First let me say hello, great site.

I am in the process of deciding on a new race car trailer and I would like to get a 38ft gooseneck. Now, this was not my intention when I bought the truck last year. 2008 CC SB 2500 4wd Dmax

So my question is, has anyone here run an enclosed goose neck on a short box, If so how bad is it. Obviously your not gonna pull off any 90* turns, but how many issues have you run into.

Do the offset hitches work? Should I look into a custom upper deck, maybe clip the corners? It'll be a custom trailer, so I may be able to have some of this stuff built in..

But I would like to hear back from guys that have personal expirience, not a guy that sells trailersor trailer accessories...


Thanks guys!

Even if you clip the corners, you may unknowingly turn too tight an smack your cab. The racecar trailer my neighbor has uses a fifth wheel hitch an he has a slider in his truck like what you would use to tow a 5er with. if you dont want to go that route im there are others who tow with a short bed gooseneck alot that would know more that me. i have seen a gooseneck dolly on a truck once dunno anything about them but that may be another option to explore.

Our old stock trailer (not the V neck pictured in my garage) is fully enclosed. I have my gooseneck hitch 1.5" ahead of the axle on my truck which is a SB, and I have no issues, I can turn a full 90, maybe even a little better. Its not like your going to be making 90 turns often anyway, these trucks don't really turn well enough to get yourself in much trouble.

Thanks for the input guys, I am trying to decide how well it will or wont work.

I wouldn't expect for it to go 90*, and I am okay with that. i am thinking that with any GN you could easily crush the cab if you weren't careful. 8 foot bed or not.
My thought is that the trailer is 8.5ft wide (divide by 2 is 4.25 feet from the center of the ball to the outside of the trailer), and only having 3-3.5 to work with between the ball and the cab means that I would have nearly a foot of interference, and that wouldn't be at 90*.

Like I mentioned, it will be a custom trailer so it will be something that I'll cover with the trailer maker and see what they say.

If your having the trailer built, a V neck is always a better way to go if that fits your plans. They pull much easier and you will get better mileage when pulling. Plus they do not have the turning/clearance issues. Again if it fits your plans to do so...

I hauled a 44' enclosed GN with my CCSB for about 70K miles. I do have two small dents in my cab to prove it, but those were my fault and not bad for that much hauling.

Stay out of tight spots and buy one of these and you will be fine. http://www.popuphitch.com/sb1coupl.htm

One of the guys I go 4-wheeling with pulls a GN with his short box. It had always been tight between his back window and the trailer corner. One day while backing into his driveway he backed over a decent sized stick and it was enough to break his back window.

Just because he clears on flat, perfect ground, doesn't mean it will always clear. Keep that in mind.

Custom this. . . offset that. . . I only have this. . . but I really want that. . . it's ok if it doesn't work right. . . nothing works right anyway. . . whatever. :rolleyes:

If you can't back a new truck under a new trailer, hook it up, load it up and go down the road without an issue, than something is WRONG.

Why would you invest a bunch of money into a truck / trailer combo and then settle for the fact that it doesn't work right? You obviously know that there will likely be issues. Don't waste your money trying to re-invent this stuff. :shake: