This Detachable Gooseneck Trailer Looks Wild, But It Works
Sure, you might not need a two-piece gooseneck with a hydraulic lift, but wouldn’t it be neat to have one?
If you think all trailers are the same, well, that's just not the case. Moving past the differences between bumper-pulls, fifth-wheels, and goosenecks, there are hugely varying levels of quality and innovation from one manufacturer to the next. Davis Industries seems pretty focused on the latter, as this detachable gooseneck with a hitch-mounted hydraulic lift is just plain neat.
When I saw this demo video from Black Diamond Unlimited come across my Instagram feed, I'll admit, I was puzzled. It definitely caught my attention, but what benefit does that fancy hardware provide for someone with a pickup truck? The answer, in short, is safety.
The hydraulic ram is managed by a handheld controller. It's already got a lowboy deck, and once the head of the trailer is detached, the front end simply sits on the ground with a slight incline. It doesn't require ramps and it takes a lot of sketchiness out of the loading process.
Anyone who's loaded a piece of machinery onto a traditional trailer knows how much everything tends to shake around, including the tow vehicle. Once, when I loaded my 1963 International Loadstar onto a gooseneck trailer that was attached to an '08 Super Duty, it shook parts out from underneath the Ford's hood. That wouldn't happen with Davis Industries' trailer; it's built to remain stable, no matter how jerky the controls are on a piece of heavy equipment.
It can haul a lot, too, as it's available with axle ratings of 10,000, 12,000, and 16,000 pounds. The brakes are electric, as the setup is meant for pickup trucks. This type of trailer, which is categorized as a removable gooseneck (RGN), is a lot more common in the big rig world. In those applications, they're great for towing oversized loads.
Lastly, David Industries' RGN is significantly lighter on its own than other similar trailers. The company claims that most 26-foot goosenecks weigh between 8,500 and 10,500 pounds empty, while this one tips the scales at 6,400 pounds and retains the same carrying capacity. That's good news for anyone looking to tow more with something smaller than a semi, so long as they can manage the tongue weight with the trailer axles all the way at the back. In short, it's lighter out of necessity.
Top-spec examples of the trailer run around $45,000 with the 16,000-pound axles. The one being demonstrated by Black Diamond Unlimited is for sale, and there looks to be another that's available in Virginia for about the same price. You can buy one or not, but it's a neat product nevertheless.
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