can get the tongue weight right for towing. I have towed a full size long wheel base Ford on my 18' trailer and it was hanging off the back. Not sure how much difference it is between a tag a long and a gooseneck though.
 
have you weighed your trail rig F & R?

it'll obviously work, but you'll have no room to move it around.
 
No way I would go with a 16' I have a 18 on for my K5 but its a tag and it can be a problem to tow anything else to get the tounge weight the way it should be. If all you will ever tow will ever be that rig and when that rig goes the trailer goes to....
Take the rig loaded for the trail and the tow rig ready for the road to the trailer and see if the person will let you load it and weigh it see what the pin is and if the truck will tow it ok.
But remember try to help a friend and you may not be able to load his rig and tow it safe down the road.....not enough or to much pin weight....I looked at a short trailer like that one time back the axles were at the very back, No way to load the axles....
 
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rockcity said:
those axles look a little too far back for me. But, it is a goosneck which allows more tongue weight.
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x2
Plus I wonder who shortened the axles?
Looks like its built from a MH frame.
 
It doesnt look bad.. nice little stout trailer... Good luck with it, let us know how it goes
 
SkyHiK5 said:
x2
Plus I wonder who shortened the axles?
Looks like its built from a MH frame.
Click to expand...


I would be those axles have been widened. I've done the same thing on the trailers I've built, but I have more tube and pipe under the larger OD pipe on the axles. Its hard to know whats under the "splice" on the axle.

MH trailers have a completely different hub than what is shown so I would say they aren't MH axles, but I've been wrong before.
 
I also wouldn't use the side rails to tie anything off to. Looks like they are bolted to the wood and not welded to the frame...
 
rockcity said:
MH trailers have a completely different hub than what is shown so I would say they aren't MH axles, but I've been wrong before.
Click to expand...
Def not MH axles, I think the frame is a MH frame.
 
yea it needs a little work, im going to redo all the electrical stuff soon, and later project would be to add at least 4' to the back of it.. and maybe move the axles forward some? for as cheap as I got it I couldnt resist!
Backing up a gooseneck is totally different !!
 
I see a few things that I would want to look at just to be safe.
It looks to be home built. Along with the axles being cut and rewelded did they camber them so that when you load them the tires are not going to point out and the bottom real bad and cause a problem? It would look like the rear tire in the picture is allready got a top in - bottom out but that could be that the other side is low on air or something.
Second thing is the big thing, from when I built trailers I got a axle build spec sheet and it would give you all the info on the axles and stuff...... One if the big things I remember was the point the springs are mounted on the axle, in most cases it was just 1.5" to 2" at most from the back of the tire, if you went more then that it had a number like 6" on a 3500lb axle would drop the rating to 2800lbs, 9"/2500lbs and so on....I don't remember the real numbers but it was someting like that...That is why most all axle makers weld spring plates on the tube.
I see a big offset between the tire and the spring plus the axle is welded up and maybe not cambered or true, plus a heavy trailer. Make sure the tires and hubs are up for the weight to.
 
rockcity said:
I would be those axles have been widened. I've done the same thing on the trailers I've built, but I have more tube and pipe under the larger OD pipe on the axles. Its hard to know whats under the "splice" on the axle.
MH trailers have a completely different hub than what is shown so I would say they aren't MH axles, but I've been wrong before.
Click to expand...
They sell a kit to change them out and put new hubs on them so you can run normal tires. I have done it in the past but for the cost it is best to replace the axle with a better axle,hub and brakes....
 
Been doing some thinking; aside from the usual TLC and work that a second hand trailer needs, I am going/wanting to add 4' to the deck and then add a dovetail.
For adding the 4': i searched for pics of people extending frames but couldn't find any so I was going to draw one... buut i bought a mac in Feb and either cant find a drawing program or it doesn't have one. So anyway, for the 4' I was thinking of using a tongue and groove type joint on the frame to add in the 4' section, the "tongue" being on the new frame and the "groove" being on the existing frame. first thing that comes to mind, how long should the "tongue" be? as for the material and design, i figure just copy what is on the trailer now.
The dovetail: I searched online and found that most deck over dovetails are 5' long but what angle are they? I saw one for a utility trailer that was 15 degree but thats the only angle I have found. Also attaching the dovetail section, use the same tongue and groove method?
Other misc. stuff that advice or opinions would help: The axles are 3500# and as to the spring placement they are 10 3/4" from the brakes. They are just mounted with tabs so relocating them would be easy enough.
The deck is roughly 41ish", never owned a deck over but that just seems a little tall.
I think that's it... for now. Of course these are long term plans because I dont have a job or a shop right now, but I do need to use the trailer to move my truck the minute I find a shop, which ideally would have been about two months ago.
 
Well I have to ask, how much did you get the trailer for ? So you have 2 3500# axles ? How much does the trailer weigh empty? You can put 1000-1500 pin weight onto the truck. Will that leave you with enough capacity to haul your load?

Axle capacity 7000#
pin weight +1500#
-empty weight 3000#?
------------------------
Load Capacity= 5500#

I'd think heavier axles would be needed with anymore trailer length..
 
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