Hot Duck

For those of you using a pickup to haul a gooseneck trailer, how much clearance should there be between the trailer and the top rail of the truck bed? I put the trailer on the new truck today just to move it from one location to another and there is not much clearance there, maybe 6-8 inches. The trailer coupler is adjusted so that the trailer is sitting level behind the truck and we are already using the tall gooseneck ball as well.

This is the first time I have used this truck with this trailer. With the Pete there is a ton of room because of the hauler body, but this seems kinda tight on the pickup. It did not rub anywhere today, but it looked awfully close a few times. I am curious if this is enough room to function properly or if it will cause a problem. Any ideas?

Here are a few pics of the trailer.

thunderusone

6 to 8 inches is plenty.

Byrdman

plenty untill...that is a square gooseneckdeck....like skater .original tractor trailer model..??..possibly you should make the rails go on a angle into goose neck...I say it is going to jam you up when you get into trouble somewhere...I think I left way more room than that...I used this skater as a base...cause it was done for a f 350 goose neck....I wanted to be able to be hauled by mine and a pick up bed or toter goose..proper planning prevents poor performance.

offshoredrillin

will, do you mean from the top of the bed to the trailer or from the rear of the bed to the trailer? from top to trailer 8 should be fine, as you shouldnt hit much that will put you at that % of incline/decline. from rear to trailer you need more....Rob

fountain 47 sc

We have some really steep ramps into Lake Michigan which could cause it to be close at the rear of the bed of the truck.

The Menace

I have 6-8" clearance in a turn with the tailgate down.

HayJay

I have a 40' flatbed gooseneck that I use daily to transport commercial goods. The clearance on mine is about 10-12". The coupler is adjusted so the front of the trailer is slightly higher than level. I could adjust it down one hole and the trailer would appear more level, but the clearance would be more like 6" and I know there were a few times when it definitely would have hit (as I was watching out the back window making sure it didn't ).

You know where you'll be going with it, so it's your call. Personally, I would adjust it up a hair.

Hot Duck

Thanks for the input. The trailer was originally built to be pulled by my 2002 F-450, but I never tried it with that truck. We weighed the boat and trailer when the trailer came in and found that it was well over weight for the old 450. That's when I got the Pete. The Pete has plenty of room (see pics below) because of the bed style. I now have a new 450 (substantially increased towing capacity over the 2002) and it seems kinda tight to me. It makes me worry a bit only have that little bit of clearance above the bed rails. I would hate to screw up the new truck.

I thought about that and have the adjustment room on the coupler, but I am trying to keep the trailer lever so that the load is evenly distributed over all three axles. Running with the front of the trailer higher than the rear will put a lot more weight and stress on the rear axle.

It looks like I basically have four options now.

1) Send the trailer back to Myco to have them alter it to fit the new 450 or build a different trailer altogether.

2) Keep the Pete just to tow the boat. I was hoping to use the 450 as a daily driver and a tow rig allowing me to sell the Pete and put that money into the boat (build a cabin in it and change the cockpit to make it more family friendly).

3) Sell the boat, Pete and trailer for another trailer that will work with the 450 and a boat that will meet the family needs. I have already tried this, but the boat will not sell so I guess this really isn't an option.

4) Trade the 450 for one with a hauler bed. It would suck not having a bed for a daily driver, but this might be an option.

This web is getting awfully tangled. It all started with the need for a cabin in the boat. Now I need to figure out where to go from here. I'll do some homework and see what I can find out, but it looks like my best bet is to start with Myco and talk to them. Thanks again for all of the input!

HayJay

Understood. The difference in ride height of my trailer when empty though, is very slight and once loaded, everything levels out correctly (spring ride 1-ton with helper bags and spring ride trailer). It does however, look like the upper part of your hitch is a little shorter than most, so I could see where it might be a little tight.

Was the boat on the trailer earlier? If not, maybe load the boat, get your truck under it again and then see what you think. Hate to see ya make any drastic changes over what may be a minor issue. Beautiful boat by the way!

Sydwayz

iTrader: (1)

Hot Duck. They make low profile pickup beds for the F-450s and F-650s. They look like regular beds, but they have the side walls cut down about 8-12 inches; specifically to solve your issue. They look a little funny, but are still functional beds that you can also put a tonneau cover on as well.

Try to track down Buck183 here on the board, as well as some of the Texas hauler-conversion-type companies.