Recently put a slip tank in my 3500, and upon hooking up my gooseneck for the first time, I forgot to account for the bolts in the coupler, and there isn't enough clearance. Upon turning left with the trailer/truck at a difference in height the one bolt just catches the tank. Only took off some paint, but need to change something because i'm not ok with that. As you can see in the picture there is some room there, but not much. Is there some easy way to put in shorter bolts? If I could get 1/2" clearance more i'd be safe and no chance of hitting. I'd rather not have to buy and weld on a whole different coupler. Only other option I see is to pull the bottom of the coupler out 2" to get the other bolt up higher compared to the slip tank, but it's not ideal as the trailer is perfectly level now I pull with the truck/trailer fully loaded virtually all the time, so I don't want the trailer nose high.
Go to 1/2 " shorter allens.
Cut the heads off the pinch bolts?
I think there's shy of 1/2" thread sticking out, so concerned if I tried to go 1/2" shorter I run out of threads? I was thinking that, but didn't want to do anything to make them weaker, or loose too much of the head I wouldn't be able to get a wrench on it to loosen it if I ever needed too.
Grind a 1/4" off the jamb nut, (it just locks it) and cut off a standard bolt so its just long enough (no extra threads sticking out, but still tight) and I think you would clear. Standard bolt head is probably shorter than that square head. Just because I'm curious: is your slip tank for gasoline, or diesel? In the states, our diesel tanks are not usually painted red with "flammable" all over it. Usually just painted white or black.
Ah ok, that sounds easy enough. I've never had them out, I thought it was a special bolt. Yea the square head is probably 1/2" so I can gain some there going to a regular bolt. It's for diesel, most diesel slip tanks here are just white or black too. I just bought this one because it was a good deal, and happened to be painted for gas.
The bolt in your neck now, probably doesn't have threads clear to the end, its tapered like a set screw. You'll want to round off the end of the new bolt like that, so you don't mushroom out the threads when you get it tight, and then can't get it out. It's probably a hard bolt.
You might try getting a socket set screw of the desired length. It's all thread & hard cup point. I would lubricate the threads to get max pressure on the point, then set the lock nut. Fastenal has 3/4 diameter x 3 inch long & shorter. Measure your existing set screw minus the head and any excess for length & same thread
What hosspuller recommends is actually ideal, I just didn't know how big a hurry you were in.
Whack the tank with a dead blow hammer where the scratch is Just kidding. I think the best option is what hosspuller said. I'd have answered last night but it was my anniversary so I was AFK.
The doom and dread modification police will probably have a cow but I would simply drill the hole on the back side, weld the nut there, and install the pinch bolt out of the way. If you never adjust it maybe you can drill thru the inner tube and run the bolt all the way in. My 24,000 lb gooseneck trailer has a series of holes and thru bolted instead of a pinch bolt.
Thanks guys, the set screw sounds perfect. I'm not in a rush, I just moved trailer to yard i'm renting won't be moved for a few weeks now. I prefer something more temporary as depending how things go will be selling the gooseneck in the next few months and buying a 20 ton tag as i'm adding a skidsteer and need more capacity.
This was my thinking as well, mainly because you will need all the spacing you can get as sooner or later the trucks rear axle will go through a low spot/swale/entrance that is low enough to put a big long dent in the middle of that tank and if you leave the adjusters there they will probably pierce it.
You get into a crowd situation crossing a ditch and it will not matter the shortness of the bolt, will still gouge. Suggestion to move it to the rear is best option as you will fight it endlessly if don't.
If your hitch is a B&W, they make an offset adapter that moves the ball back 4 inches - http://www.bwtrailerhitches.com/product/4-extender
Got a shorter bolt, and got me more clearance for a temporary fix, but yea definitely need something better for the time i'm not on pavement and at a weird angle, I don't need a hole in my tank. It is a B&W but unfortunately the rating of that is less then I pull, and the weight being even more on the rear end would be much worse. The rear end overloads and the front still has plenty of spare. I'm contemplating if I am going to take off the box and put a deck on the truck, or trade it in on a new longbox. Either of those would fix my problem too.
I think you are on the right track. Trade it up for a real truck.
B&W turnover balls had a hitch that was offset a few inches to allow those MegaCab Dodge's with the 5' box to pull their square nose horse trailers, that might help?