EE
EE: How about backing up to line up the coupler and ball?
Tom: Both are tricky and can be mastered with practice.
If you don’t have a built-in tool chest in your truck you
can see the gooseneck ball from the cab when lining up.
Because you can’t see the coupler or ball on a tag-along,
you might need someone to guide you will have to do a
“hit and miss.” With experience, it’s possible to hitch a tagalong
alone with no problems. There are, however, some
innovative devices on the market that can help, and some
tricks I’ve learned that can help with either style trailer that
don’t cost anything.
EE: EE: What about length? Do some like to pull tag-along
because it’s not as long or big?
Tom: Actually, a two-horse tag-along with a dressing room
is an average of 17 ½ feet including the tongue. So, you
are pulling 17 ½ feet behind your truck. An average length
for a goose neck with dressing room is 21-1/2 feet, but the
gooseneck
area, which
is usually around
7-1/2 feet, is
over the truck.
So, you really
only have about
15 feet, give or
take, that
you’re pulling
behind your
truck. So in that
sense, the overall rig is shorter hitched to a gooseneck. Of
course, a tag-along without a dressing room is really the
shortest option.
EE: Which do you think would fare best in an accident?
Tom: There are a lot of opinions on this, but I’d say it would
depend on the type of accident.
Tom: If it’s a major accident, let’s say a head on collision,
there’s a chance the gooseneck could pop off the ball,
and if the safety chains break the trailer is heading straight
for the cab where you are sitting. By the way, this is why
you always want to use safety chains. In a minor accident,
where you might have to do a severe swerve to avoid
www.EliteEquestrianMagazine.com 69
EE: How so?
hitting something, the heavier gooseneck would be a bit
more stable than being hitched behind the vehicle. That’s
why it’s important to have the proper hitch. A weight
distribution system on a tag-along adds quite a bit to the
safety factor. So, a lot of it depends on the circumstances
and the quality of the trailer. I think either type of trailer
should be strong enough to hold up as well as possible in
an accident. There are no requirements for trailer strength,
and no crash testing is done, so we only have to go on the
information we get from examining accidents after they
happen to see which type of construction holds up better.
In my many years of experience, steel and steel framed
trailers hold up much better than aluminum construction in
accidents.
Tom: The best choice is a trailer that makes one feel the
most comfortable. Many of my customers over the years
like to see the horses in the trailer while they are traveling.
So, a tag-along with big windows gives them that ability
which results in a feeling of comfort. Others just like the
feeling of a gooseneck because they feel safer or more
secure. In that case, a gooseneck is the best choice. The
point I’ve tried to make today is that, for a two-horse trailer,
that safety should not necessarily be the consideration in
one’s choice.
Steel and steel framed
trailers hold up much
better than aluminum
construction in accidents.
15 ½’
17 ½’
21 ½ ‘
EE: Any other insight you might want to add about
gooseneck vs. tag-along?
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