jhodge

I have read a ton of info on this site about short beds and 5vers, what about short beds and gooseneck? I have a short bed and I am going to buy a enclosed car hauler for a cross country move and I am thinking gooseneck. I will probably by the B&amp;W turnover ball, if any have this set up and would like to throw in some input please do so. I saw that they make a 5ver plate for the B&amp;W turnover is this a slider or do they make one that is a slider?<br>

Srigs

No sliders for a normal gooseneck hitch. You will neet to move the gooseneck dead over the diff / axle to get enough room and would suggest a tappered nose.<br><br>You can turn without smashing the back window out so just check the turning capability before going out on the long hall.<br><br>Thats why I got the long bed...<br><br>Pics of my rig!

pappyman

With an enclosed car hauler you'll have the same troubles as a 5th wheel as far as clearance go and will not be able to use a slider with a gooseneck....your best option would be a enclosed gooseneck with an extended hitch...that way the trailer box sits back farther from the gooseneck hitch or a gooseneck that doesn't have a full overhang....that way you'll have cab clearance when turning tight.<br><br>I have a full size overhang on my enclosed gooseneck with my long bed truck and can 90* the trailer without hitting the cab but I only clear my headache rack by 6&quot; in a 90* with a 102 wide trailer...see photo

pappyman

Found this about Turning Radius Diagrams with a short bed truck and a 96' wide trailer

http://www.phantomcycle.com/turning.html

P Kennedy

Pappyman ship this diagram up one thread so the RV boys can catch on to it as well. I have tried to explain this before but a picture is worth a thousand words. Not all 5th wheel trailers have the same amount of body built over the kingpin therefore certain units will not be affected or need slider hitches. It is up to the purchaser to measure the outside radius clearance to prevent cab/trailer contact and the diagram shows how to do it for any trailer at any pin setting.PK

Haulin_in_Dixie

[quote author=jhodge link=board=11;threadid=13322;start=0#125366 date=1049767613]<br>I have read a ton of info on this site about short beds and 5vers, what about short beds and gooseneck? I have a short bed and I am going to buy a enclosed car hauler for a cross country move and I am thinking gooseneck. I will probably by the B&amp;W turnover ball, if any have this set up and would like to throw in some input please do so. I saw that they make a 5ver plate for the B&amp;W turnover is this a slider or do they make one that is a slider?<br><br>[/quote]<br><br>About the only way that you can make it work is to convert the goose neck to a fifth wheel which usually is a simple matter and then use a sliding hitch. Most goose neck trailers have a zero king pin setting which just means that the hitch is all the way to the front of the trailer. A big truck generally uses a 36&quot; king pin setting and requires 5 1/2 foot to swing between the fifth wheel and the back of the cab. In a perfect world a zero king pin setting as most trailers for your use have just need half of the width or four feet (48&quot for a 96&quot;a trailer. The rule of the thumb is that you need a minimum of 51&quot; from the back of the cab to the hitch ball or pivot point of the fifth wheel. With a short bed this is impossible with out a sliding hitch. The pivot point needs to be in front of the axle, mine is 4&quot;. With a closed trailer as you suggest the only way that I see that you can do it is to change the gooseneck post on the trailer for a fifth wheel post and use a sliding fifth wheel. Just for the record my trailer side is about 2 to 3&quot; from the window in a 90 degree turn. I do it all the time but it is close.

jhodge

Thanks for all the input guys. I will probably just go with an inclosed tag for the trip. The answer was not what I wanted to hear but it is what I expected.<br><br>Haulin in dixie..was you up here in Indiana picking up a used thermwood router? My bud sold his machine and by the rig he explained to me it sounded like you.

Haulin_in_Dixie

Well I doubt that it was me, but..... I was in Indiana a couple of weeks ago. I dropped a van at Louisville and then two in St. Louis, so crossed the southern end of Indiana. That was a bad trip where I had a fan bearing going out and Cummins said that it was in the gear case :'( Very tense trip until I went to Branson Mo where my son lives and removed the belt and the noise stopped. Expensive little bearing, 104.00 plus tax. An hour or so to put it on. Also lost a trailer tire and had one go soft on me. Are we having fun yet <br><br>My truck is easy to spot, no pu bed and a big green tool box behind the cab. Also have a 96&quot; cb whip with a flag on it. Can't miss the mess...<br><br>Next load after that the pilot bearing froze and I had to change all that out. Nice having the SBC and six speed now though.

jhodge

there is yet someone else out there with a dodge and a huge goose haulin for cash.. ;D.<br><br>one last question and I will let it die. If I find a used enclosed goose can I convert the trailer to a 5th wheel? Is this possible and if so is it econamical/smart? I found a large pace shadow. They make this trailer in goose or 5th from the factory but can it easily be converted after the fact? Maybe with an extended pin box.

pappyman

You can convert a gooseneck to a 5er style hitch by changing to a adapter tube 5th wheel pin....but becarefull with pace trailers they use odd size hitch tubes<br>A standard tube size is 4&quot;-4 1/2&quot; but if its like my Pace enclosed I have a 3 1/2&quot; tube and no one makes an adapter for 3 1/2&quot; 5th adapter.....heres a link for adapters<br><br>http://store.yahoo.com/hitches4less/kingoostrail.html

erics76

I've got a shortbed and toolbox, and have no problems with a gooseneck. No, you can't back it to 90 degrees like with a longbed, but it's never caused me any problems. Just watch when you're backing and you'll be fine.

owtlaw

I also have a GN with a short bed and have no problems. It is not a good idea to jack knife them to 90* anyway it is hard on the axles.<br><br>Jason

jhodge

pappyman thanks for the link.<br><br>eric and outlaw do you guys pull a tapered nose goose or a enclosed goose neck? I would be buying a enclosed and would not want to sacrafice the back of my cab because I was tired and pulled into a fuel station not paying attention to the trailer.

Haulin_in_Dixie

[quote author=owtlaw link=board=11;threadid=13322;start=0#127099 date=1050097829]<br>I also have a GN with a short bed and have no problems. It is not a good idea to jack knife them to 90* anyway it is hard on the axles.<br><br>Jason<br>[/quote]<br><br>Yeah but try manuvering in tight little parking lots with a 53' trailer with cars hanging up to 3' off each end. You do a lot of piviting around. The trailer takes it and when it does not, the welder comes out. I have not seen it hurt the axles, but the trailer frame takes a beating, just part of the job. About once a year I have to take care of the frame cracks.

erics76

I've pulled them both, and with the enclosed one, you have to be a little more careful. There are so many different kinds of trailers, it really depends on the trailer. I've seen some guys that will draw where the ball would go in the bed, then back up to the trailer they wanted, and see how much angle it would allow.