Working Ranch Magazine Summer 2025

ranch wheels BY JAMES BECKHAM The Longer the Trailer What to consider before buying an oversized stock trailer.

HOW BIG? First off, I asked Jim and John to tell me how big is too big based on their experience. Jim Dyer says that Big Bend won’t build a 40’ trailer. “We built a couple of 40’ trailers, but they were just too big and you could get too much weight in them,” said Dyer. Big Bend now offers 36’ as their longest trailer. John Murdock says that Swift Built will only make up to 36’ trailers. Checking the website for Gooseneck Manufacturing, they build a 40’ that is 7’6” wide and states “additional length available.” Wilson Trailers offers up to 42’ in their Foreman gooseneck line. So, like everything else, it depends on who you talk to and how you need to use a big trailer – on rough roads or highways only? Each of these four manufacturers offers wider and specialty trailers, but for simplicity, we are mostly discuss ing longer trailers in this column. REAL-WORLD ADVICE John Murdock offered good advice, “The longer the trailer, the more consideration into how much weight you can haul, how much flex is put on the trailer, and even if you can fit the trailer on your property.” Jim Dyer added, “Remember that wider and longer trailers are more subject to the risk of cracks in mate rial from flex on rough terrain.” Have you thought about axles and tires surviving turns on long, heavy trailers? What I learned was that long trailers with triple axles drag the tires on the inside of the turn if you don’t make a really wide turn. Both Murdock and Dyer said that when sharply turn ing a 3-axle trailer on pavement, the inside tires don’t roll, they drag. The inside tires will grab the pavement, ruin tires, and bend axles. On dirt, the

he waitress was refilling the last of your neighbors’ coffee cups, which seemed like a good time, so you innocently an nounced, “I’m going to buy a big stock trailer.” Stirring his coffee with a bent spoon, Bill asked, “How big?” You told him. The clock on the wall behind you ticked twice. Luther’s left eyebrow was still somewhere up inside his hat band when he asked, “Why?”

WHY? The first consideration when think ing about an oversized stock trailer is why? Well, you can haul a lot of cattle at one time, but then you knew that. Before you decide that dragging a lon ger, wider trailer around with a whole bunch of cows inside is a good idea, read through the list of consider ations below. You might change your list of “whys” after reading our list.

That conversation is a good start ing point for this article. To help me figure out what to consider before buying a really big trailer, I contacted two manufacturers who craft what I would call oversized stock trailers. Jim Dyer of Big Bend Trailers and John Murdock of Swift Built Trailers were kind enough to give me their time and advice on what to consider before buying a really big stock trailer.

Gooseneck Trailer Mfg.

GOOSENECK TRAILER MFG.

Swift Built Trailer

SWIFT BUILT TRAILERS

44 I SUMMER 2025 WORKING RANCH audited readers run 21 million head of beef cattle.