When you look into buying a trailer and hitch, the most common option is the bumper-pull trailer. While you don't actually connect your trailer hitch, the hitch does extend from the frame near your rear bumper, so it gets the name of a bumper-pull hitch. While this style of hitch can be used on many vehicles and is easy to use, it has limitations. Thus, before you go with a bumper-pull hitch, you should consider your needs and the other hitches on the market to see if another option might work better for you. The gooseneck hitch, in particular, has many advantages over the bumper-pull hitch. 

What Is a Gooseneck Hitch?

A gooseneck hitch gets its name from the shape of the trailer's tongue. Because the hitch is placed in the bed of a truck, the trailer has to reach over the truck's tailgate. Thus, you will have a raised portion of the trailer that extends over the trailer and then a pillar that extends down to the bed of the truck to connect to the hitch. The shape of the trailer tongue is similar to that of a goose's neck as the head reaches down into the water. A gooseneck trailer uses a ball similar to that of a bumper-pull hitch instead of the disk hitch that a fifth-wheel trailer will use. 

What Are the Advantages of a Gooseneck Trailer?

One of the primary advantages of a gooseneck trailer is that it provides more space than a bumper-pull trailer. If you are pulling a horse trailer, most bumper-pull trailers will only allow you to pull two horses; whereas, with a gooseneck trailer you will be able to pull a trailer large enough to hold four or more. In the case of a camper trailer, you may have an attic that extends over the bed of the truck, which will offer more storage or sleeping room. Besides providing more space, gooseneck trailers are more stable than bumper-pull trailers. Because the trailer's tongue rests right over the truck's axle, the trailer's weight is more evenly distributed over the truck's body, so trailer sway is less of an issue. 

If you need a large stable trailer, a gooseneck trailer is the way to go, but you need to know that you may need to upgrade your towing vehicle. Because the hitch itself must be placed over the vehicle's axle, you cannot place a gooseneck hitch on an SUV or CUV; in fact, you must have a pickup truck. That being said, if you are ready for an upgrade to your trailer, then buying a truck and gooseneck trailer is a good option.