I have a 2013 2H Adam gooseneck straight load trailer that I bought new off the dealer lot in 2014. It’s a great trailer; it’s well made and pulls well. The problem is that my truck needs to be replaced and the newer trucks have a higher bed and tailgate, leaving almost no clearance between the gooseneck and the truck. Those who have driven this setup know that this is a tailgate crunch waiting to happen. I spoke to Adam trailers and they say the the newer ones have more clearance, but that does not help me much. The two options are to 1) buy a truck with a flatbed (which I don’t want as a daily driver) or 2) get the lift kit for the trailer which takes it up 3” which is still not really enough to feel comfortable that there will not be multiple issues plus it will make the already steep loading ramp even steeper. I could put on an inexpensive yoke tailgate but you lose the backup camera and will certainly nick the bed rails if you are turning and going up or down a hill. What to do???
Trade trailer?
In our stock trailers, we can modify the gooseneck to sit higher.
Looking at pictures of your type of trailers, that would not be easy.
You might be able to arrange to lower the truck a bit, depending on what tires and suspension it has. That plus raising the trailer might do it.
But really… go for the flatbed. You can still get one with a single rear wheel truck if that’s the concern. No more problems with gooseneck trailers, ever. There are beds with short removable sides so you will still have a bed to put stuff in. Everyone will be envious.
Why do you not want a flatbed as your daily driver? I agree with @wsmoak that it will solve all problems, current and future, with GN trailers.
My LQ trailer is raised and I have a flatbed. I have never regretted the flatbed!
I love my flatdeck 1 ton Dodge truck, had it since new in 1997, and have used it as a daily driver. So much a better plan than a box in many ways. The new trailer I just bought last year was sold by the previous owner because they just bought this ridiculous new truck which they paid a whack of money for, to haul the hubby’s ATV around, and it was too tall in the pick up box to fit under this trailer. So I got a “smokin’ deal” on the horse trailer. Buy the flatdeck truck. If you are buying a new truck, you can simply buy the “cab and chassis” and have a handy local welder build you a flatdeck, which reduces the cost substantially of the vehicle. The box on a pick up truck is an expensive option (which usually just gets dented and scraped). When I bought my truck as a cab and chassis in 1997, the box would have been another $10,000 (it’s probably way more now). The flatdeck that we had made cost $2500. I still get many truck lovers who DROOL over my old truck.
PS. We designed the deck with a recessed fifth wheel hitch (my trailer hitch came off a BIG truck, a semi actually, it’s OLD and indestructible). A mechanic once told me that if I drove the truck and trailer off the side of a cliff, we would hit and bounce a few times on the way down, and land upside down at the bottom of the cliff, but the trailer would still be hitched to the truck… “Truck lovers” also drool over my hitch. So the deck is “horse shoe” shaped, with a filler piece that slips in from the back if I want to haul stuff and need to cover the hitch, making a continuous deck surface. When I need to hitch up the trailer, I simply slide the cover off to expose the fifth wheel hitch.
We already own a big International flatbed truck that we use to move manure up to our composting area. How fun would that be to use it to tow clients horses to a fancy H/J or dressage show?? We would certainly turn a few heads and scrunch a few noses. That would would be hilarious! 
Another saying “Get the flatbed!” Only city folks look down on trucks with flatbeds! Probably because they never used one to appreciate the benefits of having it! Adding small sides would make it more like a box to keep things contained in the back. But no sides works very well for us, we liked it so much we are on our second flatbed truck!
No worries of ever crushing the tailgate or side when using a trailer. Our hitch also goes down into the bed to leave it flat for hauling other things like logs or the bundles of boards the logs got turned into. Holds a LOT of small bales without having to work around the truck bed walls on the bottom layer. Painted black, never gets scratches or dents like sheet metal of a bed when used like a truck. We appreciate the versitilty of the flatbed almost daily.
Not sure who are the consumers that want the new TALL truck beds. Harder to get into, don’t fit older trailers of any kind. Even tall folks have to get everything out over the tailgate, no reaching over the sides. Much too hard to use in our daily life. Heck, the new Ford Rangers are as big and taller than my first truck that was a F-150!! I could barely see over the bed sides of my friend’s new Ranger and I am not short!! I can’t see or reach over the bed sides on the newest 2-wheel drive F-150 now.
Just went through the same dilemma. I ended up selling my 23 y/o Sundowner gooseneck and bought a new bumper pull to go behind the new Tundra (a replacement for the 25 y/o F-350)
A word of caution on the flatbed on a new truck; many of the new trucks have parts integrated in the pick up bed. The back up camera’s, turn signals, blind side sensors, etc. Our initial plan was to do the flat bed thing but the composite bed on the Tundra with all the integrated sensors made that plan not work.
It baffles me that the truck manufacturers have completely missed the market on farm trucks and horse haulers. They seem only interested in the city dweller types who like to drive a truck because it “looks cool” but they rarely actually use them to haul anything!
If you buy a cab and chassis, there is no worry about anything integrated into the truck bed.
I picked my flatbed out, and the dealer sent the truck out to have the bed installed.
Another benefit to a flatbed is it has a larger fuel tank. My 2016 RAM 3500 has a 52 gallon tank, as opposed to a truck with a regular bed having a 32 gallon tank. I love that fact that means a much longer run time, with less fuel stops!
I would love a flatbed but my trailer fits with enough clearance over the tailgate and box so no flatbed. It would be so much easier to hook up without having to climb over the side of the bed to attach the chains. And turn radius? Fuggedaboudit!
Thanks for all of the replies! There sure are a lot of flatbed enthusiasts out there! I do see why, but I use my bed to haul loose things like fuel cans, recycling cans, tools etc that do a lot better contained in the box. I ended up with a 2015 F350 diesel that had really low miles on it and I will need to get my trailer lifted to accommodate the additional height of the truck.
Several years ago I witnessed someone hooking up their new gooseneck behind a beautiful
Ford and nearly rip off their tailgate. They were new to the gooseneck concept and I’d never seen
a hookup happening and by the time my brain processed to scream out…it was too late.
I wasn’t helping her hook up nor had she asked just standing there watching.
