I have a new Ram 2017 that I haven’t hooked up yet. Luckily I have a bumper pull, but it’s as big as bumper pulls can get. Wondering if I’ll need a bigger drop hitch!
You may! The new BP trailer turned out to be quite a bit different than the older BP I sometimes haul with. Same model of trailer, but a few years newer. I had to get a mount with an additional inch drop. You’re on the opposite end of that situation, so you may not need to. Worth backing the truck up with your current mount and checking when the trailer’s sitting on level ground.
OP if you have two trailers, neither of which you want to get rid of and neither will work with the truck, maybe the flatbed conversion will be your most versatile and safest option. I’m always a bit wary of staff at dealerships, especially if you’re chatting mechanics of a vehicle with a member of the sales team. I’ve been burned before because of a miscommunication between sales vs service.
Maybe you could chat with a couple different places. A private shop that could do the proper work associated with changing tires, a shop that could do the flatbed conversion, and a shop that could shim the trailers. Check in that any work won’t negate your warranty on your truck, if you have one. Might be worth seeing if there’s a trailer whiz in your area who could come out to you and see the truck and trailers in person. They may be able to make some suggestions or advise you on the suggestions you’ve already received.
This is my only vehicle so it has to be “nice” and useful so I really don’t want to make it a flatbed.
I do have to work in town sometimes 
One other thought… Do you live and tow in a hilly area? We drove our old trailer (2013 Shadow) with our new truck (2016 Chevy) exactly twice because we live in a really hilly area with some local roads that have tight curves too. Even with it riding on an incline… the clearance was maybe 3 inches. When we were going up and down a few little hills and going in and out of two tricky driveways with a little dip and curve at the entrance… we were sweating BULLETS and REALLY worried the gooseneck was going to connect with the sidewalls and damage the truck. Comparing the price of a new 2016 truck vs. the price of a used horse trailer… well, that helped our decision process along.
I recommend blocking existing trailers, or selling and buying new that’s compatible with your truck. It’s NOT fun - you have my sympathy. And I repeat - our experience was that the truck dealership people were not offering us good advice… trailer dealership people around the country are VERY well aware of this dilemma though, and the better source of info on solution options.
1 Like
I’m very interested in this topic! What is considered a “new” truck? Models made after 2010? Anyone know when the truck beds got taller? I’m starting to think about a new to me (used) truck so I can upgrade from bumper pull to GN.
I think the switch in bed heights happened after 2015 or 2016, and was standard across manufacturers - I have a Chevy truck. Trailer manufacturers responded… So goosenecks made in 2016 or 2017 are generally compatible.
FWIW, we also use our truck for a lot of basic household chores. My husband likes the higher bed walls for other issues - particularly when we fill it with 2 yards of mulch for landscaping issues… It’s great for stuff like that. I don’t particularly like the look of the truck - it looks weird to me from the side. I would have been happy with a used beater compatible with the old trailer… husband wanted a new Chevy. It’s white though, and the rear wheel wells and the extra height was super noticeable when we first got it. We got a sprayed undercoating done and it looks a bit better now. We do have OEM tires… If we opted for smaller tires with it, I think it would have looked awful!
The beds have not really got taller. Ford used basically the same metal piece from 1999-2017. This year it did get one inch taller. It’s more about wheels and suspension. You will see a 4" variation in the same model year depending on 2wd vs 4wd and smaller or bigger wheel options. Mostly the bed rails sit higher today because the suspension sits taller to allow for 18 and 20 inch wheels, vs the 16 inch wheels that the same truck would have come with in 1999.
3 Likes
I’m with tangledweb on this one. The 2007 Dodge I bought new was too high for the old Titan gooseneck. My previous truck was a 2002 Dodge and I never had a problem. Second trip out with the new pickup and I smunched the tailgate. :mad: We ended up buying an adapter to raise the trailer. What a pain. Didn’t have that problem with the 2008 Tundra tho, because I bought a new trailer. :winkgrin:
1 Like
Back when I picked up my 2015 GN at the factory, I asked the manufacturer about this, and he said that trailer makers were well aware of the problem and adjusting for it. The business owner told me that, in his opinion, Ram one-tons have the worst issue, especially 4x4s.
My tow vehicle is a Ford; the clearance between my fairly late-model truck and newish trailer seems closer than with previous trucks (all Fords) and other GN trailers I’ve owned, but it works and hasn’t been a problem for me although that might be because my trailer is not old.
I am confused. My 2008 gooseneck has and adjustable coupler. Just adjust the pin and make it longer for a lower truck bed, and make it shorter to fit a taller truck. Are you all saying that the shortest coupler setting is still too long for the tall truck beds? If so, yikes, this is good to know since I’m in the market for a new truck!
Martina, they are saying that the truck bed is so tall, it’s interfering with the GN. (The sides and tailgate of the bed) Raising the GN coupler by itself isn’t necessarily going to work because of it changing the trailer angle too far from level so that may need to be accompanied by raising the trailer bed higher over its axels, too. Ching…ching… ($$$)
1 Like
Ahh, I see, thank you Jim. I needed to visualize it better. Yuck I’m glad I saw this post!
The folks that owned my trailer before me opted to solve this problem by putting 5200lb axles on it. I LOVE IT and so does every horse that rides in it. Yes, the ramp is more like a British/European horse box ramp, but once the humans are used to it, the horses are already old hands at using it. Knock on wood, every horse that has loaded in it once is more than happy to climb back in on subsequent trips.
The only thing I don’t like is hauling it empty, so I try to avoid that as much as possible.
Also, you will want to leave a little folding step stool in your tack/dressing room for ease of getting in and out lol
I had the same problem but I changed the blocks on the rear truck axels. I was able to swap out the rear blocks and lowered it 2 inches which gave me enough room for the trailer. I think its called a lowering link. Mine was a kit that they ordered. My truck is a GMC and most Chevys should be the same. I had a friend who also did the same thing to her Ford. I am not sure if the RAMs can do it. The sad part is, the RAMS have the tallest rear ends.
You can’t even tell the truck has been lowered unless its parked next to an unlowered GMC and you can see the bed is lower. Its actually looks level versus having its bed look uphill.
