Posted 2007-03-02 4:51 PM (#56633) Subject: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Minnesota
Wouldn't you know it......I ordered a brand new 2H GN Hawk Trailer this week painted to match my truck. So, today I took a snow day and after plowing half of the day, I got on the phone to call around about getting the GN Hitch put in. So, I mention to all three dealers that my truck has a 3" body lift in it, and all three tell me that the B & W hitch won't work because it bolts to the frame and my truck box is 3" out of whack in relation to the frame. One guy thought maybe he could cut a larger hole in the truck bed to accomadate this, but I would run the risk of not having enough clearance between the GN part of the trailer and the top of the truck box.
I emailed the dealer that I ordered the trailer though - because their phones are out from the snow storm - and she seems to think that between them and Hawk they can figure something out, but I'm not conviced that she understands exactly what the problem is. I'm waiting for a phone call from them once they get service again.
A new truck and a new trailer at the same time is not an option....... Plus, I love my truck, and spent good money to have a Western unimount snow plow installed on it two years ago. I just don't see that I can get rid of the truck right now.
Does anyone have any ideas that won't cost me a months wages? Some of you guys are really good at making things work. If you have any thoughts - good or bad - I'd love to hear them. Thanks, Jan
Posted 2007-03-02 5:20 PM (#56636 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Member
Posts: 21
Location: Smyrna, DE
Can't you take the body lift out? That's what I would suggest - even if you get the hitch to hook up, I imagine you would have issues with the top of the bed / tailgate hitting the trailer.
Posted 2007-03-02 5:41 PM (#56637 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Minnesota
I suppose that could be an option, but I do like it up as high as it is. I bought the truck used and it had already been lifted when I got it. Sure didn't realize it would be a problem. I'm not sure if my plow mount was modified for the lift when it was put on. I'd hate to mess that up too........gggggrrrrr
Posted 2007-03-02 6:37 PM (#56638 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 402 Location: Lockport, Illinois
I could be wrong, but I think when they do a lift, it is done with the suspension. If the box was lifted 3" then the cab and the nose would also have to be lifted 3". Many of the newer 4x4's are too high (especially Dodge) for the trailer to be towed level that the trailer has to be blocked up. As someone already mentioned that the box may be too close to the gooseneck platform, that you will crush the box. Measure the height of the box, ground to floor, and find out from the factory of dealer height of the gooseneck fully retracted with the trailer level. If the box is too high it will cause the trailer to put more force on the rear axle, which would accelerate tire and axle wear. You only mentioned only a 3" lift, have the size of the tires been increased?
Posted 2007-03-02 8:02 PM (#56641 - in reply to #56638) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
They do both Body and Suspension lifts. My nephew has a 6" suspension lift and a 4" body lift for a 10"
The dealer is correct that the B&W hitches (and I assume most other ) do attach to the Frame which in your case is 3" below the bed. What you need is a Ball that will fit into the B&W mounting hole that has a 3" extension also.
Posted 2007-03-02 9:20 PM (#56643 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Minnesota
Thanks for your help. Yes, it is a body lift, not a suspension lift. The whole truck body, box, cab, and bumpers sit higher than they did when it came from the factory. The hitch people told me that if it was a suspension lift there wouldn't be a problem installing the hitch. But if it's a body lift then the hitch won't install properly.
There are rubber "spacers" between the frame and the truck box. When I bought the truck they told me about it and that it was 3". My curiosity got the best of me today so I crawled under there and it is actually only 2". B & W makes a 1" ball extension, but not a 2". In talking with some people including the trailer dealer the best option may be to remove the lift. Not sure how tough that would be, but that might be the best solution all the way around. Yes, the tires are a bit bigger, but not what I would call oversized.
That is a good idea to measure the box height and talk to the trailer mfg. I know that I use a 4" drop hitch to pull my bumper pull trailer level.
Posted 2007-03-03 12:07 AM (#56652 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 366 Location: Albany, Oregon
The body lift is the cheap way to get tire clearance. Also the easiest to install. It doesn't affect the suspension geometry. Also it doesn't help with offroad clearance like a lifted suspension does. It is fairly easy to remove except I believe some of the bolts are longer and you would need the shorter stock ones to bolt it back up correctly. If you can find a stocker that someone wants a body lift on you could do a bolt trade. Or see if the original owner still has them.
Posted 2007-03-03 7:47 AM (#56659 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Veteran
Posts: 148 Location: columbia tn
just wondering if you have someone to take the lift off the truck and its not really what you want to do. your trailer depending how much you are going to be pullling it being a two horse gn (depends on over all length and what you are putting in it) i would think a half ton truck would pull it with a bigger gas motor.. buy a older truck just to pull the trailer you can find them fairly cheap.. when you move up to something else or get a new truck sell the older truck also... good luck
Posted 2007-03-03 9:04 AM (#56662 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 534 Location: Zionsville, Indiana
If the trailer has just been ordered, contact your dealer and/or Hawk about raising the trailer by changing the degree of articulation in the axles. Hawk would probably have to custom order the axles, and since it will raise the entire trailer, you might want to consider a loading ramp so the step up/down for the horses is not so high. We regularly raise the livng quarter trailers that we order so that the holding tanks are not so close to the high bermed roads and crossings, and so that there is more clearance between the truck bed sides and the trailer gooseneck frame. This is not an expensive option, and the only negative is that you might need a ramp and a step at the dressing room door. Call your dealer or call Hawk at 920-596-3080.
Posted 2007-03-03 10:45 AM (#56665 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Location: Texas
Any welding shop should be able to install heavy channel iron between the frame rails and the bed, then attach the hitch. That doesn't solve the trailer to bed clearance issue, if there is a problem there. You won't know about the clearance until you try it.
Posted 2007-03-03 12:12 PM (#56666 - in reply to #56665) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 379 Location: Columbia, TN
You might be able to get one of those cool looking flat beds to go one your truck and some of them have the hitch in them and not put the lift under the bed.
Posted 2007-03-03 6:14 PM (#56673 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Minnesota
Thanks everyone for your help, suggestions, and ideas. I may have an easy answer to my truck/trailer/hitch problem.
Last night I went out and actually measured the lift in my truck. It is not 3" as I was told by the guy I bought it from, it is only 2" So, today I talked to the trailer dealer and the brand of hitches that Hawk installs is called PopUp (http://www.popuphitch.com). Their flip over hitch has a High Rise ball that apparently gives an additional 2" in height (B & W has one too, but theirs only increases the height by 1"). So, I am hoping that this will work without a whole big hassle of taking out the lift or modifying a hitch. There is a local dealer that I will contact on Monday to be sure that it will work. That ball does limit the weight of the trailer from 30,000 pounds to 20,000, but I won't be pulling that much weight anyway.
The dealer is also going to measure the height of the gooseneck bed and the height of the gooseneck itself to see if I should go with 10 degree down axles which would increase the height of the trailer so it would line up better with my taller truck.
Posted 2007-03-04 9:24 PM (#56711 - in reply to #56633) Subject: RE: Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
Member
Posts: 5
Location: Minnesota
OK, now I have a bit more information. The height of the bottom of the gooseneck bed when the trailer sitting level is 58" and the height of the gooseneck coupler on the trailer when put as high as it will go is 38". With my truck sitting level in the garage, the top of the bed rail is at 55" and the bed is at 36". So, if I pulled the trailer with it level, I would have at least 3" of clearance, probably a bit more as the box would drop down from the weight of the trailer. Is that enough? How much is enough? The 10 degree torsion axles would increase the height of the trailer in both places by 2". This is assuming that I leave the lift kit in the truck. There are a couple of places that I am going to call tomorrow to see how much it would cost to take it out. Still not sure the best way to go, but at least it now sounds like I have some workable options.
Gooseneck Hitch and 3" Body Lift - Help Needed
