I just bought a used 35' trailer and found a major flaw in it. The coupler has been cut down and made non adjustable which makes the trailer hit the bed sides when turning. The diameter of the coupler on there is approx "5 round and all I can find is 4.5" couplers. I thought about making an elevated hitch but I think it may break. Does anybody have any ideas on how to fix this? Ill try to post pics of the problem later this evening.

 

Have you tried to call the trailer manufacturer?

With all the oil companies in Texas, I would think it would be fairly easy to find some 5" pipe.

Just make sure if you DIY to do some sort of Heat treatment when you get done welding her into place. It'd probably be a good idea to add some sort of extra bracing as well.

 

Is the inside diameter of your current neck 5"? If not and it is the outside that measures 5", 4" pipe is actually 4 1/2" outside diameter, so maybe you could just cut it appart and make it adjustable again. Or maybe just buy a whole new neck, as in the verticle part that attatches to the truck, and cut the old off, and weld the new neck in place, I think bulldog brand has necks. Good luck

 

I went out and measured again and came up with 4 1/2-3/4. Can I just cut the neck above the weld and slide a new hitch in it and call it good? I really don't want to cut the whole neck off if I don't have to. Also how much room do I need between the top of the bed rails to the bottom part of the trailer? It mangled up my rail guard but left the bed untouched,got lucky on that part.

BTW I have the trailer raised up in the second pic.

 

I would think you'd want somewhere in the 6" range of clearence min, havn't had mine hooked for a while, not sure how much I have, another option would be to just cut right near that existing weld, and weld in a longer peice between the two to get it long enough to clear your bed, I'm guessing an 8" piece would be adequate, but if you go that route I would try to look for a heavier walled piece than the standard 1/4" wall, if available. I'm guessing it would be 4" schedule 120 would work, just want to make sure you have enough meat there to handle a loaded 35' trailer. Also try searching for "Bulldog Trailer coupler" You can get a 30k adj, for less than $200, I think that would be a better idea.

 

Somebody cut it down for use on a flat bed truck. It's a simple matter to cut the old neck off and weld a new one in place, just be sure of who you have do the welding. That's probably the single most stressed part of the trailer when in use.

Stick with Bullydog, they're the best on the market and not much more money.