Do Not Buy A Gatormade Trailer... W/ PICS

[ross3031]

You can throw me on that boat.
I'm currently in the process of shopping for a gooseneck and will be crossing gatormade off my list. Not because of your issues with the product (s*** happens) but because of there response to the problems.

Diamond C or Load Trail are the two at the top of my list. Maybe a little more expensive up front but d$mn I've learned my lesson on that one

 

[old-iron-habit]

You can throw me on that boat.
I'm currently in the process of shopping for a gooseneck and will be crossing gatormade off my list. Not because of your issues with the product (s*** happens) but because of there response to the problems.

Check out ABU made in North Dakota. I have a 2006 36' gooseneck with dual 12,000 lb axles that has been used hard since new. It has been a tough trailer. My deck is due replacement but not the trailers fault. Has some surface rust but we are always on the salted winter roads.

 

[LT-x7]

Check out ABU made in North Dakota. I have a 2006 36' gooseneck with dual 12,000 lb axles that has been used hard since new. It has been a tough trailer. My deck is due replacement but not the trailers fault. Has some surface rust but we are always on the salted winter roads.

Thanks for the tip.
I will more than likely end up with something used because I'm cheap! Since nothing is made on this side of the country it will come down to whatever I can find a good deal on.

 

[Catbota]

Might be worth looking into a Bwise trailer, they seem to be made well and have a lot of nice options. They are out of Chambersburg, Pa but have a dealership network. I'm looking into their gooseneck tilts with 12k axles.

 

[Nige]

A thought. When you're talking trailers it's not often speed that comes into the conversation. I recall one time working with some Goldhofer trailers that were "rated" at 100 tons and no-one could figure out why they were always blowing tyres. It turned out that the 100 tons rating was at a maximum speed of 5mph, if you wanted to run the trailer at up to 30mph the rating dropped to 50 tons, faster than that and it was rated at 35 tons. Go figure......

 

[Mark13]

I will more than likely end up with something used because I'm cheap! Since nothing is made on this side of the country it will come down to whatever I can find a good deal on.

I pull a Brute trailer made in a little shop in Texas. I've heard not so great things about them the last few years as far as the quality of work and customer service however mine is a slightly older trailer now (2008) and seems to be before these problems. It's built like a tank, heavy but I haven't found anything yet that it even cares about being loaded on it. I found mine used on craigslist 4 or so years ago, it's the only one I've ever seen in person. I would buy another as long as I could look it over good and make sure it's built as well as mine is.


Edit: I could go on and on about gooseneck trailers if you want more details but I'll spare the derailment of this thread's original purpose and keep it somewhat on track.

 

[redneckracin]

there is a big difference in GN quality across manufactures. If you want a cheap trailer you get what you pay for. Many of the trailers have wishful ratings or must have an evenly distributed load on them. Personally when a trailer starts getting rated at over 7 tons, there should be a uniform loading and a 10' span loading.

 

[check]

I recall one time working with some Goldhofer trailers that were "rated" at 100 tons and no-one could figure out why they were always blowing tyres. It turned out that the 100 tons rating was at a maximum speed of 5mph, if you wanted to run the trailer at up to 30mph the rating dropped to 50 tons, faster than that and it was rated at 35 tons. Go figure......

Thankfully, in the age of the internet, the disingenuous language of the unscrupulous gets exposed so people know who to avoid.

 

[Nige]

Thankfully, in the age of the internet, the disingenuous language of the unscrupulous gets exposed so people know who to avoid.

Oh that particular event was looooooong before the advent of the internet. However the info was all there right on the data plate fixed to the chassis of each trailer, all it needed was someone with half a brain to read it and make sense of it........

 

[RZucker]

Oh that particular event was looooooong before the advent of the internet. However the info was all there right on the data plate fixed to the chassis of each trailer, all it needed was someone with half a brain to read it and make sense of it........

It's absolutely amazing, the stuff people can learn by reading/comprehending an owners/operators manual. I see that every day... Huh, that's in the book???

 

[Hobbytime]

It's absolutely amazing, the stuff people can learn by reading/comprehending an owners/operators manual. I see that every day... Huh, that's in the book???

LOL..100% correct..instructions are for after one screws it up the first time..then read the proper way..

 

[hetkind]

Well, many organization employ engineers who job it is to read the manual and translate that into operational procedures...

 

[Junkyard]

Funny thing about Goldhofer is when purchased new they train you. Quite extensively actually. The user of that trailer may have bought it used or something, didn't pass the training down the chain of command. Who knows. If that's the case the thing that concerns me more than blown tires is the potential catastrophic accident that can come with the size of a load they're capable of transporting! I did a multi-day heavy lift/heavy transport course and we covered platform trailers as far as three and four point suspension, stability triangles etc. Then we saw lots of pics and video of what occurs when you don't do it right. Big iron makes for big &$@$ ups!

Junkyard

 

[Nige]

We're off track from the OP but regarding the Goldhofers they were a cancelled order for some oil company in the Middle East and ended up with us in Angola. IIRC there were about a dozen of them. They were designed for moving oilfield equipment and so both the 6 x 6 Oshkosh tractors that pulled them and the trailers were equipped with sand tyres, not good on asphalt/laterite roads. So no factory training and because they were "100 ton trailers" our mob saw nothing wrong with loading two D9s on the trailer ('cos they would physically fit) and hooning off down the road at high speed ..... I must dig out the photos I have of one that blew all the LH side trailer tyres and dumped a 651 scraper upside down on the side of the road.

 

[f311fr1]

I have a freind that bought a Gatormade 20 + 5 GN tandem dually trailer. I also tracks down the road sideways. I has a torque tube that is off center 2" front to back. Their response was "it is yours". I also have a Gatormade Ardvark style equipment trailer, tandem axle single wheel 16K rated. We have looked it over pretty close and it seems OK.

 

[ross3031]

I have a freind that bought a Gatormade 20 + 5 GN tandem dually trailer. I also tracks down the road sideways. I has a torque tube that is off center 2" front to back. Their response was "it is yours". I also have a Gatormade Ardvark style equipment trailer, tandem axle single wheel 16K rated. We have looked it over pretty close and it seems OK.

Once again Gatormades customer service comes through and confirms how absolutely terrible they are

 

[f311fr1]

They advertise like crazy and if they had some quality control and customer service they could have a great product. However I would never buy another one.

 

[bob c]

I also had a problem with customer service and they don"t care

 

[ademero]

Unbelievable the quality. Crossing them off my list.

 

[thepumpguysc]

Just the other day I logged in here & saw a BIG banner for Gatormade {advertisement}.. I was thinking, where/why do I know that name??
Then I found this thread..