I just purchased a Ford F350 PSD 4x4 SRW Longbed Crewcab truck with the intention of doing some fairly heavy towing. I saw a great deal on a used Gooseneck Cattle Trailer and bought it.
When I bought the trailer I had to have it delivered. Now that I have the hitch installed I hitched up the trailer.
I have 3.75 inches of clearance from the tail gate top to the bottom of the Gooseneck rails. I also have to open the tail gate,backup,close the gate,back up some more, and then I can couple the trailer. This sounds wrong to me. [img]/forums/images/icons/confused.gif[/img]
So here are my questions. Finally!!! [img]/forums/images/icons/grin.gif[/img]
How much clearance should there be from the top of the tailgate to the trailer coupling arms when towing?
Do y'all have to backup then close the gate and then back up some more to couple your trailers?
Even if I have to get this fixed I still got a great deal so I wont feel bad if y'all give me the brutal truth, if it's bad.
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We have a 02 Dodge HO ¾ ton that is pretty tall. We don’t have any real clearance issues although the trailer is a horse trailer and new.
One option is to extend the ‘tongue’ of the gooseneck. Most of the trailers have two large bolts that can be loosened to lengthen it. The downside is that it will tip your trailer back which is likely to put more weight on your rear wheels of the trailer and if the trailer extends very far beyond the rear wheels you might see some increased dragging. Another option is to extend your gooseneck “tongue†and lift the rear wheels. This can make a pretty big difference in how the trailer fits the truck. The downside here is that, for cattle, this can be a pretty big step up into the trailer and your load is now higher. My experience is that cattle shift a lot more than horses but if you are careful driving it may not be an issue.
Depending on the age of the truck you can usually get a lowering kit for the truck. I think Ford supplies those for free if my memory serves me. Lowering the truck might be the simplest solution depending on your needs for the truck when its not pulling the trailer.
When hooking up I would normally just drop the tailgate back up and drop the trailer on to the hitch. And, of course, close the tail gate before I pull out after hooking up.
Hope that helps. Perhaps others have a different option.
Mark
It's not only common, but almost universal, that you have to open the tailgate to hook up and unhook either a gooseneck or fifth-wheel trailer, or alternatively replace the tailgate with one made for that purpose; big notch in the top center of it. People usually remember to open it to hook up, but not always to unhook. There's a saying amongst RVers that two kinds of people pull fifth-wheels; "those who have torn their tailgate off and those who are going to". [img]/forums/images/icons/wink.gif[/img]
The amount of clearance you now have might be alright until you go over a high hump in the road where the front of the truck tilts down sharply, and then you have a damaged tailgate. The possible solutions to that have already been answered in the above post.
I have to agree with Bird. You will get the tailgate sooner or later, si best to go ahead and take it off. As far as the clearance goes you are much more likely to hit the top of the bed when you turn than the tailgate top. It takes a big dip or hump to move the truck up, or trailer down to hit the tailgate. But when you turn off the road onto a side road and the is an elevation change you will hit the side of the bed. I did that on my 2500 Dodge a couple times. It is real easy to do and when you are comited to turning it is hard to change your mind and then it is already sitting on the bed side. I had 8" of clearance on my Dodge and still hit the bedside 2 times, so with 3" I would change something before I pulled it much. HTH, later, Nat
We pull a fifth wheel camper behind our F250 4X4. As it sits higher than a 4X2 we had the trailer raised for more clearance. This is common for campers, not sure for livestock trailers. All they do is mount the axles under the springs instead of on top. It raised the camper about six inches giving us plenty of clearance to the bed.
3.75 inches doesn't sound like enough but you could always try it for a while and change later if you don't like it. Just keep an eye on it while manuevering in "dippy" areas. It'll be fine for running down the highway as is [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img]
Thanks Guys,
I think I will look into getting a new neck put on it first. The coupler is not at all adjustable and why they built this thing with such a small coupler is beyond me. [img]/forums/images/icons/crazy.gif[/img]
I can probably sell back the steel for a paltry sum. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
I was thinking I might just put on a new adjustable offset coupler, but when I heard about the 8" incident I got to thinking about the neck.
Flipping the wheels is an interesting idea. I think I will avoid this scenario though. I'm thinking cattle move around to much for this option, and this will definitely raise the center of gravity. I may ask about it though.
If I get a new neck put on I should be able to solve all the problems. I hope.
Wat do y'all think?
The reason for the difference is the length of the nose. The shorter the nose the less room you have between the bumper and the trailer. Putnam makes a hitch extender and/or a ball extender. With this you would avoid having to open and close the tailgate.
With regard to the hitch height that is too low. I can guarantee you that if you get into much of a dip you are going to mash your bed. Any good welding show can weld a new adjustable hitch on. In the long run it will be way cheaper than paying to fix a bed. Don't ask me how I know this. [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img]
Thanks for the input. There is a really good trailer shop near me that I am going to use. They are comparable to everyone else on most items. I just have to get it there. I certainly don't want to damage the truck. I have driven a couple of possible routes and I think I found one that will work. I may even look at using a tow company or renting a flatbed.
Several thing to consider. Cows load easier in a low trailer. If you change the axels and springs around it will raise the deck. It may not be a bad idea if the deck is too low before the conversion. Newer trailers are built with new trucks in mind.
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