How to Tow Gooseneck Hitch with 2019 Ford F-150 with 5-1/2 Foot Bed

Question:

hitch for a goose neck living horse trailer I just bought a F150 XLT sports package truck with a 5-1/2 ft bed. What hitch will I use and will we have enough clearance?

asked by: KRISTY K

Expert Reply:

For your 2019 Ford F-150 with the 5-1/2 foot bed the B&W Turnoverball Gooseneck Hitch # BW77FR you were looking at will work perfectly and would be my recommendation. The assembly includes custom mounting brackets that use existing holes in the truck's frame rails so you don't have to drill into them during installation. It features a 30,000 pound towing weight capacity and is made right here in the USA.

Now with a 5-1/2 foot bed you aren't going to have the needed cab clearance during sharp turns without the addition of a separate component or two.

For a simple solution that will give you a few extra inches of clearance we have the B&W Offset Ball # BWGNXA4085. This simply takes the place of the ball included with the Turnoverball system to provide 4" of additional space between the cab and trailer.

If that's not enough we also have the B&W Extend-A-Goose Gooseneck Coupler # BWTEXA4200. As long as you have a standard 4" diameter outer tube on your trailer, this will attach right to it and features a 10" offset design to push the trailer further away from the truck.

I have attached a couple short video demonstrations on these parts that you can check out as well.

If you aren't sure which item you will need to provide sufficient cab clearance (or if either item will be enough), I have also copied a handy formula below that you can use to determine this. The formula is as follows:

(A + B) - C = Clearance

A = Distance from center of hitch ball to truck cab (on the Turnoverball for your truck the ball will be 42-5/8" from the rear - so you can use this measurement to see where the ball will be in relation to the cab)
B = Amount of offset (4" for the Offset Ball or 10" for the Extend-A-Goose Coupler)
C = Width of trailer divided by 2 (to get half)

In order to make a 90 degree turn without any cab interference your clearance number needs to be at least 4.