Latest acquisition: 30' OTW Gooseneck

So my dad wanted me to go with him on a Jeep trip though Big Bend this week for my birthday (the big 3-1). But I didn't have a way to trailer both Jeeps, and it's a long enough drive that I'd rather have us ride down together rather than follow each other down. With that said...

This year has been crazy at work. The promotion brought a much-appreciated raise, but it also brought with it a ton of extra busy-work inherent to corporate management together with long hours getting new projects off the ground and covering for employees suddenly being poached by other groups in the company. Between that and doing my actual job, which involves a lot of international travel, I haven't really had the time to get any Jeep stuff done, much less actually go out for trips. The only event I participated in this year was the trip to Colorado with Sascha and Paul which was phenomenal and an absolute blast. I loved all of it and look forward to an opportunity to do it again at some point in the future.

For that trip I used my 6.0L F250 to pull a 20' gooseneck with the Jeep on it. It was just a hair too narrow to fit Sasch's child-bearing-hips JK (or Paul's monster CJ5), plus it was a buddy's trailer with no tags, no inspection, crappy old used car tires, and only running lights (no blinkers or brakes). One of the tires had tread separating as I pulled into Junction on a fuel stop and miraculously I was able to swap it out with a replacement used tire on a matching wheel from a local rolling mechanic for whom I was incredibly grateful. Long story short, I really wanted my own trailer with no issues and that could pull two Jeeps. And since the 6.0L kept blowing up, I traded it in on a new 2011 loaded Lariat with the 6.7L that I absolutely love to death--everything but the payments.

So finally Sunday afternoon--after installing 5th-wheel rails and dropping in my existing gooseneck hitch into the new truck along with the in-bed 7-way hookup--I went down and picked up a trailer I found on Craigslist down in Beeville: a 30' dual tandem 22.5k Top Hat gooseneck trailer with a flat 102" deck over the wheels, registered for an actual gross weight of 30,200 pounds (way more than I'll ever use it for). It's perfect, and I love it. Two Jeeps fit no problem. No matter how wide it is, it'll fit with no problem. And it pulls like a dream. Perfectly working brakes, break-away box, newly registered and even inspected this morning (which hadn't been done since it left the factory in 2001). Last night I picked up a new wheel and tire for a spare from Discount, and I'm generally 100% good to go. Ratcheting winches on the side hold straps that will go over the frame (or through clevis shackles in the rear), and it even has metal side posts to slip in for containing cargo that may move.

So, Sasch, if we end up making a long run in the future again, we should be able to double up and divvy up fuel costs, making it much more affordable Plus, the new truck has so far been trouble-free, far more powerful, and is covered by a bumper-to-bumper 6-year/100k-mile warranty, so no fears there.

Pics follow...

Good looking trailer Eric. I am hoping to have one myself next year sometime.
Where did you get your GN Hitch installed? What brand did you go with and how much if I may ask?
I am looking for a 24-28' GN trailer to use for the Jeep.

Beautiful rig ..... you might want to register it for 25,900. I think 26,000 is the magic weight for a cdl. That would also dictate a DOT inspection on the truck also ($50). If you run farm plates you can get by, but going out of state would be iffy. Also you are required to stop at the scales also.... Check into it, it is much better to know upfront than to have a trip ruined because of a steep fine and an unpleasant conversation with a silly hat wearing DOT man. Maybe our resident lawman Maverick could shed some light on the Texas law.....

Thanks for the tip. I'm unaware of any weight limits. Is it the capacity that triggers a CDL requirement or the actual load? Currently it's registered for a gross weight of something like 30,200 lbs. I had it inspected like a normal trailer with no issues. I never pulled into any weight stations that had flashing lights, but I was never pulled over or flagged down or anything like that, either.

In the end, the truck pulled without a problem. It handled it all very well even though it was nearing the prescribed limits at around 15,000 lbs behind it, even getting 9 mpg despite 75 mph speeds with all that weight and giant sails (Jeep windshields) jutting way up into the airstream. That new engine is a hoss. I just need air bags to level out the suspension a little.

The trailer pulled with no issues, either, even in high wind. Love the dual tandem. I even had a blow-out due to tire damage I did that I didn't know about, and it was an adventure getting the spare on there, correctly, but in the end it all worked out. The cool part is that there were still 7 tires under there...the spare was technically not 100% necessary to get home. The only thing I might would do differently is getting a dovetail rather than a hot shot / flat deck trailer, but the welded-on ratcheting strap winches worked GREAT to keep the Jeeps strapped down to the bumpstops safely and securely.