bumper pull vs gooseneck trailers

OK, I am doing a little more homework. I may have been mistaken.

Apparently, courts have ruled LEO's have the right to simply add up GVWR's and ticket accordingly (although this is pretty stupid). I've never seen it.

But there is another issue that is relevant for you. A tag trailer (bumper pull) that exceeds 10,000 GVWR requires a Class A license. (Federal law- not State). So, you could be ticketed for towing your 14K tag trailer with a Class C.

• Option #1: 5th wheel. The Federal threshold is 15K for requiring a Class A.

• Option #2: De-rated trailer. If you drive a 13,000 GVWR truck with a trailer with (2) 7K axles that is rated at 9900 GVWR, you will not need a Class A. As you have noted, you could easily overload this trailer's rating (but not overload the trailer's capacity). It shouldn't matter, as long as your GCWR does not exceed 26,000, and your GAWR's are within bounds. Without decoupling the trailer and weighing each axle, there is no practical way for a LEO to know if the trailer is overloaded when you cross the scale. It is HIGHLY unlikely you will ever be asked to do this riding on a Class C. I would ONLY consider this with a double axle- a triple axle will be a red flag to LEO's.

Also, if you are going to switch back and forth (and ever have the possibility of carrying 2 big block Suburbans), you should invest in a tongue weight scale.

WHERE you put the load will not change the GCWR, but it will CERTAINLY change the GAWR. If you load 2 cars on the trailer, the rear one counterbalances the front one (like a see-saw), and takes weight off the truck. However, the minute you off-load 1 car, you have put the ENTIRE weight of the front car on the hitch, and will be overloaded on the GAWR.

I hope the Challenge is not the only reason you want to do this. It's an expensive approach (it would be much cheaper to pay someone to haul the 2nd car).

the challenge is not the only reason, not even a big part. we may be running 2 cars next year localish(almost have my wife talked into learning autocross alongside me), and we also are looking to have the capacity to, when out of town at points south if we are taking a car, to be able to craigslist a clean southern cheapie and bring it home to start weeding the rest of the rust out of the stable. i enjoy building trucks, driving them for a little while, then moving on to the next one. if i have the capability to bring a couple rust free ones home at a time, i'll have to travel less. when we were down in october for the challenge i found 13 different vehicles in the 500-800 range that i would have brought home if i had the ability. i don't want to do hot shot work or carry crap for other people unless there is someone needing a cheap GRM relay to somewhere i'm going.

i always figured my next rig after the avalanche would be a 3500 diesel. it's almost time to pull that trigger, and i may as well have a big enough trailer to use the truck as efficiently as possible. i have an 18' 10k open car trailer that is 19 years old, all in michigan and ohio, and the road salt has taken it's toll. on my last trip the ramp holder rotted and fell off and i was one person in a car on the highway telling me i was dragging something away from losing my ramps. my 14k enclosed trailer(that i pulled to the challenge this year) is suffering a similar fate, i can only do so much to keep the rust at bay on trailers that were made before i graduated high school. so facing the reality that one or both of those trailers needs replaced eventually, i'm looking to go bigger.

plus a 34-36 foot trailer will make picking up 24' sticks of steel tube for frame and roll cage building much easier than it is now.

I have both. 24' bumper pull enclosed car trailer and 28' gooseneck horse trailer. Haul with a '15 F-350 diesel short bed. No issues with clearance on the gooseneck with the short bed, which is narrower than some, but you'd have to be at a pretty sharp angle to ever have to worry even with a wider gooseneck.

The goose does pull nicer, which is why we got it for the horses - they come off the trailer less stressed than with bumper pulls.

If I were to putt a LOT of weight on a bumper pull I'd definitely get weight distributing bars.

If you go bumper pull Weight distribution is a must as Dave said but i'll add one more bit to it "BLUE OX" wd is the only way to go. Great company made here in the good old USA. It works great and you stay clean during hook up no grease mess as the bars click in to sockets not up through bushings that get greased. Plus it works as sway control too. I have one for my toy hauler and I'm so glad I spent the extra $$ to get it vs the other brands I looked at. Mine is older flip up chain brackets but they come now with a easier rotary units. Blue Ox

I tow a lot for personal/hobby/obsession reasons and prefer the gooseneck two car....mainly for ride and maneuverability. I have towed a two car trailer across various states without any hassle in regards to a cdl. That being said my truck, 02 chevy crew cab long bed 4x4 dually duramax/Allison, with a 36 foot gooseneck, a bunch of my crap in the bed like tools and generator, and two vintage 4x4s on the trailer generally weights in around 22k.

Now I also have the Halo truck, which weights 30k by itself, but I was told for personal use/not for profit a cdl isn't required. I'll look into it more once I'm ready to tag it.

Cotton wrote: Now I also have the Halo truck, which weights 30k by itself, but I was told for personal use/not for profit a cdl isn't required. I'll look into it more once I'm ready to tag it.

I think this varies by what state you're from.

In reply to patgizz:

I was messing with Stan, we did it once to prove a point....it's not recommended.

As far as my first post, I was partially incorrect and correct at the same time.

I couldn't find any pictures, but I am pretty sure that two certain rallycrossers out of New England towed all over the country with a two car trailer with an Evo and a Golf on it, behind a gas engine K2500. Was looking for pictures because for the life of me I remember it being a standard hitch and not a gooseneck.

Maybe they are in paddock shots of the 2011 or 2012 Nationals? I think Hal co-drove the Evo in 2013, no Golf.

In reply to Knurled:

I remember it as being a standard bumper pull as well.

Been away for a few days, let me see if I can help here. I used to have a 40 foot diesel motorhome with a 32,000 GVW and needed to learn the license game. There are two issues at stake - use and weight. If use is commercial then you need a CDL grade, which is licensing and medical. If use is private (i.e. "not for hire") then you need a personal license. Period on this issue.

Now comes weight. Your "normal" drivers license probably has a class or grade coding on it, and is listed as "class D" or class "E" or something similar. Your state will define this, but it is typically for personal use vehicles under 26,000 GVW. Class "A-C" are the big weight and big trailer classes.

So you can have a Class A CDL, or a Class A personal. In both cases you have to pass the Class A license test, which involves things like "this doesn't stop like your normal car" and the morning pre-flight inspection. Class A personal doesn't require the medical portion like a CDL, and it may or may not require as stringent of a driving test.

Not everyone at the DMV will be familiar with the parallel Personal classes (No ma'am, I don't want a CDL...) but be patient and you'll find someone that knows what you need, and then latch onto that person. The road test part is tricky because you can't drive it until you're licensed, so we all have a licensed friend who happened to drop us off and then left when we go to get licensed. I had to do a walk-around inspection, explain the mechanical functioning of my motorhome (air brakes, where to find certain parts and fluids, check lights, etc.) and then a short road test. I left with a driver's license that looked just like the old one, but now said "Class B" on it. That was the >32000 lb with no trailer class in NC. In FL now class E is listed as "personal use under 26,000 GVW and any RV" so there is nothing special to do to drive a large motorhome. All states vary, but with reciprocity you just need to be licensed appropriately in your home state.