How to Figure Out Gooseneck Trailer Clearance for Short Bed Truck

Question:

Can you pull a flat face gooseneck with a 6.5ft bed

asked by: Payton

Expert Reply:

I'm not quite sure what you mean by a flat face gooseneck trailer (it's likely that I know them as something different), but you typically can tow a gooseneck trailer with a short bed truck as long as you take care when making turns to avoid contact with the cab of the truck. You can use an offset gooseneck ball to help create better turning clearance.

If you've got a B&W Turnoverball system like the # BWGNRK1313 you can use the 4" Offset Ball for B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Trailer Hitches # BWGNXA4085 to give yourself an extra 4" of clearance from the cab to assist with making tight turns.

There is also a formula you can use to determine what your clearance is going to look like: the distance from the cab to the center of the 5th wheel hitch head or gooseneck ball hole (Y) minus half the width of the trailer (X).

Y - X = Z, the amount of trailer clearance

Ideally this is going to end up as a positive number; a negative number would mean that you won't be able to make a 90 degree turn. If you've got a different gooseneck hitch in your truck, let me know and I can see if there is a different option for an offset gooseneck ball for you to use.

expert reply by: Erik B