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Gooseneck on a SWB?

JP8

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Nov 24, 2020
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Location
Sand Diego, CA
What do you guys think about an aluminum gooseneck trailer on a shortbed (360 / 408" with A727/Gear Vendor), Chrysler Corporate 9 1/4" rear with add-a-leafs and air shocks?

I have seen single car goosenecks and first thought in my head was it would eliminate tongue weight. Isn't tongue weight up to 10% of the trailer GVW? Moving the point of attachment up above the truck's axle should surely help.
My thoughts would be on a featherlite single car aluminum gooseneck with up to 3500# car (Valiant 3250# and cuda 3500#) and a SWB truck with stiff leaf springs and air shocks. This would make for a very maneuverable tow rig/ trailer. Car Trailers - Gooseneck Car Trailers - 3112 Car Trailer

Or maybe a tow dolly would cut the weight down and the SWB could tow easier? Makes for a shorter package than a full trailer too. Quality Tow H.D. Car Dolly - Johnson Trailer Co.

While we're brainstorming, what about a lightweight aluminum bumper pull with a SWB? My inclination is to have the setup to be the most maneuverable I could get it but these aluminum trailers are more common than the goosenecks.


Thoughts?
 
If you need extra spring capacity ditch the air shocks and find some axle to frame air bags.
Other than the truck being short wheel base. Year and model are not given. The stock 360 should have handled the load. Depending on the 408 build maybe not. The gooseneck will be about as manuverable as you can get.
As far as the trailer goes buying something your buddies can not pull eliminates the can I borrow your trailer.
 
This is a general answer to an old forum: The reason to HAVE, not less than but HAVE 10% of your towing weight on the tow vehicle is to HELP CONTROL/STOP trailer sway. Go on you tube all those videos you see of the trailer waving back and forth is because too much of the weight is to far back. My Steel deck with my 66 Pro Street Satelite on it has a gross weight is 6,000 lbs. That means 600lbs at min. should be at the hitch. Hopefully the pay load of your truck is over that, most pick up even midge ones are usually 1000lbs. Coolers and things help the tow vehicles components survive the tow, by keeping temperature down so they are in range that they are design to work in. Another rule of thumb is that if what you are towing gross weight is greater than half of what is doing the towing a weight equalizing hitch should be used. This style hitch will transfer the towed weight thru the tow vehicles structure not on the tail end of it.
 
Since starting this thread the truck has had the 318 rebuilt with the stock stroke, KB 167 pistons, ported Speedmaster heads, 10:1 SCR, Air Gap intake, 222* @ .050" solid flat tappet cam, adj. roller rockers, 2400 stall convertor, and a performance built 727 with an auxillary cooler.

Not the best set up for towing but not race oriented. The goal with the combinations is performance street. I do have a dual axle trailer that my dad let's me use anytime I need. It has 3500 lb axles and has a wood deck and based off comparable trailers on the internet it may be around 1,800 lbs empty. My Duster weighs about 3,200 lbs. 5,000 lbs combined. The D100 is ~ 3,800 lbs. curb weight and a GVW of 6100 lbs.

I have all but given up on the idea of the Featherlite or equivalent aluminum goose neck. Too expensive. The trailer I can use is heavy so perhaps when I am ready to buy my own equipment I will look at aluminum bumper pull trailers. The need for a trailer would be for short hauls under 100 miles. If any further is necessary Dad also has a 2001 CTD 3500 4x4 and a 2018 CTD 3500 4x4.

For these short trips with a D100 SWB pulling a Duster with a heavy trailer I would definitely use a weight equalizing hitch. If I've got this right the tongue weight of a 5000 lbs trailer (10-15%) should be about 500-750 lbs? Looks like I am over but using the weight distribution hitch should help, yeah?
 
Most accident happen within that distance of home. Could be it's only a short way and I might be ok. Not saying you cannot do it safely as a lot has to do with trailer balance and brakes. If there is too much weight on the hitch move the load back. To little move it forwards.
I see to many loads that depend too much on an equalizer hitch. We pull a 33-foot travel trailer with a 3/4-ton truck. The equalizer bars smooth the ride out on wash board pavement and if it gets to rough, they get disconnected. Stabilizers are a whole different item. We don't do far without them. With that much wind sail it just doesn't matter how well the load is balanced.
 
I have towed a a 1970 Challenger across 4 states with a 1999 Chevy Tahoe and it towed great. It had equalizer bars on it.
This is the truck. 1976 SWB and the engine as described above.

IMG-2691.jpg
 
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