I just hooked up my 16 ft stock trailer to my new cummins tonight and i was curious to how much clearance would be necessary between the top on the bed rails and the bottom of the tongue to where i wouldnt have to worry about and big dips in the road, and crushing in my bed rails. I have always driven flat bed truck so i have never had to worry about any of this. I know this seems a little stupid on my part but i was just curious. thanks for the help

 

thats not stupid. I've got a freind with a new 05 and bent his bed with a gooseneck stock trailer, but he was off road. he now has one of those short (6ft) flatbeds on his new 4 door truck it looks retarder to me, but it's not my truck

 

The rule i use is,, 6 in clearance between them,, this is how i have mine setup to haul 5th wheel campers, as i found less than 6 in and you can do damage to both truck and trailer.

 

I would think maybe even more with a GN, as they tend to see more off road type use...

 

Yes prob more is good,, all depends on what type of raods and places you go

 

I'll be hooking on to my flatbed later this week and will measure. It has a good, high neck and I don't have clearance issues in the pastures and low water crossings with it. My stock trailer on the other hand, has some clearance issues. It doesn't have the neck height that my flatbed does and terraces get a little tight sometimes. I've had to back out of a few, like the enterence to Arby's for example! If you can get close to my flatbed's clearance, you will probably be ok. You can jack the coupler up on your gooseneck so that it sets just above level unloaded. That a way, you gain tailgate clearance and then your trailer sets level when loaded, which you want. Welcome to the world of stock beds!

 

I was just guessing there... I rarely pull GN, never have puled a fiver. But I have seen stock trailers pulled through some pretty rough stuff.

 

I have found this much out with older stock trailers like maybe 90s and down they seem to have the worest problems with bed rail clearance dont ask how i know since i have a 1977 steel stock trailer and a bed rail thats custom rolled but my 2000 horse trailer has zero problems and have it in some nasty spots my stock trailers nose is all the way up too so my trailer looks like this / almost lol i need a flat bed to lower every thing back to level

 

I hooked to my flatbed last night to move it back to where it goes and I have 11 inches between the bottom of the neck and the top of my tailgate. I have never had clearance trouble with this trailer. Next, I hooked on to my stock trailer to move it and I had 7 inches between the bottom of the neck and the top of my tailgate. I have had clearance trouble with this trailer. I have sat it down on the tailgate before but haven't damaged anything yet.

So.......I'd want at least 8 inches at a bare minimum. See if you can set it up for 10 or 11 and you won't have to look in your mirrors everytime you cross a mole hole. And again, remember, you can raise the front of the trailer up a little to gain clearance, just make sure that it is brought back to level once you load it. You don't want all your weight on the back axles when loaded. This wears out the brakes on the back wheels and the tread on the front ones.

$.02