goose neck trailers

**Keith Jarrett** · 12-19-2008, 01:08 PM

looking at a 12 ton twenty foot deck goose neck trailer.

Here are my questions, how much tonue weight is there, if say, you had 168 hives (7 pallet rows) of bees on?

Does anyone use a donkey (three wheel loader) and attach it to the back of the trailer?

Do you need a dual tire one ton or would a single tire one ton work?

Thanks Keith

**MABee** · 12-19-2008, 01:58 PM

As im sure you know, the weight on the neck (the tongue, or weight pushing down on the axle of truck) would vary greatly depending on where the axles are located on the trailer. Axles centered under the trailer, virtually no weight on the truck. The farther back you push the axle the more weight on the truck. I pull a goosneck with a 24' deck, 5' beavertail, with a single rear tire truck. Make sure the GVWR on the truck and weight rating on tires are appropriate or the CHP can nail you there. The single tire works good, but the stability is so much better with a dually.

**HAB** · 12-19-2008, 04:21 PM

12Ton (24,000lbs) should require 2400lbs on the hitch, going by what I've been told. I would want a Dually, it would just be a lot safer. And GOOD trailer brakes.

I've pulled that kind of weight with a single wheel truck here on the farm and strongly discourage it.

**tecumseh** · 12-20-2008, 05:30 AM

keith ask:
Here are my questions, how much tonue weight is there, if say, you had 168 hives (7 pallet rows) of bees on?
tecumseh> a ton sound about right. the critical thing here is to have the ball (or fifth wheel) that set in the deck of your truck be approximately 6" in front of the axle.

Do you need a dual tire one ton or would a single tire one ton work?
tecumseh> unloaded (or very light load) I suspect a single tired one ton would work. when approaching anything that looks like capacity I would not hook it up to anything besides a dually. the owners manuals will specify pulling capacity of the truck... you can cheat here a bit (not a lot if you value your life) but you will pay in the working life of the vehicle.

ps... what is the weight of a donkey? and I am still trying to figure how you plan to get 7 pallets on a 20 foot deck?????

**Ted** · 12-20-2008, 05:47 AM

A year ago I Had a 26000 lb 32 ft goose-neck built( 8 ft deck over hitch) with
2/ 12 thousand lb axles ,elect over HUD brakes it holds 20 pallets of bees 18000 lbs in weight and that has been my same question and the best answer I have gotten, is as a rule of thumb there is about 10% of the load transfer of weight to the truck

**Ian** · 12-20-2008, 12:08 PM

Yup I agree with Ted,
Got the same kind of trailer as Ted, holds 20 pallets of doubles with skidder on back.
My truck has single tires, the other farm truck has duals. It defenatly is safer with duals and seems to ride nicer, yet that good old FORD tone truck I use pulls a hell of alot better.

One thing to consider when buying a tandem axle dual tire trailer, is pulling it through the mud!
They dont pull worth a dam regardless what truck you got on frount. Tandem duals dont pull through the mud!!

**Broke-T** · 12-20-2008, 04:33 PM

If the trailer has tandem axles make sure they are the standard width apart. I have a 30 ft dual tandem that I move equipment and hay around with. It has the tandem axles spread apart more than normal and it really eats up tires when you turn short.

I pull it with both a single tire F250 and a F350 dually. You can definatly tell the difference. I would recomend the dually for sure.

Johnny

**Ian** · 12-20-2008, 05:12 PM

>>it really eats up tires when you turn short.

Ya, that is the reason why beekeepers dont use tripples axles, too much tight turning, too many bent axles!

**jjgbee** · 12-20-2008, 10:30 PM

Almost every GOOD bee yard I ever had, a trailer was a problem. Traction, uneven terrain, tight turns, and cramped quarters. I had a flat bed for long hauls but most time had to transfer the load onto the truck to get into the sites. I was really hot for a goose neck once but after years of experience, I now know better. The last few years Calif. roads are so bad, I sold the trailer. That said, if you were from a state that didn't have 5 mile 6% grades and you can make lots of honey without getting in the mud or never use roads that look like they were built with a D-8, go for it.

**Mathispollenators** · 12-21-2008, 07:42 AM

We have a goose neck pulled by a dually truck too. Never pulled it with anything else and don't think I would. Problem I have is using it I have to use the ton truck for pulling our loader. Works ok on long hauls 2 trucks but locally not to well. And I have that same tight beeyard problem and it's hard to get trailers in and out allot of them. If I put the swinger on the goose neck I can only haul as much as I can on the ton truck so that seems waistfull. I like the trailer and all it just has drawbacks. As far as the piggy back lifts never saw one on a gooseneck but I like the idea of them on regular trucks having no real experience with them. May wanna check to see if that would have to much weight on the back end of the trailer as the lift is heavy. We have lots of sand here to get stuck in and learned to buy 4x4 trucks recently. Not all of ours are but I don't think I'll another thats not 4x4. Since then we havn't been stuck knowing it's probably gonna happen next week. At the yard deepest in the woods where the phone don't get out. Ya'll know that yard you have one yourselves I think.

**tecumseh** · 12-22-2008, 04:10 AM

mathispollinator writes:
Ya'll know that yard you have one yourselves I think.

tecumseh:
yep every beekeeper need at least one of those... a most distant and isolated location where you can almost lay a bet that you will get stuck with a half load of bees or a half load of full super on the back of the stuck truck.

**Keith Jarrett** · 12-30-2008, 07:36 PM

Thanks to all that posted, appreciate your candor. I really like how some of your post tell it like it is, both good & bad.
Thanks for taking the time to post, Keith

**wfarler** · 12-31-2008, 11:04 AM

I seen pictures of a lot of set ups with a long bed and a boom on the truck instead of a trailer and dragging a lift.

would appreciate any insights on why you would use one versus the other.

Right now I just use the fork lift on my tractor but obviously it won't reach high enough for the truck. I was telling myself last week how slippery the ramp would have been if I had been trying to do this in the rain and thinking I should rig up a lift arm.

**mudlake** · 12-31-2008, 03:36 PM

Just down the road from where I live there is a boom truck bed and boom with forks was used for concrete blocks if anyone is intrested I can find out the price. This is just the bed you will need your own truck to set it on. This is near Oswego New York 13126. If intrested let me know I will ck it out. It is not mine but I know the guy that owns it. Tony

mudlake@hughes.net

**dbest** · 12-31-2008, 04:37 PM

I made a discovery the other day. I have a 25' beaver tail trailer that we normally use behind the ten wheeler. I was using it behind my FL-80 and put my bobcat on the back all the way to the back. I couldn't hardly keep the thing on the road. So I would think that if I'd had a donkey attached it would act alot like that when the trailer is empty. Once I Put some weight on the trailer it pulled fine.

**Keith Jarrett** · 12-31-2008, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by wfarler

would appreciate any insights on why you would use one versus the other.

Wfarler,

Well the main reason is to get away from CHP (DOT) (BIT) ( motor carrier permit) do not have to jump through all their hoops. Do not have all the smog regs that do not apply to P/U. For those of you not in Calif this is huge.

I have a two ton twenty foot bed & a one ton for the bees, but if I went this other route I would not have to have all this goverment over my business.

P.S. And I would love to go by the weight scales at 60mph with a load of bees on & give them the middle finger.

**Keith Jarrett** · 12-31-2008, 06:05 PM

Originally Posted by dbest

I was using it behind my FL-80 and put my bobcat on the back all the way to the back. I couldn't hardly keep the thing on the road. So I would think that if I'd had a donkey attached it would act alot like that when the trailer is empty. .

DBest,
I dont know either, donkey is about half the weight of a bobcat & a pull trailer maybe different than a gooseneck.But at this time it's just a thought.I'm just thinking of lowering my overhead, almonds are going to be tuff this year, then again, if you ask Alpha6 it's going to be a bowl of cherries in the almonds.

Will see how many are eating Cherries or peanuts at the end of this year.

**dbest** · 12-31-2008, 07:10 PM

I forgot to mention that my bobcat is an ancient 610 which weighs 4200 lbs. I have seen the Lowe's trucks and thought "that looks like an awesome way to move bees" but I'm sure that my bobcat is less weight than a donkey. PS I'm charging the same this year as last year for the almonds. My bees are worth 145 and My cost of operating hasn't changed enough to for me to charge more or less. However I'm in Madera and we don't have the big money battles.