Posted 2009-01-28 5:43 PM (#98419) Subject: How much clearance
Regular
Posts: 81
How much clearance do y'all have/like to keep between the gooseneck and your truck's bed rails when hooked up?? We bought a new 4 star and the dealer hooked us all up and said we are ready to go. We only have 7" clerance right now and dealer said that is plenty of room.
We had more of a gap with our old trailer but it did ride a little nose high. This trailer too is riding a little nose high. So if we increase we are probably going to have to block the trailer axles ??!! Right now there is a 4" difference from the front(high end) to the back(low end) of the trailer and the horses have a 14" step up.
So I'm just curious as to everyone's set up.
Also how big of a step up do your horses have??
How much difference from the front to the back of the trailer before you would say it NEEDS the axles blocked??
The trailer is a 3 horse w/ 8ft short wall, 22 ft box. Pulled with 2006 Dodge 3500 dually 4x4. TALL truck !!!!
Posted 2009-01-29 5:08 PM (#98463 - in reply to #98419) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Expert
Posts: 1391 Location: North of Detroit, MI
You want the front of the trailer a LITTLE Bit higher than the back so that it runs LEVEL when it's loaded.
Has to be level or you'll cause problems with the back axle on the trailer and tires. Too much weight willbe carried on the rear tires and axles with it running at a slope.
6" clearance is the absolute LEAST. If you only ever go flat places... : ) The worst situation is leaving a fuel station that is sloped downhill to the road, with the gutters. Or, at my house, where I have a somewhat steep apron before my cement driveway - so my truck is angled before the trailer.
Not being level is a huge problem with older goosenecks and newer 4WD trucks. It's why I had to buy a NEW GN trailer - so it would clear my god-awful high Ford truck bed.
Posted 2009-01-30 4:48 AM (#98506 - in reply to #98419) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Expert
Posts: 2453 Location: Northern Utah
It's been a couple of years since I set mine up. I'd have to go hook up and measure.
But I think the truck clearance was 10" on mine. I moved it up one hole on the gooseneck because I touched the corner of my bed when I was driving on a forest service road when I had it set at 7". Understand that a long bed truck will have more of a problem with this than a short bed because of the longer bed behind the hook up has a greater range of motion.
But I do remember the step up was 18" and I was thinking of blocking the axles 3" which would raise it to 21" for the horses to step up. And I don't think that is any problem at all going in for the horses. It's the backing out that I was worried about. Especially if I just happen to park with the rear of the trailer over a depression.
The first couple of times I had the trailer off the pavement, I dragged the holding tanks and damaged them. So blocking the axles would give me some extra clearance under the trailer to help with that.
Posted 2009-01-30 4:59 AM (#98507 - in reply to #98419) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 420 Location: Florida
I feel for you Buckskinlover, We always had Dodge trucks but when it came to getting our LQ and a 1 ton truck allot of my research pointed to that bed rail height, not only in the Dodge but the Ford lines are also running a taller bed rail I was bummed out I was not going to be able to get a newer Dodger. We ended up with the F350 DWL Diesel. It has the lowest of the bed rail height if I recall correctly.
Maybe you can Block the trailer and add a ramp to counter the increased height.
Blocking was discussed lightly on this thread. No negative comments seen.
Posted 2009-01-30 5:50 AM (#98511 - in reply to #98419) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
I sold my Dodge for this very reason, they build a nice truck and when they decide to build them "towing friendly" I'll buy another one. Mine was an 05' CC Dually 4x4. You can tell if a Dodge pulls many gooseneck trailers buy the dents in the tailgate and bed sides. I bought a GMC CC 4x4 and it was almost 6" lower.
Posted 2009-01-30 12:39 PM (#98532 - in reply to #98419) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Regular
Posts: 81
Well after buying the new trailer, no way can we get a new truck too LOL. Truck is paid for and only has 30,000 miles on it so it has to stay for awhile
Posted 2009-01-30 2:56 PM (#98537 - in reply to #98532) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Veteran
Posts: 236 Location: Little town in Pa
I was driving out of a friend's driveway one time and the truck twisted one way and the trailer twisted the other way and crunch. I was told by my husband that I was being careless. Got the truck repaired and a year later, my husband did the exact same thing in our driveway. But this time the problem was a defect in the manufacturer's design of the bed rail. When I do something stupid, I am being careless. when he does something stupid, GM takes the blame.
Posted 2009-01-30 3:04 PM (#98538 - in reply to #98537) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Extreme Veteran
Posts: 522 Location: Tucumcari NM
Originally written by Ncatanz on 2009-01-30 2:56 PM
I was driving out of a friend's driveway one time and the truck twisted one way and the trailer twisted the other way and crunch. I was told by my husband that I was being careless. Got the truck repaired and a year later, my husband did the exact same thing in our driveway. But this time the problem was a defect in the manufacturer's design of the bed rail. When I do something stupid, I am being careless. when he does something stupid, GM takes the blame.
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Isn't that the way it always goes? Sometimes it is almost too tempting to say "I told you so." Wouldn't want to hurt that fragile ego, would we?
Posted 2009-01-30 5:01 PM (#98550 - in reply to #98419) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Expert
Posts: 1391 Location: North of Detroit, MI
Well.. if you level it out a little bit more, it might not be as bad as you think. You said you had more gap towards the front.. so adjusting your coupler a little bit might help increase the clearance at the tail gate.
Will you be traveling on dirt and hills ? or mostly paved roads and parking lots? Even blocking a small amount at the rear axle won't be too bad.
Posted 2009-01-31 7:47 PM (#98599 - in reply to #98532) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Veteran
Posts: 112 Location: ohio
Buckskinlover, we had the same problem. We bought a new 4star, 3 horse with a 12' LQ in 2004. We also have a Dodge. Ours is a heavy duty 2500 diesel extended cab, 8'bed. It was a real headake worrying about the trailer hitting the bed and it did put a dent in it one time. My husband is very picky and loves his truck and that was the last straw. We took the trailer to a local trailer dealer and he jacked the trailer up I guess what you would call a lift kit of sorts, anyways 5". He said it could be removed if we ever decided to change it back. It gives us enough clearance now and only in the worst places going in and out of an uneven campsite do we have to watch it. It does make the horses jump into the trailer, but hey, trail horses have no problem. We do try to get in a low place when possible to load and unload. It is really sad to pay so much for these trailers and have these kinds of problems, it makes you sick. We have pretty good clearance underneath for the sewer, etc. also. As you probably already know there is just so much to live and learn with these trailers. Hope you can find someone to lift yours up, it is worth the peace of mind!
Posted 2009-02-03 6:42 AM (#98684 - in reply to #98599) Subject: RE: How much clearance
Expert
Posts: 1283 Location: Home of Wild Turkey Whiskey
Originally written by sdlepalpm on 2009-01-31 7:47 PM
It is really sad to pay so much for these trailers and have these kinds of problems..........
I don't see it as a trailer problem, I see it as a truck problem. Dodge trucks have been to tall since the came out with the 2nd Gen. trucks and Ford followed them with the 1999 super duty trucks. Ford has since lowered their trucks back to a reasonable hieght, but Dodge still builds them way to tall for towing. The new Ford 1/2 ton trucks have a new problem in that the bed is deeper than other trucks.
I have nothing against tall trucks as I have a 1986 Chevy that has 7" of lift and 35" tires, but I know I can't tow a gooseneck with it either.
How much clearance
