Methods for Gaining Extra Clearance Between Gooseneck Hitch and Trailer

Published 01/09/2015

Products Featured in This Question

Ranch Hitch Universal 5th-Wheel-to-Gooseneck Coupler Adapter

(216)

$599.98

4" Offset Ball for B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Trailer Hitches

(325)

$165.00

B&W Extend-A-Goose Gooseneck Coupler - 2-5/16" Ball - 10" Offset - 24,000 lbs

(168)

$399.00

Question:

Ford F350 2005 Super Duty. Bed is 10foot long x 8foot wide. With Trailer hooked up, have 11 1/2inch clearance. From center of ball to rear corner there is 69 1/2. Bed corner hits center of gooseneck stand when turning. How much should I cut corners off on bed of truck, so I will have clearance?

asked by: Gloria L

Expert Reply:

Thank you for providing a photo of your Ford F-350 Super Duty dually flat bed that you are using to pull your gooseneck trailer.

I understand you are looking for ways to increase your turning clearance between the corners of the truck bed and the gooseneck coupler. Modifying your truck bed by cutting off the rear corners is certainly one solution, however we may be able to offer you a simpler solution that will not require you to alter the truck.

B&W makes an Extend-A-Goose Gooseneck Coupler # BWTEXA4200 that will fit into a gooseneck trailer's 4-inch diameter outer coupler tube; it replaces the coupler's inner tube. This item has a 10-inch offset that will instantly give you that much additional turning clearance. If you happen to be using a B&W brand gooseneck hitch (with a square shank for the hitch ball) then you could use, in addition to the Extend-A-Goose, a B&W ball with 4-inches of offset, such as part # BWGNXA4085. Together these two parts will give you 14-inches of additional turning clearance without changing the truck bed at all.

If you don't have a B&W hitch and need more than the 10-inches of clearance provided by the Extend-A-Goose, then you can measure to determine how much material needs to be removed from the rear corners of the truck bed.

Place one end of a piece of string or similar material at the center of the trailer coupler where the ball would fit. Then rotate the other end of the string sideways in an arc until you come to the nearest part of the trailer. To this figure I suggest you add 5-inches as a safety margin. Let's just say your measurement is 50-inches, making your total 55-inches. Now take a 55-inch long string and place one end at the center of the hitch ball in the truck. Again, swing that string sideways in an arc around the rear of the truck bed. You will need to remove enough material from the bed corners to allow this 55-inch string to clear them.

For reference I have linked you to two videos that illustrate these B&W components.