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  Discussion on Mimium truck bed size for goosenecks?
Author Message
Member:
Chip

Posted on Thursday, Apr 10, 2003 - 5:53 pm:

Hi,

In shopping for a truck for a gooseneck trailer, I have been advised to get an 8’ bed. I was told this was to prevent the truck cab from ‘kissing’ the trailer in a tight turn situation. Do those of you w/ gooseneck trailers all have 8’ beds. I test DrOve that truck and it’s a pretty big beasty (coming from someone who has never owned more than a sub-compact car!).

Also, I saw a third-party type hitch for the trailer (I think) that (according to the ad) enabled you to use a shorter bed w/ a gooseneck. I’m not sure if it is a “just barely get by” type of thing or if that hitch extension really enables you to use a 6’ bed truck and a gooseneck safely.

Thanks for your help.
Mary S.
Member:
Kari

Posted on Thursday, Apr 10, 2003 - 6:35 pm:

My present truck has a six foot bed and I have a three horse slant load gooseneck trailer. Before I had a eight foot bed and had to get used to having the nose of the trailer so close to my back window. That said, I got used to the closeness and really feel that the trailer handles better in the six foot bed as opposed to the eight foot one. I never experienced any problems with the nose touching the cab.
Member:
Tagloili

Posted on Thursday, Apr 10, 2003 - 7:30 pm:

We have always had six foot beds and have had no problems. One note that may be of interest, we use a Easy Hitch to save wear and tear on the truck and a much more comfortable ride for the horses. A bit expensive but well worth the money.
Member:
Norto

Posted on Thursday, Apr 10, 2003 - 8:53 pm:

I thought if you had the gooseneck with sleeping quarters up in the gooseneck part you had to have the longer bed.
Member:
Tagloili

Posted on Thursday, Apr 10, 2003 - 9:52 pm:

No, all of my four horse slant goseneck trailers also have sleeping quarters. Sleeping quarters really make no difference front of trailer is still over the ball. No matter the size of the truck bed, if you jack knife the trailer, it is gonna make contact with the side of the truck.
New Member:
Janfair

Posted on Friday, Apr 11, 2003 - 7:48 am:

Hi Mary,
I have a 16.3 hannovarian who's very large boned and long and needed a bigger trailer. I bougt a 2 horse slant load gooseneck from Sidekick and am very pleased with it. The horse fits comfortably and we've trailered 2 hannovarians easily with a new 2500 truck, short bed, and had no problems. I had the trailer made 7'6" wide instead of the normal 7'(the stall areas are 45"wide), and the height is 7'. I had to give up a little space in the dressing area to do this but that's no problem because I didn't plan to sleep in it overnight and it was well worth the added length for the horses. I've been very pleased with the service from Sidekick and have received many compliments/inquiries on the trailer. They have a manufacturing plant near here (NW FL) but I know they're sold in many other areas. I'm sure there are many other manufacturers that have excellent products, but I would rec ordering/finding one that's extra wide/tall for your horse's comfort.
Member:
Norto

Posted on Friday, Apr 11, 2003 - 9:56 am:

This has opened up new avenues for me. We have 2 trucks now, my husbands 4 door 150 Ford (which I tow my bumper pull with) it has a short bed and is so much more comfortable than my 250 extended cab Ford with the longer bed. By comfort I mean in the back seat. My best friend drives an identical truck to mine but with the long wheel base and 4 doors. Mine is the mid length wheel base, and do we ever have a lot more trouble turning hers than mine up in the mountains. We have even had to disconnect and pull the trailer around with chains to turn it in some places. I can't believe those couple of inches make so much difference and since I drive mine for everyday stuff I decided I would never have the long wheel base, just way too much trouble to park. BUT when we are carrying 4 people the people sure are happier when we tow the gooseneck with her 4 door. So, it's always a trade off.
Member:
Jcsmoon

Posted on Monday, Apr 14, 2003 - 9:54 am:

I have towed goosenecks with almost every truck configuration and there really is no diffrence. Each truck will have it's own unique turning so you just go slow and watch yourself untill you get the feel for what you have going on behind you. Right now I have the most constricted of setups: Full size four-door ford with short bed. Even with this I can still out manuver a comparable bumper pull. The things to really get twisted up about is:
A) Is the truck heavy enough for the trailer, not all 1/2 tons can cut the mustard, depending on your trailer weight.
B) Do you have enough clearance between the top of the bed and the bottom of the goose. This is where most people will munch the truck. When you take a goose neck off the pavement or twist and go down a slope you can crease the top of your bed if you are not carefull. This is more of a problem with newer trucks cuz they are so stinkin' tall from factory. I had to buy a 97' ford cuz the brand new ones would not even fit under my gooseneck.

Good luck, I think you will really like the GN, they are a really stable pull.
-Emily
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