RGN Removable and Detachable Gooseneck Trailers

RGN trailer
RGN trailer
Front load trailer with dolly trailer
Front load(RGN) trailer with dolly trailer
Removable gooseneck trailer
Removable gooseneck trailer

RGN removable and detachable gooseneck trailers for sale from China SinoTrailers

What is RGN trailer

RGN trailer is an abbreviation of removable gooseneck-trailers, which is also called detachable gooseneck-trailers. It is a type of lowboy trailer which has hydraulic gooseneck and it can be disconnected from trailer body, and the front deck (with slope) of the trailer will touch the ground so you can have a shallow slope makes the load easier for machines to climb on. It is a type of front-loading trailer, another type is folding gooseneck trailer, which also can be loaded from the front side of lowbed trailers.

Removable gooseneck trailers are an advanced type of lowbed trailer, the vital improvement is gooseneck is detachable, then the trailer involved from lowbed trailer to front loading trailer. Conventional lowbed trailer is gooseneck at the front of the trailer, the middle part is a drop-deck for cargos, the end of the trailer is wheel-set.

Applications for removable gooseneck trailer

Widely used for transportation of prime mover, tractor, bus, specialized vehicles, railway equipment, mining equipment, agricultural and forestry machinery, construction machine. Any equipment with wheels can be driven or towed on top of the trailer directly, no need the help of a crane to lift them up, which it the most economical way to load and unload the equipment.

RGN goose neck trailer
RGN goose neck trailer
Removable gooseneck
Removable gooseneck

Components of a typical detachable gooseneck trailer

  1. Gooseneck:
    • Traction system
    • Power system
    • Alignment system
      • Horizontal alignment:
        • Bolt alignment
        • Guide slot alignment
      • Vertical alignment:
        • Mechanical adjustment
        • Winch adjustment
        • Pneumatic and hydraulic adjustment
    • Locking system(between removable gooseneck and trailer body):
      • Manual control locking:
      • Traction seat lock
      • Latch lock
      • Cam lock
      • Pneumatic control locking
  2. Consists of power-pack
    • Diesel or petrol engine
    • Engine starter
    • Battery
    • Hydraulic pump
    • Hydraulic cylinder

Features of RGN trailer

  1. Low loading platform, when the gooseneck removed from the trailer body, the trailer bed can touch the ground, makes loading and unloading more safe and efficient.
  2. With gooseneck hooked up, the trailer bed is still low, it could be considered as a low loader, which enables the trailer suitable for oversized goods.
  3. Low height makes the lowbed RGN lowboy trailer has higher trafficability.
  4. If the cargo is too long, we may adopt the removable gooseneck trailer with an extendable cargo platform, when the platform(beam) fully extended the trailer is suitable for the long cargo, when the transport job finished, the platform beam could be retracted so as to reduce the total length and turning radius accordingly.
  5. The RGN trailer bed has lashing eyes, once the cargos loaded on the bed, we can use steel rope or cord strap to fix the cargos with those lashing points.
  6. Arc-up design of the cargo platform, to increase payload capacity and trafficability, lower the dead weight.
  7. Mechanical type:
    • Low cost for manufacturing and operation
    • Convenient for maintenance
    • Relatively simple steel structure and lightweight
    • Operations for detaching gooseneck is kinda cumbersome, but it is reliable in applications, widely used in long-distance transportations.
  8. Pneumatic type:
    • Height is adjustable
    • Easy and efficient to mount and dismount the gooseneck from the trailer body
    • Pneumatic RGN can cushion the impact during transportations, the function is just like airbag suspension, suitable for fragile cargos.
    • Able to monitor the weight of the goods by reads of the air-pressure meter on the pneumatic circuit.
  9. Hydraulic type:
    • Similar to the pneumatic type, which has a simple design and easy control process, with no need for dismantling the neck from the tractor to detach the neck from the trailer chassis.
    • The front part of the hydraulic RGN trailer is a tilting plane design, on both sides of the tilting plane are two folding slopes, when you open the folding slopes, the cargo machines can be driven on the trailer platform easily. Between the two slopes is enough space for connecting the gooseneck, make sure there is no interference if they are attaching together.
    • When the slopes folded up, the total length of the trailer will be shortened, then the prime mover can reach the trailer without collision between the trailer body and the tractor.
    • Guiding pins next to the slopes will accelerate the matching process between the RGN and the trailer
    • Degree of automation is high, the control procedures and alignment in connecting the removable gooseneck are the best in all kinds of detachable gooseneck trailers.
    • Particularly can be operated by the driver himself, no other operators needed.
Removable gooseneck semi-trailer
Removable gooseneck semi-trailer
RGN semi-trailer
RGN semi-trailer

How to remove the gooseneck from the RGN trailer

The gooseneck is implanted with hydraulic cylinders, which can hold the gooseneck by lowbed trailer end or prime mover end. It means that, when the gooseneck is disconnected from the trailer body, it is still hooked up on the tractor, after loading or unloading of goods, the tractor can push back the gooseneck to the trailer body for reconnecting efficiently. If the gooseneck is removed from the prime mover, the trailer body is also able to hold the neck, prevent the neck falling off on the ground, during the process of reconnecting, the height of traction pin can be adjusted by the inside hydraulic jacks, it will make the connecting rapidly.

Hydraulic gooseneck makes itself to adapt different prime movers.

Detaching process of RGN removable and detachable gooseneck trailer

Power source of RGN detachable gooseneck trailer

Back in the 1930s, the RGN trailer already came up in North America, the design was simple, the neck can be removed from the trailer but cannot be adjusted up and down, so reconnecting the neck and the trailer together would be very difficult. In the 1940s, the tractor equipped with winch and rope, the driver could use them to the gooseneck to do an alignment between the neck and the trailer. At the end of the 1940s, the hydraulic system came up in the RGN trailer, used as a power source to adjust the neck. Normally the hydraulic system is driven by the tractor, and it has to be installed with power take off (PTO).

At present, an independent power pack is widely used as a source for the gooseneck of removable gooseneck trailers. In this way, a general tractor can fit with the gooseneck, which widens the versatility of prime mover, and realizes drop and pull transport between tractor and RGN trailer.

Compressed air from prime mover can also be used as a source for detaching the gooseneck. Advantages of this method are no need power pack for the trailer, and the trailer can be adapted at pretty low temperature and used in remote areas.

Besides the above powered-goosenecks, there is an easy mode of mechanical RGN widely be used in long distance and heavy transportation. This neck has a simple design, light self-weight. But to realize removing the neck from the trailer, a modification has to be made on the prime mover. The process of loading and unloading is relatively complicated than that of other powered RGN.

Fixed gooseneck trailer has long cargo bed and light dead weight, but cannot load from the front of the trailer.

100T front loading trailer
100T removable gooseneck trailer drawing

Mechanical RGN trailer

Mechanical removable gooseneck lowbed semi-trailer(RGN trailer) has a longer gooseneck compare that of fixed gooseneck trailer, if the total lengths of the two type trailers are the same, the cargo platform for the RGN trailer will be relatively shorter and cannot be adjusted for its height. Each part of the RGN has no relative movement.

The part cam gear built in the neck is the most import mechanism to help with detaching the gooseneck.

To assemble or disassemble the neck from the trailer body, usually we need assists from the tractor, and sometimes need the tractor to move forward and backward a few times to finish the process, so mechanical RGN is not suitable for short distance transport due to its low efficiency.

During the process of connecting and disconnecting of the gooseneck from the trailer body, it could generate damages on the chassis of the prime mover. To avoid this possible damage, we could mount a small wheel set underneath a latitudinal beam of the neck, so the movement between gooseneck and tractor transferred from slide to rolling. The friction between them is minimized, the working life of the tractor’s chassis will be increased.

Pneumatic RGN trailer

Pneumatic removable gooseneck trailer totally depends on air supply from the prime mover, no need other extra power supply equipment, so the fabrication cost is also cheap, and the cost for maintenance is low as well.

Air bellows, air reservoirs, and air cylinders are built in the pneumatic neck to realize removing of the neck and adjusting the height of the trailer. Air pressure came from the air brake system of the prime mover.

Hydraulic RGN trailer

Hydraulic removable gooseneck lowboy trailer is the most popular type of RGN trailers, it can be divided into two types by the differences of positions of hydraulic cylinders:

  1. Landing hydraulic cylinder type: For this type, hydraulic jacks are normally in the rear part(bottom part) of the RGN, in a vertical placement. The detaching of the neck is relied on the hydraulic cylinder to push the ground. The top end of the cylinder is connected with the top hinge of gooseneck’s crossbeam. The bottom end is joint with a landing leg. When the hydraulic cylinder extended, the landing leg will touch the ground, the back of the neck can be lifted at some heights. The function of the cylinder is to lift or lower the front part of the detachable gooseneck trailer, so the neck can be disconnected with the semi-trailer.
  2. Non-landing hydraulic cylinders type: Providing continuously angle adjustment of RGN. Different from the landing type, this type of gooseneck normally equipped the cylinders in the front part(top part) of the RGN, mostly in a horizontal placement or inclined a bit. The neck including a safety lock system, the function is to prevent rotational movement between the base and the traction part. The safety lock is connected with tie rods, which are controlled by pneumatic cylinders. When the cylinders extended, the locking pins are retracted in the null position. When the cylinders are retracted, the locking pins are prolonged in the locking position.
Removable neck semi-trailers
Removable neck semi-trailers
Detachable neck trailer
Detachable neck trailer

Operations of detachable gooseneck trailer

  1. Mechanical RGN:
    • Before dismantling the neck, the first step is to disconnect the traction pin from the traction seat.
    • During the process, gooseneck will slide off or roll off from the traction seat, then the front end of the trailer will be lowered on the ground. At this moment, the weight of the lowboy trailer is distributed on wheelset and the front end, the condition of the gooseneck is suspended.
    • Now remove the bolt to release the RGN from the trailer end, then the prime mover moved forward, the RGN will be totally disconnected from the trailer body.
    • After the RGN trailer loaded with cargos, just reverse the above steps, to move backward of the tractor and the neck, then do the alignment between the neck and trailer make sure they are matched in the right positions, put on the fix pins.
    • Move the tractor forward, the RGN gooseneck will be suspended again by cam motions, next step will be easy for the operator to reconnection the tractor and the neck.
    • We did not specify every step of operations for the mechanical RGN here, you may still think the progress is too complicated, that is why we mentioned in above descriptions the mechanical RGN is not suitable for short distance jobs, because to remove and reconnect the neck will take a lot of time.
  2. Pneumatic RGN:
    • During the process of connecting gooseneck with a semi-trailer, the front end of the trailer is touching the ground, the cargo can run on the semi-trailer from the front of the trailer.
    • Connect the neck with the tractor via traction seat and traction pin, put some spacer blocks under the horizontal and latitudinal beam, so the bottom part of the neck can be off from the ground.
    • The tractor pushes back the neck to fit with the trailer, with the help of air pressure from the tractor, we can adjust the height of the neck to do the alignment smoothly. After the alignment, we just put back the pins and bolts to fix the RGN with the trailer, then the process of install the neck is finished.
  3. Hydraulic RGN(landing type):
    • The first step is extending the cylinder to the ground so the end of the RGN could be off from the ground.
    • Unlocking pins and bolts.
    • Retract the hydraulic cylinder to incline the neck backward, then the front end of the removable gooseneck trailer will be lowered to the ground.
    • Detach the neck by driving the tractor off the trailer.
    • To attach the neck back to the trailer, we need to drive the prime mover near to the trailer, then extend the cylinder to make sure the connecting parts are aligned.
    • Put back fixing pins and bolts and retract the cylinder, then the process of attaching will be finished.
  4. Hydraulic RGN(non-landing type):
    • In the lifting process of non-landing hydraulic RGN, one of the cylinders are extended, then the bottom part of the neck is elevated. The traction part is also lifted up because it linked with the traction seat.
    • During transportation, to make sure the front part of the neck is secured, the safety lock has to be set in the locking position, just in case the hydraulic system in malfunction. Before the detaching and attaching the neck, the locking pin has to be in off position.
    • To enable one tractor driver can fulfill all the procedures, the safety locking pin system is controlled by pneumatic pressure, the power source is coming from the air supply system of the tractor.

Air or hydraulic detachable gooseneck trailer has shortest cargo bed, heaviest self-weight, but efficiency for disconnecting gooseneck is the best. The height of the cargo bed is adjustable, and the operation for the trailer is also the easiest in those types of RGN trailers.

Suspensions of RGN trailer

Suspensions of removable gooseneck lowboy trailer have two types: one is rigid suspension, another one is the elastic suspension. Rigid suspensions are mainly used in two axles per line and mechanical type heavy detachable neck trailer. Spring suspension has low cost, but the driving experience is not comfortable. Air suspension has a high cost, but the driving experience is the best, also it prolongs the working life of the trailer’s chassis and enables its cargo platform’s height adjustable. The hydraulic gooseneck also makes the height of the lowbed trailer adjustable.

Hydraulic jack is using for detachment of the neck from the trailer body. The hydraulic detachable gooseneck is the most popular design to be used in detachable gooseneck trailers, hydraulic cylinder helps the process of detaching more easy and efficient.

Detachable gooseneck trailer
Detachable gooseneck trailer
RGN removable neck trailer
RGN removable neck trailer

Removable gooseneck hydraulic modular trailer with drop-deck

Hydraulic multi-axle trailers can be towed by towing bar or hydraulic gooseneck, both the tow bar and the gooseneck can be detached for cargos loading, besides that each module(wheel-set) can be disconnected as well. So the hydraulic modular multi-axle trailer is a born super heavy lowboy with the ability to transport overweight construction machines. They are suitable for heavy machines over 100 tons that traditional lowbed trailers are not able to move.

Removable deck
Removable deck
Removable lowbed
Removable lowbed
Front loading modular trailer drawing
Front loading modular trailer drawing

Summary of detachable gooseneck trailer

Compare the mechanical RGN semi-trailer, hydraulic and pneumatic RGN trailer are able to adjust the height from 457mm-711mm(with load), ground clearance is from 152mm-204mm. When detachable gooseneck semi-trailers pass through obstacles overhead or rough condition road, lowering or lifting the height of the platform will increase trafficability, efficiency, and safety of the removable gooseneck lowboy trailer.

Just like the folding gooseneck semi-trailer, the RGN semi-trailer also can be replaced tires or other maintenance works without disconnecting the tractor from the trailer body. For conventional lowbed trailers, replacing tires will be complicated works, but that for removable gooseneck trailers will be easier.

In future, RGN trailers will be main transportation tools for heavy machine and equipment.

The custom design of RGN detachable/removable gooseneck semi-trailers is available. Please move to folding neck trailer if you need this different type of front-loading trailer.

China manufacturer of RGN removable and detachable gooseneck trailer – SinoTrailers