My truck has a short bed. I would love a GN but I also know I’d break the window. I was told about gooseneck extenders - they attach to the regular hitch over your axle but extend back a foot or so before hooking to trailer… Has anyone got any experience with them? Safe? Here’s one: http://www.adventurerv.net/gooseneck-extended-coupler-round-extended-sb1-p-14495.html?gclid=CjwKCAjwzqPcBRAnEiwAzKRgS1VDO2RU7xOn4pQPzRuErpSo4SghsKkyeH4hBZlRDKX-a6reBY5byRoCulIQAvD_BwE&utm_campaign=partsfeed_ppc&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=Froogle
unless you have a square nose trailer, crunching your window is a relic of bad driving and it’s entirely possible to have a gn that never contacts your cab. Angled noses give plenty of turn radius before cab contact is a risk.
i should amend. How short is short bed? Some smaller trucks have 5’ boxes and that is definitely too small.
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I’m told that one of the virtues of a gooseneck is putting the weight of the trailer very close to the truck’s rear axle. That makes for a more stable platform. If I am reliably informed then this device would be a bad idea as it doesn’t do that. Maybe one of our engineers has some thoughts on that.
How would this device perform in a mishap?
For a lightweight trailer this might be OK but if you’ve got something heavier then maybe not?
I’d put some thought into it before I spent the money.
G.
I agree with soloudinhere, a tapered nose gooseneck does not require an extender for most short beds. We haul with a GMC short bed (appox 6’8") and a Dodge megacab short bed (6’3") and have no problems with our goosenecks. We have made some really really sharp turns, both forward and reverse, and have never made contact.
If you really feel you need an extender, I would ONLY purchase one from B&W, as their products are made in the USA and engineered out the whazoo. They do not sell made in China crap. http://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/gooseneck-towing
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You’re right about B&W. First class products.
But I’m still wondering what would happen in a mishap with one of these devices, particularly if it’s an angular force, not one straight along the centerline.
G.
Since the weight would be behind the rear axles my question is regarding the front axles since the weight shift would be putting less weight on the steering axle … might be a problem on wet or slick roads
They are rated for weight the same as any other ball. The longer the lever (setback length) the lower the acceptable tongue/trailer weight.
the gooseneck ball in my f250 is actually about 8" forward of the rear axle. I also have a short bed. I would think that in most installations you have a few inches of play to set the ball back 6" without too much trouble.
that said I really don’t think it’s needed and I would try to find a trailer that works with your truck and not the other way around if you already own the truck.
I thought 6 foot was a regular bed and 8 foot a long bed. My extended cab has a 6 foot bed (I think)and is fine with a square nose gooseneck. I think a lot of the half ton crew cabs end up with a 5 foot bed
Trailer with a pointy nose ? Saves money on gas too.
Thanks for the answers on my question… smh. Typical Chronicle discussion. FIrst you insult my unknown driving ability then you don’t answer the question I asked.
“I know I’d break the window” -lorilu
I pointed out that no, you won’t, if you don’t do something incredibly stupid and you choose your trailer correctly. This board is full of people who think you will die if you don’t have a 176" wheelbase diesel dually when the reality most people do not have long beds and do not go around crunching their windows regularly. It’s a COTH fear monger that people like to start for some reason.
a standard HD short bed is either 6’6 or 6’9" which provides plenty of cab clearance and a v nose provides plenty of turn radius. Thus, no, you will probably not find a lot of people using an offset ball because you don’t need one.
as for the driving comment, please reread your first comment. We got that information from you.
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the more important question is two part: Slant or Straight and is it Step-Up or Ramp Load
When we bought our used trailer they had one already installed on it. We haven’t had any issues, but our LQ is about as small as you can get. You’ll find opinions on both sides as to the question of whether it messes with the weight distribution. And I’ve seen two people take out back windows. I’m sure it is a driving issue, but @$(! happens.
I don’t have the one you pictured but I do have the 4’ extender from B&W and I feel like it has saved me a few times. http://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/product/4-extender
I do have the short 6" bed and a more square-nosed trailer and I did bust out my back glass before I got my extender. I looked into the one you pictured but I felt better about the 4’ extra clearance. I talked to a few trailer guys and was told either was ok but I just didn’t like how much farther back the other one set it back. I was told there were both as safe as you could get and that the beauty of the way they are built is that the weight of your trailer is still where is should be over the axle due to the way they are built.
Hope this helps!
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Actually, you got a bunch of pretty good answers. You got enough for you to make an informed decision or, perhaps, some ideas to consider to refine a decision already made. That’s what we do here! 
G.
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You can also find a GN with a shorter nose, that and one that is tapered.
Our friend test pulled our long nose GN with his short bed truck, he made a very sharp turn out of the driveway and while the tongue came very close to crunching the corner of his cab on the back window, it did clear, though I was cringing the whole time.
typical would be step-up or ramp load …then why do you need a ramp?
I’ve seen it happen too. Always when someone was doing s turn at the very limits. The kind of turn where you are either getting your rear window or you are getting your tailgate corners. I know people say goosenecks are easier to back, but you really do have to think about what you’re doing.
That said at least on my ford, despite having the short bed, there is quite a bit of clearance due to the axle placement. Now, my bed rails are too high, but I have towed both older and my newer (shorter nose) GN with it and never risked the window. Sliding the ball rearward may or may not help the issue. It has more to do with the specific trailer that you’re buying.
I have a 9 inch extender for my 5.5 ft bed F150. I have had to turn in some quite tight spots and it gives me a lot more flexibility to do those turns. My own drive isn’t all that roomy and I really appreciate the product. No issues pulling.
but the extender part of the coupler on my trailer. The ball is in the normal place.
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I haul with a 157" wheelbase crew cab with a 6’ 6" bed. When I purchased my 2015 GN stock-combo (at the factory), I asked the manufacturer (the company owner) about whether I needed to purchase one of the extenders for my B&W hitch. Previously, I’d hauled earlier GN trailers with 163" wheelbase supercab trucks with 8’ beds and, many years ago, I saw someone pop out a rear window (not on my truck, however).
He told me that trailer manufacturers (not just his company) had adjusted their designs to accommodate the popular shorter beds of more recent trucks, and that one wouldn’t be necessary. He said they were more concerned with how high the bed rails had gotten nowadays on trucks.
My trailer does have an angled nose that narrows, although it doesn’t come to a point, and I personally wouldn’t want to haul a GN with the even shorter shortbed (for instance, the commonly seen crew cab - at least around here - with the 145" wheelbase and a 5’ 5" bed). I prefer the feel of a longer wheelbase truck, anyway, and didn’t care for the 145" ones I test-drove before buying my present truck – I liked my previous trucks with the longer wheelbase than I currently own, so even a few inches makes a difference in feel, to me.
