Can Trucks with Off Road Tires Tow a Gooseneck Trailer  

Question:

Expert Reply:

With gooseneck and fifth wheel trailer towing it's typically best to leave the truck's tire and wheel sizes stock so that you can still tow the trailer level and maintain a decent amount of bed rail to trailer overhang clearance. 6 inches is the minimum to be safe by the way.

When the truck has a lift kit or has much larger tires installed you end up with the trailer sitting nose high when connected to the truck. There are some ways to raise the suspension of the trailer so that it can offset the increased height.

You can do this by moving the axles from being above the leaf springs to below the leaf springs.

The diameter of your trailer axle will determine the size of the parts that you will need to order. If your axle is 3 inches diameter, the Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion Kit, # K71-385-00, would be a great choice and if your axle is 2-3/8 inch diameter you could use the Over-Under Kit, # K71-384-00. These kits can be installed without welding but the manufacturer strongly recommends having the new spring seat tacked in place on the other side of the trailer axle.

Some refer to this process as "flipping the axles," but since axle has a slight bow to it you can't just flip them and reinstall them under the springs using the same spring seats. You have to install new spring seats on the opposite side of the axle so that it can be moved below the spring.

Short bed trucks can also prove challenging since they don't have the clearance to make tight turns. With a fifth wheel setup you can use a slider hitch to offset the clearance problem. But there isn't a similar option for gooseneck setups.

expert reply by: Jameson C

0