Cargo basket: tight turns and tailgate

[Steph and Dud B]

Looking at how far forward the cargo/generator basket is mounted. Has anyone had a problem with the basket interfering with tight turns? It does stick out a bit from the A-frame. Or is it far enough back from the coupler to be a non-issue?

Also, while on the topic, does anyone have a problem with their pickup tailgate clearing the basket? Thanks.

[John E Davies]

The basket can contact the truck when reversing at too tight an angle, for sure (jack knifing). During normal full-lock turns while driving forward it is fine. The open tailgate may hit it if the trailer is at a severe angle, you should try to park with it aligned. Many have noticed that the tailgate can hit the Bulldog coupler, this depends on the tow vehicle, and where the receiver is located in relation to the gate. There have been a number of threads discussing tailgate clearance. With your HD truck it is less likely to be a problem. My 2006 Ram 3500 had tons of room, my 2013 Land Cruiser would hit, until I installed a longer Andersen ball mount.

I moved my basket from the tongue back to the rear bumper and I much prefer it there, for a number of reasons, including a greatly reduced tongue weight. It certainly is easier to climb over the tongue without it in the way.

Until you get used to it, have a helper stand out there watching while you reverse, to make sure you don’t over do it. When backing sharply, go really slow once the angle gets past 45 degrees. Does your GMC have a backup camera?

John Davies

Spokane WA

 

[Steph and Dud B]

9 hours ago, John E Davies said:

Does your GMC have a backup camera?

Yes, it does, so that will help with turns. Our dually does sit a couple of inches lower than single axle 3500s. I think the tailgate will clear the coupler, but I suspect it won't clear the storage box.

[dewdev]

The previous owner of my Ollie, did dent in his truck bumper when he did a sharp turn (jack knife) when backing and mentioned to be careful. His truck was low to the ground.

I have not had a problem when backing even turning  sharply but I am careful. My truck is higher off the ground than the previous owner's truck.

The tail-gate of my truck does not hit the storage box when connected to the trailer. That could be a problem for trucks that are closer to the ground.

[ScubaRx]

5 hours ago, Steph and Dud B said:

...Our dually does sit a couple of inches lower than single axle 3500s. I think the tailgate will clear the coupler, but I suspect it won't clear the storage box.

Our 2022 Single Rear Wheel Silverado 3500's tailgate does not hit anything,

[CnC]

The lowered tailgate on our 2021 Ram 1500 Laramie came within an inch of the top of our receiver 😑.  Too close to suit me, so I flipped the receiver and cut off the bottom couple of inches to keep it from bottoming out when boondocking in desert ridges.  That worked for me.  

[SeaDawg]

@CnC, are you still able to tow level?

[IL_Travelers]

On our return home from delivery, I had to jackknife the trailer sharply to make it into our driveway.  The next morning I noticed the $600 dent in the bumper of our brand-new 2021 GMC Denali HD's bumper.  

It has been repaired, and the basket is now sitting in storage; we do not miss it.

[Mike and Carol]

On 1/1/2022 at 8:42 PM, Steph and Dud B said:

Also, while on the topic, does anyone have a problem with their pickup tailgate clearing the basket? Thanks.

On both of my Ram 1500’s the lowered tailgate hit the top of the Andersen hitch.  On my Ram 2500, with no Andersen, the tailgate doesn’t even come close to hitting the hitch.  Mike

[John E Davies]

FYI, If the basket collides with your truck hard enough to damage the truck, you should also inspect the basket itself for damage, it possibly could have cracks on the support brackets or mounting holes. It is only held down in the middle by two rather undersized u-bolts. Here is a pic of the early style tray, showing the angle brackets that "straddle" the tongue, and the two sets of holes for the u-bolts. (The rubber strips have been removed in this pic.). This design is adequate for a heavy load like a generator IF it is centered over the tongue, but if you load it unevenly, it may not be OK. For example a full Jerry can on just one side might be a problem

Since relocating mine to the back, I no longer worry about damaging the truck, but I now have to worry about ramming it into my house (;

John Davies

Spokane WA

[Rivernerd]

2 hours ago, IL_Travelers said:

On our return home from delivery, I had to jackknife the trailer sharply to make it into our driveway.  The next morning I noticed the $600 dent in the bumper of our brand-new 2021 GMC Denali HD's bumper.  

It has been repaired, and the basket is now sitting in storage; we do not miss it.

That is the reason we are not ordering a front storage basket on our Elite II.  I have been required to jack knife my raft trailer many times when backing into tight spaces.  I welded a 3' straight steel extension onto the front of that A-frame trailer many years ago after denting a bumper during a jack knife maneuver.  Problem solved.

So, I want as much leeway between the Oliver trailer frame and the TV bumper as possible.  If I could get one of the extendable tongues that was available on very early Olivers, I would get that upgrade for the same reason:  maximum clearance if you must jack knife the trailer when backing.

 

[Boudicca908]

5 hours ago, IL_Travelers said:

and the basket is now sitting in storage; we do not miss it.

Is it hard to remove the basket? My order is in, I'm not sure I could change it at this point (though they aren't scheduled to build until next month)... 

[John E Davies]

40 minutes ago, Boudicca908 said:

Is it hard to remove the basket? My order is in, I'm not sure I could change it at this point (though they aren't scheduled to build until next month)... 

Remove four nuts under the tongue, remove two “square” u bolts, lift off the tray. That is how my 2017 one works, the current one may differ slightly. If you really don’t want it, ask them to delete it from your build sheet, there is no reason they would not, at this very early stage. It is probably one of the last things they do after all the other stuff is completed. If you do remove it, there will be two holes left in the fiberglass, which might bother you. It would be better to stop it from being installed in the first place. How much is that option now? It was about $700 for mine…. That will buy a lot of gas.

John Davies

Spokane WA

.

[John E Davies]

I thought this pic might be useful, from my Stone Stomper thread, it shows the trailer as close as it ever gets while driving forward (full steering lock). Obviously when reversing it would get close enough to hit.

If other members have similar pics, please post them!

John Davies

Spokane WA

[SeaDawg]

We've never wanted a basket, for tongue weight, and also this .

You can jack knife, without the basket, and still  dimple a bumper, imo. Far easier with a basket . That's why someone is backing, and someone is watching.

I'm ok without the extra hassle. 

We carry what we need in the truck bed.

[Geronimo John]

On the other hand, the tongue basket is very handy for all those goodies that are not suitable for inside Ollie.  Some of the things I carry in mine are:

• Ground plates for three jacks
• 2" X 6" wood shims to reduce wear of jacks, but more importantly to give me a slip point so that if I drive off with a jack down there is a chance that I'll hear the thump before I brake the jack.  I've seen this with my own eyes by other owners making that mistake.  One was at OTT in the service yard!
• Spray Lithium Grease for my Anderson Ball
• Long range wasp spray and Cutter/Deep Woods bug repellant
• 2 gallon jerry can of gas for the generator
• Anderson chain and whale bone, pins and trailer lights when parked
• Old rag to wipe of my hands after puttzing with all of the above

That said, I admit that I have a damaged left rear bumper as a result of this issue.  It would be nice if Bulldog made a longer coupler.  This would also eliminate the interference of the Anderson upgraded ball mount that sits just a bit higher than the ole one.  Drop my F-150 tail gate and the tailgate camera and the Bulldog release lever end up saying bad words to each other.   

But alas Bulldog does not seem to have one.  They do make a lever less release (Slide Coupler) that will resolve the tailgate/Bulldog issue, but would not fix the bumper/box issue.  

Any metal experts out there know if an extension could be welded onto the bulldog to fetch about 4 inches?   That likely would be a lot less expensive than replacing the Oliver Aluminum behind the bulldog.  Your thoughts? 

GJ

[Geronimo John]

46 minutes ago, SeaDawg said:

You can jack knife, without the basket, and still  dimple a bumper, imo. Far easier with a basket . That's why someone is backing, and someone is watching.

I'm often alone when parking the trailer.  So finding somebody that I can trust can be a challenge.  My solution is to back up a bit, then stop and put my truck into reverse so that it's back-up camera shows how close I am to a Box and Bumper MMA match.  Doing so also slows me down a bit so that I can also look up at my Ollie tail mounted camera that I have powered up from the parking light circuit in the attic.    

So if you are following me, and I turn on my trailer lights, I've got an eyeball on you!   🙂

 

[Landrover]

I have never had to jackknife any trailer to that extreme. Could someone please explain how the trailer moves back when the Tv is at a 90dg angle to the trailer. It  doesn’t work that way.  The only thing that will be accomplished is to bend things as some have found. Being on that much of an angle you need to stop pull forward and reposition the trailer. If someone can  back a trailer into a spot with the Tv at a 90dg angle please video it id like to see it.😳😰

[John and Debbie]

2 hours ago, Landrover said:

I have never had to jackknife any trailer to that extreme. Could someone please explain how the trailer moves back when the Tv is at a 90dg angle to the trailer. It  doesn’t work that way.  The only thing that will be accomplished is to bend things as some have found. Being on that much of an angle you need to stop pull forward and reposition the trailer. If someone can  back a trailer into a spot with the Tv at a 90dg angle please video it id like to see it.😳😰

"I have never had to jackknife any trailer to that extreme."

Good point.   I never have that much of an angle while backing up. 

[Mike and Carol]

12 hours ago, Landrover said:

I have never had to jackknife any trailer to that extreme.😳😰

I’ve never jackknifed either.  We’ve had a couple of tight spots but maneuvered without any extreme trailer positioning.

[Geronimo John]

You must not park your trailers where I on rare occasions out of necessity I have to.  Idea is to back up the trailer only as tight as you have to.   If you don't have a tight spot with poor or no turning radius that's great.  But sometimes stuff gets in the way and bringing the box close to the bumper is the only way to get it into the space.  Going slow and watching the angle on the back-up camera can be very helpful... and several times made the difference in getting my Ollie into a tight situation.  In my re-read, I failed to mention that getting out of the truck and taking a look is part and parcel with the process... when alone, or with a spotter.   

My bottom line is that I feel that nothing beats a "YOUR eyes on" approach first, and periodically when baking.  My comment about the rear view cameras was more of a joke as I don't find them real useful (Like using my eyeballs at the hitch or rear of Ollie.  The cameras are nice, but not effective enough for me to risk crunching Ollie or the TV. 

But for the TV and Basket issue, my F-150 tail gate camera is very effective in giving me an idea if I need to pull forward and re-adjust the angle.   

On 1/7/2022 at 7:46 PM, John Welte said:

If someone can  back a trailer into a spot with the Tv at a 90dg angle please video it id like to see it.😳😰

If the tongue is at 90 degrees to the bumper, most likely you have already damaged either your box or your bumper.