Posted 2006-12-18 11:00 PM (#1527) Subject: Older Gooseneck Hitch and new truck
Posts: 7
I know nothing about trailers and trucks.....My sister gave me her older 1995 Sundowner Charter gooseneck 2 horse straight load trailer to take my daughter's horse to shows. I am in the process of buying a truck. I tried out a Dodge Ram 2500 and the bed of the truck was 38 inches off the ground. The trailer empty was at quite an angle- not level. The front of the trailer was 5 inches higher than the back from the ground. Is this workable? Should I look at a different brand of truck and see if it has a lower bed? What could be a problem if it is too much of a slant and not level? How would it affect the trailer, the truck, etc. over the long term. Has anyone else had this problem with a new truck and an old trailer?? Thank you in advance for any info.....
Posted 2006-12-19 7:33 AM (#1528 - in reply to #1527) Subject: RE: Older Gooseneck Hitch and new truck
Posts: 31
Location: Phoenix AZ
I also have a newer truck with a 1995 two horse gooseneck. Keeping in mind that there are many folks on this website that know a lot more about this subject than me, I will tell you what I think I've figured out. The newer trucks seem to be built a little higher, especially if they are four wheel drive. The older goosenecks have a frame under the sleeping area on the outside. When hitched to a newer truck there is very little clearance between the frame under the trailer gooseneck and the top of the side walls of the truck bed. I'm guessing that the traier has a sort of squared off nose as well. If you have a short bed truck, the nose of the trailer will be extremely close the the rear cab window on tight turns. I have heard of folks breaking their windows if they are not paying attention. I believe the newer trailers have been redesigned so the under frame is no longer an issue. Also, the tapered nose on some newer trailers help with the cab clearance issue with the short bed. The trailer that I have has been lifted...similar to what they do to 4x4 trucks. This causes the horses to have to step up about four inches higher but shouldn't be a problem once they get used to it. I believe you can add a ramp if you feel it would be easier for them. I also bought a gooseneck hitch extender from "Pop Up Hithches". This attaches permanently to the gooseneck and pushes the whole trailer back nine inches. Now I can make a ninety degree turn without worrying about damaging my truck cab window. You probably can have your trailer lifted at a trailer repair shop. Or maybe at a place that adds lift kits to trucks. Good luck.
Posted 2006-12-19 8:12 AM (#1529 - in reply to #1527) Subject: RE: Older Gooseneck Hitch and new truck
Posts: 23
Location: Albuquerque, NM
I replaced my 97 F250 with a 05 F350 and kept my 1976 Tru Trail 2H GN (weird decision on that change but another story). When I asked my trailer shop about the steeper angle that I saw, they attributed to the automakers race to build bigger trucks after Dodge started it a few years ago. They said they now lift all of their trailers on their own if the manufacturer doesn't do it first and said they could add some blocks to mine if I wanted. Alternatively, one shop even said they could take out some of the factory lift in my truck. Although I passed on the idea for now, I will probably look at it later.
Talk to your local trailer shop and see if they can lift the trailer or lower the truck.
Posted 2006-12-19 8:21 AM (#1530 - in reply to #1527) Subject: RE: Older Gooseneck Hitch and new truck
Posts: 216
Location: Northern IN.
There have been lots of discussions about this topic. You'll probabaly find lots of reading if ya try a search about this. I've never owned a Dodge, but it seems like I remember reading something about being able to take some spacer blocks out of under the rear leaf-springs and reinstalling on top of the springs will gain ya 1 1/2- 2 inches. (bringing the truck down). Does the trailer have an adjustable hitch, up and down wise? To answer your question, yes, 5 inches of difference is quite a bit, you'll surely be putting more weight on the rear axle than the front, and that's not good for axles, bearings, tires, etc. Some folks put a lift kit on their trlrs., some change to a flat bed truck, some ignore the frequent ~~CRUNCH~~ noise that they hear coming from somewhere behind the cab of the truck when they wheel into the fuel shop. Yet some others try to gain height with bigger tires (which often leads to other problems). Like I said, try a search and read some of the experiences that others have gone through and see if something in there may help ya decide what will be the right thing to do in your particular case, good luck and I'll talk to y'all later...
Posted 2006-12-19 1:21 PM (#1531 - in reply to #1527) Subject: RE: Older Gooseneck Hitch and new truck
Posts: 1701
Location: New Mexico
How long is the trailer? 5inches on a 30ft trailer is a lot different than on a 10 foot one.
The truck will squat some when the trailer is hooked up, more when the horse is added. If you can, take the truck to your place, pad the bed (cardboard, blanket, towel)so you don't scratch it and lower the trailer on to it to check for truck squat/trailer level.
You also need to measure the bed rails on the new truck. One of the biggest problems I've seen and heard of is that the bed rails are higher on the newer trucks and the gooseneck hitch doesn't extend up high enough and you crunch your tailgate or sides of the bed if you hit a bump. Measure from the inside bottom of the bed to the top of the tailgate/bed and then measure your trailer hitch. The hitch will adjust up and down so you can work on leveling it out, but you will need 6 to 8 inches extra to keep from crunching your truck over bumps in the road. Like RR tracks, speed bumps and such.
When I bought my current truck, the dealer had two trucks on the lot that had goosneck dents in the tailgate. I bought an 02 Dodge with the old body style so I didn't have to worry about clearance on my bed.
Older Gooseneck Hitch and new truck
