Trailer Driving 101 Gooseneck vs. Bumper Pull

Story and Photos

By Tom Scheve

A gooseneck trailer owner will most likely swear that a gooseneck drives better, while a bumperpull trailer owner will likely swear it doesn’t.

If you’re racking your brain trying to choose between a gooseneck and a bumper pull, let me say right from the get-go, if hauling more than two horses is in your plans, I strongly suggest a gooseneck because of the additional horse(s) weight. Simply put, a gooseneck can handle more trailer and tongue weight, which is conducive to better tracking and eliminating sway. For more details about the safety issues of towing three (or more) horses in a bumper pull, please review the 2022 January/Feb article in Elite Equestrian magazine.

But suppose it’s a two-horse trailer you’re considering. In that case, you are not compromising safety when choosing one over the other as long as they are both hitched correctly. And it’s not that one drives better than the other; they just drive differently. By differently, I mean how each trailer tracks behind the tow vehicle.

The learning curve is understanding how each trailer reacts when turning. Simply put, a bumper pull will follow the track of the tow vehicle more closely on turns, whereas a gooseneck will severely cut corners.

A bumper-pull follows the path of the tow vehicle reasonably close, but it still cuts corners somewhat when turning. If you’re not paying attention, you might scrape a curb rather than roll over it as you would in a gooseneck. To clear the curb when turning right, you must drive the bumper pull straight forward into the street before turning. When the trailer is a quarter to halfway past the curb, you will escape bouncing over the curb. Turning left is not a problem because there is no curb on the driver’s side. The same principles apply when driving through a farm gate or out of a barn or overhang. ILLUSTRATION 1: Bumper Pull

Turning

A gooseneck sets on a ball over the axles in the truck bed instead of behind the tow vehicle, making a huge difference in how the trailer reacts when turning. A bumper pull stays closer to the path the tow vehicle takes, but a gooseneck does not. The truck pulls a gooseneck trailer sideways when turning, severely cutting corners.

To negotiate a right turn without bouncing your horses over a curb, approach the intersection while staying as close to the painted centerline (or driver’s side lane line) as possible before turning. Keep an eye on your side view mirror and head straight out into the intersection, making sure the rear axles are either even with the curb or past it before starting to turn. You may have to swing over the centerline as you turn into the intersection so always check for oncoming traffic before pulling out.

When driving through an open fence gate, the gooseneck trailer axles must move past the gate posts before turning, or you will be looking at purchasing a new fender.

ILLUSTRATION 2: Gooseneck turning

A common misconception about goosenecks is that the truck and trailer can turn 90 degrees (which is true) and thus make sharper turns. However, there is a point when turning that the wheels are no longer rolling forward and start dragging sideways. This places tremendous pressure on the tire and wheel and you’re apt to pop the outer portion of the wheel off the inner rim or at the very least, damage the tire. Never turn so sharply that the gooseneck wheels stop rolling forward.

ILLUSTRATION 3: Sharp Gooseneck Turn

When backing a bumper-pull or a gooseneck, it can be confusing which way the trailer will go when you turn the steering wheel. An easy way to solve this is to place your hand on the bottom of the steering wheel. When you move your hand to the right, the trailer will back to the right; move your hand to the left, and it will back to the left.

ILLUSTRATION 4: Steering Wheel

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