Gooseneck on a short bed
- Thread starter madizell
- Start date
masterplumber
Observer
I have a friend that towed a gooseneck horse trailer for years with a short bed extended cab F250 with no problems. He even had a cross the bed tool box on it. Goosenecks don't have the same problems as fifthweels since the hitch is almost always at the very front edge of the trailer & the front is usually rounded. The exception being race car type trailers which are more square for storage & could present a turning problem if you got much over 45 degrees between the truck & trailer - very easy to do.
Doug
Doug
The gooseneck on the trailer is at the front edge of the trailer, but as it is a travel trailer, the front is also flat, not rounded. I guess it would depend on where in the bed the hitch is. I know that with my full length bed on the Ford, I can turn 90 degrees, but assumed that with a shorter bed, I would not be able to do that.
njtaco
Explorer
fisher205 said:
Several quality manufacturers have a product like this. Some are "passive", and some are "active". If I get some time today, I'll find some links for you. Meanwhile, check with all the usual hitch manufacturers' websites.
Also, it depends a lot on the trailer. Where the pin box is in relation to the nose, and the overall width across the front are two important factors that come to mind. Some trailers just don't seem to work perfectly, even on a long bed, no matter what you try.
Don't forget truck boxes in your research...
Oh, depending on the year, Dodge and Ford 4x4 trucks are just waaaay tall for a low 5th wheel. The back corners of the bed rub the underside when traversing RR tracks and the like. Look at 5th wheels with the ability to "lift" the suspension using jake plates or something if this is going to be a problem. (Addited: Jake Plates seem to be a trademark held by Jayco, but basicly are suspension mounting points with several holes to adjust the distance the spring eyes are from the frame. Like an adjustable shackle, sort of. )
Last edited:
njtaco
Explorer
REESE
Electric Slide kit for Reese
Valley
An Article on sliding hitches
Pullrite Superglide
First time I've seen this one
RBW
I think all the link work, at least for now.
Electric Slide kit for Reese
Valley
An Article on sliding hitches
Pullrite Superglide
First time I've seen this one
RBW
I think all the link work, at least for now.
I think a sliding hitch is not possible. The trailer is a gooseneck, not a fifth wheel, and the hitch is a fixed ball on a structure between frame rails under the bed, rather than a hitch assembly sitting up inside the bed a with a fifth wheel. I have seen the fifth wheel sliders, but have not seen anything like that for goosenecks.
I noticed with my '91 Ford that the underside of the overhang in front comes fairly close to the bed rails if you get the truck crossed up, as in going in and out of driveways where the road surface is irregular. This, I think, can be adjusted with the gooseneck on the trailer by extending the neck downward.
My problem is that because I travel with 3 dogs, the crew or quad cab configuration just makes more sense, but unless I want to drive the mother ship, a crew and long bed configuration is just too long to be practical day by day. Alternatively, I saw the short bed a potentially a serious compromise due to clearances, so thought I would ask before I go looking for something to buy. (The '91 Ford is okay as to the bed length, but has a 4.9L six, is only a half-ton at best, and is a standard cab, so in the end I want something with more guts and more room.)
I noticed with my '91 Ford that the underside of the overhang in front comes fairly close to the bed rails if you get the truck crossed up, as in going in and out of driveways where the road surface is irregular. This, I think, can be adjusted with the gooseneck on the trailer by extending the neck downward.
My problem is that because I travel with 3 dogs, the crew or quad cab configuration just makes more sense, but unless I want to drive the mother ship, a crew and long bed configuration is just too long to be practical day by day. Alternatively, I saw the short bed a potentially a serious compromise due to clearances, so thought I would ask before I go looking for something to buy. (The '91 Ford is okay as to the bed length, but has a 4.9L six, is only a half-ton at best, and is a standard cab, so in the end I want something with more guts and more room.)
Last edited:
njtaco
Explorer
Upon reflection, I have had to mount a third base rail for a Reese setup in lieu of a slider. This would mean running the trailer "close" to the truck over the road, and moving the "ball" back to the second set of rails for tight spots. I don't think this is practical, but it worked for our "yard truck".
Just thinkin'...
Could a conventional 5th wheel type hitch be retrofitted to the trailer?
Just thinkin'...
Could a conventional 5th wheel type hitch be retrofitted to the trailer?
njtaco
Explorer
njtaco said:
Pages bookmarked. Looks like the extension will solve the problem, and at 24,000 pounds, it is rated way beyond the load of the trailer (5800).
I notice there is also a gooseneck-to-5th wheel converter on one of the pages, so the options are out there. The trailer came originally as a 5th wheel, and long before I got it, was converted with a pin box extension which moved the pivot point forward around 14 inches, then converted to gooseneck. I don't have the original parts to go back to. But the gooseneck extension looks like an excellent solution.
I like the gooseneck over the 5th wheel just in terms of function, and because I don't have to dedicate the bed to a trailer hitch. The upper hitch on the 5th wheel can be pulled out, but is a pain to do, and it weighs a ton. The turn-over ball on the gooseneck hitch is clean and convenient, which is why I was tending toward staying with the gooseneck hitch.
Thanks for taking the time on this one. I doubt I would have found those products on my own, lacking as I do certain web-surfing skills.
njtaco
Explorer
madizell said:
I would seriously consider the additional torque on the trailer frame that supported the original pin box. All those extensions add up. I HAVE seen them (the frames as well as the fiberglass trailer skin) stress crack from overloading.
madizell said:
I could not agree more! :REOutArchery02:
madizell said:
After a while, I started disassembling the head from the frame on the Reese hitches to put them in and take them out. Half the weight, and my back thanked me!
madizell said:
You're welcome. I'm happy to help out when I can.
masterplumber
Observer
Just to muddy the water with another approach. If your looking for a different truck anyway maybe consider a longbed? My '95 cc longbed was my daily driver for a long time & right now my work truck is an '95 ext cab longbed. They really aren't any harder to drive once you get used to them. The only place I sometimes wish it was shorter is in some parking lots where they have narrowed the aisles to get more spaces in but it's really not a big deal. Just a thought.
Doug
Doug
Driving down the road, the length of a long bed crew cab is not an issue. But getting one in and out of my driveway, and especially maneuvering in tight quarters, makes the combination too long. Although my driveway is "circular" in that it has two entrances, there is a tight 90 degree turn in the middle with an ancient Alligator Juniper right on the inside of the turn, and several grown Chaparral on the outside. I don't think I could get a long bed CC configuration around that turn without backing and filling at least twice, and I would not be able to maneuver the trailer in the driveway at all for lack of turning ability. (Maybe I need to build a dolly for the trailer to get it parked in the yard, and put a 2" receiver hitch on the front of the CJ-5 to run the dolly.)
Add to that the fact that my wife would never in her lifetime drive something as long as a long bed crew cab truck, and the use of the truck would become limited to pulling the trailer. The wife is already after me to get rid of one or more of our 5 vehicles, and to get another truck I need to sell off at least one and perhaps two of the trucks we already have. If I do that, I need the new truck to be versatile enough that we can both use it. That's the thinking behind the question.
I understand the problem with compound extensions. Whether the trailer frame would take the extra stress, I don't know. If it will, the extra extension would serve a purpose at low cost. If not, converting back to 5th wheel and using a slider might be the only option. Still, it is hard to choose without knowing the options. I was looking at the pin box extension yesterday, and wondering if an additional extension would cause a problem. I would be more concerned about how the pin box extension is attached to the frame and the shear load on the attach bolts. The frame of the trailer in this area is seriously stout. One of the local RV businesses might be able to say whether the combination would work or not, and if the frame needs some fab work to resist additional stress, I have those tools.
Add to that the fact that my wife would never in her lifetime drive something as long as a long bed crew cab truck, and the use of the truck would become limited to pulling the trailer. The wife is already after me to get rid of one or more of our 5 vehicles, and to get another truck I need to sell off at least one and perhaps two of the trucks we already have. If I do that, I need the new truck to be versatile enough that we can both use it. That's the thinking behind the question.
I understand the problem with compound extensions. Whether the trailer frame would take the extra stress, I don't know. If it will, the extra extension would serve a purpose at low cost. If not, converting back to 5th wheel and using a slider might be the only option. Still, it is hard to choose without knowing the options. I was looking at the pin box extension yesterday, and wondering if an additional extension would cause a problem. I would be more concerned about how the pin box extension is attached to the frame and the shear load on the attach bolts. The frame of the trailer in this area is seriously stout. One of the local RV businesses might be able to say whether the combination would work or not, and if the frame needs some fab work to resist additional stress, I have those tools.
Last edited: