How to Determine Clearance for Gooseneck Hitch on 2016 Dodge Ram 2500

Question:

Hello, I currently have a goose neck ball in my 2016 short wheel base 3/4 ton Dodge ram. My fifth wheel is 96 inch’s wide and my ball is 35 inch’s off the back of my truck cab. After reading all the forums it doesn’t seem the 7and1/2 offset will be enough. Is there a larger offset or am I missing something? What do you recommend?

asked by: Brannon M

Expert Reply:

You need to use the following calculation to find if you have enough clearance:

(A + B) - C = Clearance
A = Distance from the gooseneck ball to the truck cab
B = Offset used
C = Width of the nose of the trailer divided by 2.

So your A is 35" and C is 48" which means right now Clearance = -13". You really want A to be 4" more than C so in this case you need a 17" offset. Even if you combine an offset ball with an offset adapter you aren't going to be able to get to 17" or even 13". The only real option here is to use a 5th wheel hitch with a slider.

If you don't mind rails in your truck bed then you could use the B&W Patriot 5th Wheel Trailer Hitch w/ Slider # BWRVK3270 along with the B&W Custom Installation Kit w/ Base Rails # BWRVK2602. If you want to keep your bed clear you would need to swap out your gooseneck hitch with # BWGNRK1384-5W (unless the B&W is what you have installed) which would allow you to use the Companion # BWRVK3400-5W.

I have added some review and installation videos below for your reference.

expert reply by: Robin H

Brannon M.

3/19/2024

Does RVK vs RVB make a difference vs what truck model you would be putting it in?

Robin H.

3/19/2024

@BrannonM RVB is associated with the base. In this case the Companion slider uses the RVB3405 base. Depending on where you're looking at it it may be listed with the base and the head as two different part numbers instead of using a single part number for the entire hitch. There are vehicle specific Companion hitches but they are designed to mount in the OEM puck system. The one we're talking about fits any B&W gooseneck hitch.

Brannon M.

3/19/2024

Thank you Robin you’ve been very helpful. Another question what’s the difference between the 3400 model vs the 3405 model