Towing Question - Truck Tailgate Interference

[wdw0528]

A close friend/traveling couple just bought a travel trailer (not an Oliver) and they were surprised to learn that they could not open the tailgate of their truck while it was hooked up because the front jack apparatus was in the way.... they had to unhook in order to get into the bed of their truck which can be very inconvenient! I am hopeful that I will not experience that when I pick up our Oliver? We will be towing with an F250....will I have an issue there? Are any of you that tow with a pick up truck having that issue? If so, are there adjustments that can be made in the way you set it up that will overcome the problem?

[hellsbay988]

I have had two Oliver’s and never had that problem. I am pretty sure no one on this forum has had that problem.

[topgun2]

In certain situations the handle on the tailgate of my 2017 F-150 will touch the top of the "release" for the bulldog hitch.  In turn, this will leave a mark on that handle - so - I glued a piece of foam on the top of the release.  But, as Mr. hbay says - no real problems in opening the tailgate.  However, I do not have the front basket and therefore am not sure if that just might get in the way, but, I doubt it.

 

Bill

[wdw0528]

Thanks - after going to take a look at my friend's set up I know the Oliver is very different from his. We are getting the storage basket but still don't "think" it will interfere with the tailgate operation.

[John E Davies]

With the cargo basket, you may possibly have some interference if the trailer is at a severe angle to the truck, if it is straight, no problem.

 

Your HD truck is tall enough to clear the Bulldog coupler. My Ram 3500 had many inches of clearance, my Land Cruiser 200, not so good. The latch on the tailgate would hit the top of the coupler. I added larger LT rated tires (33 inches, 2 inches larger) to the Cruiser, which raised the ball over an inch, which allowed me to adjust the height of my Anderson hitch down one hole. Land Cruiser:

 

 

You do not need the Anderson hitch. A standard (dead weight) ball mount extends about six inches out from the receiver, you can order a longer one that measures nine inches if you feel you need more room. The longer mount does make it a little easier to maneuver while backing, the risk of bumper or tray damage due to colliding with  the tray is reduced a little. Normally you want to keep the ball as close to the axle as possible, but with your stiff truck you will never feel any difference.

 

Here is the Ram setup with a nine inch (extended) bar.... you can see how much room there is:

 

 

 

If you don’t need the tray, don’t buy it, and you will have tons of clearance. I think the tray looks cool as heck, and I use it for lots of stuff, but not for a generator. That is a horrible place to locate an expensive piece of power equipment. IMHO.

 

John Davies

 

Spokane WA

[ScottyGS]

You might have an issue.  I have a 2016 F-150 and the Anderson hitch.  Had to adjust the hitch to its highest level to get the trailer and truck combo to be level.  The tailgate does hit the top of the hitch latch.  I get around this by draping a towel over the bulldog hitch and can open the tailgate that way. Still have restricted access because we also have a cargo glide.  But  I can get to most of what we have stored in the bed.  Still, you have to pay attention to it.

 

On getting the Anderson hitch....   Check all the small print on your 250's owner manual.  On most half ton pick ups the small print will advise that the towing weight limit is HALF the stated capacity IF you are not using a weight distributing hitch.  I don't know if that will be different for you but it's worth checking.  Will the Oliver tow just fine without a WD hitch?  Yep, it will.  BUT... who wants to open that liability door.

 

Here is an interesting article on the topic.

 

https://www.totallandscapecare.com/green-industry-news/how-to-tow-trailers-equipment-properly-to-avoid-costly-lawsuits/

 

Best of Luck.... Let us know how things go when you pick up.

 

Scotty

 

 

 

 

[mountainoliver]

I tow with a 2017 Tundra 4 x 4 and the tailgate does hit the hitch latch. Even with padding I can’t really access the truck bed. If I climbed onto the tailgate the padded latch would still dent it.

[Mainiac]

We tow with a Ram 2500 4 x 4 and don't come anywhere close to anything. The biggest problem with most any trailer is the front jack. That is not a problem with the standard tounge on the Oliver as it is back far enough...

[Maverick]

Our tow vehicle is a 2016 Toyota Tundra 4 x 4 and the tailgate does NOT hit the hitch latch; we have apx 2 inches of clearance.  We use an Anderson Weight Distribution Hitch set at it's lowest setting to have the trailer and truck to ride level.

 

 

[wdw0528]

Still have restricted access because we also have a cargo glide.

Thanks Scotty....I'll report how things work for me.

 

I have been looking into different storage options for the truck bed....camper shell, tonneau cover, cargo slide. You're the first (and only) person I know that uses the cargo slide so I'm curious if you like it and would recommend it. Do you also use a cover of some sort?

[KarenLukens]

I do have to watch out for the basket as it is lined up with the bumper and I do make some tight turns at times that makes me wish that the basket wasn't there. But you can watch the trailer and the basket through the trucks back up camera. If I had it to do over, I would buy a trailer tongue box like Mike's. I would not buy the basket now that it has made backing in without full range an issue but... I have it and it does hold enough to still make it really useful, so I watch it in the camera and take it to the edge too often :)

 

Reed

[KarenLukens]

ScottyGS wrote:

Still have restricted access because we also have a cargo glide.

Thanks Scotty….I’ll report how things work for me. I have been looking into different storage options for the truck bed….camper shell, tonneau cover, cargo slide. You’re the first (and only) person I know that uses the cargo slide so I’m curious if you like it and would recommend it. Do you also use a cover of some sort?

 

We have the tonneau cover and just for reference, all tonneau covers do leak a little water, so keeping it dry in there if you live in a wet area is more difficult then with a shell. I've had shells for years and we bought a good tonneau cover that keeps most of the water out but still, not all, especially when it's really dumping. With the shell, you can raise the door and stand under it and stay dry. With the tonneau, you slide it open or raise it up and the water can get in. It's just something to think about.

 

Reed

[ScottyGS]

Darrell & Kathy,

 

Sorry for not replying sooner but wanted to take a few pictures....

 

We have a full cab with the short bed in our F-150. To that we added the GL-1000 cargo glide and an ARE cap.  When unhitched the cargo glide extends enough to allow me to reach back to things that are loaded in the nose.  We use totes to store and organize the stuff we store in the bed.  It really saves the knees.  You will loose some storage area on the sides and nose but imho... totally worth it.  The CG ran about $1k and we debated spending that money... but now am very glad we did.

 

Second part of our storage system was just put in for a recent two week trip.  It's a bit rough still but we added some 1 x 3's and peg board to create a shelf above what is stored on the glide.  This gives us an area to store the Clam screen room, chairs, golf clubs, and other bulky stuff.  We can slide the cargo glide out without that stuff being disturbed.  In the past we would just pile it on top of the totes but then it has to be moved around to get into the totes, and that got to be a pain pretty quickly.

 

We are still refining the shelf area.  We want to get some "thinner" boards and add another sheet of peg board.  That way it will still be easily removable but still functional.  Any ideas that anyone has regarding this would be much appreciated.

 

Not much to say about the ARE cap except that it works well.  Keeps things dry and has a light built in to make dealing with things at night easy.  Also gives some security by being lockable but a determined thief will always find a way in.

 

Finally back to the hitch hitting the gate issue.  There is a few inches of space between the ball and gate when unhitched.  See pics.  But when hitched the top of the gate does hit. I could remedy the situation by getting air cans on the rear shocks of the truck but wonder if that is really worth it.  The truck / trailer combo rides pretty level now and I can still get what I need while hitched up.  We usually keep a Yeti cooler tail loaded and have easy access to that as well as the portable compressor and some tools.  If i need more access I use a towel over the hitch and can get the glide out about half way.

 

Final Tip!   Put a small plastic bag ( we use Pipers poop bags ) over your hitch ball when not hooked up and secure with a rubber band. This will prevent all those nasty grease stains on your jeans and shorts.  It only took me a year to figure this out..  :-)

 

So that's it... If you have any other questions please let me know.  And, if you have suggestions on the shelf, I would love to hear them.

 

Best of Luck everyone,

 

Scotty

 

 

 

 

 

 

[topgun2]

Scotty -

 

You might want to try one of these if you get tired of the plastic bag and rubber band deal.

 

https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Hitch-42251-Trailer-Cover/dp/B000CO61X4/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1511975087&sr=8-6&keywords=hitch+ball+cover

 

Bill

[ScottyGS]

Bill,

 

Thanks but you obviously have more confidence in MY ability NOT to loose stuff than I do.  :-)

 

Thanks again for the tip about I-40.  No issues but I was extra alert thanks to you.  Looking forward to meeting you in person at the Rally. I will have the Yeti full of brew so let's make sure we get together.

 

Scotty

[KarenLukens]

The nice thing about the rubber ball covers is that you can fill it with a bit of grease and then every time you go to hook up, squeeze it a bit, then roll it around and the ball gets greased by the cover. Then I just store mine in a Ziploc in the trailer hitch lock bag.

[topgun2]

Scotty - I've always liked "Brew Yeti's".  Certainly look forward to it.

 

Bill

 

p.s.  Like Reed, I too store mine in a zip lock when I'm not using it.  There can be a bit of grease around the edges of the ball cover and the zip lock helps keep that off stuff just in case.

[wdw0528]

Thanks Reed...I am leaning towards a shell but the wife would prefer a lower profile cover. I will make sure she reads your report :-)

[wdw0528]

Scotty - thanks for the detailed description and the photos. I really like the idea and will be interested in how you end up completing the top shelf. I was wondering if a thin sheet of aluminum properly supported might be a good option and still be easy to remove when not camping. I guess the big question is how to support it? We have similar storage issues as you ...golf clubs (two sets) to go along with the other necessities. I stopped by a truck accessory dealer today after reading this to speak with them about the slide. Not sure I will pull the trigger on it but it sure looks like the best set up for us also.

[ScottyGS]

Darrell, No worries... We know how the decision making kabuki dance goes.  happy to help where we can.

 

So far I have you, Kathy, Matt Duncan and me for golf.  I will make a push after the holidays to see if we have others for the outing.

 

Looking forward to meeting you and happy to show off the glide and stuff.

 

Scotty

[Try2Relax]

On our first truck, I put a Leer cab high cap on, primarily because we already had a Honda 7000is (propane) generator and wanted the height and security for it to fit, along with bike and other stuff.

 

With our new truck, the wife decided she wanted a lower profile look, so this one has a tonneau cover, while Reed says they all leak I've yet to see any water in the bed with this one (it's not inexpensive)

 

So, the generator was downsized to a Honda 2000is (propane) and the bike gets broken down, everything else fits nicely. I will say with the cap, I would have to crawl in as the generator was secured in the front and using a bed slide wouldn't work as it was locked into the tie downs.

 

But I actually find that I prefer the tonneau with it's ability to roll up to be able to reach over, the side, for things in the front or easily remove it for completely large cargo loads, not travel related.

 

It's all about the choices and determinations of what your expected needs will be.

 

Oh, on the 350 the hitch comes nowhere near the tailgate.

[Mainiac]

We also have the low cover and have never had it leak a drop. An additional item we got when we had the cover installed is used a lot. It is a collapsible pole with an L shaped bracket on the end. When standing at the tailgate, it allows me to reach all the way into the body, without removing the cover. Easy to hook or turn an item and slid it out.  It is like using a gaff, for you boaters. We do make sure it is on top when loaded for a camping trip.

 

Another item we are thinking of adding is a ladder, like we had on an earlier truck. A 3/4 ton is a little high. Before the cover was installed we would stand on the tire and 'hike' up to the bed. With the cover on nothing to grab. The ladder screws to the tailgate and swings down when needed. It did get in the way sometimes when sliding heavy or large items...

[KarenLukens]

I dunno... I open mine up a third in the rain to get the blocks and chairs out and the rain gets in, but I do set up rain or shine either way. Nothing gets soaked but it does sweat some in high moisture areas I think also. But I am in high moisture areas quite a bit. I like my cover even though I and my truck get a little wet... but at times I do miss being able to stand under the back door of an opened shell and watch it raining out there, while it's still keeping me dry along with everything inside. This is the one that I have - http://rollnlock.com