Can you open your tailgate with the travel trailer hitched?

[Davexxxx]

Most travel trailers come with electric tongue jacks now.

Some have conflicts with the tailgate opening.

Some hitches stand off more than others.

I know there is a base you can buy to move it back and I've seen vids of one style, that allows the head to be turned 90 degrees.

Is it a problem you've had to deal with and how did you do it?

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[jeffrt]

I have this issue for sure, especially with the power tailgate. I often want to just open the tailgate a bit to put something in the bed after hooking up or on the road. With my old 2010 truck, I could open the tailgate and rest it on the jack with a rag on it. On my '21, the power tailgate goes back up, thinking it hit something (even in non-power mode). I'm looking at relocating my jack this spring before summer camping starts. I'd really prefer the non-power tailgate, but it comes with the step on the Lariat models.

 

[JohnnyBoy]

When my trailer is hitched, I open it manually.

 

[cheesedogf150]

I have this issue for sure, especially with the power tailgate. I often want to just open the tailgate a bit to put something in the bed after hooking up or on the road. With my old 2010 truck, I could open the tailgate and rest it on the jack with a rag on it. On my '21, the power tailgate goes back up, thinking it hit something (even in non-power mode). I'm looking at relocating my jack this spring before summer camping starts. I'd really prefer the non-power tailgate, but it comes with the step on the Lariat models.

Turn off the power tailgate when you have a trailer attached. Turns it into a manual tailgate.
It’s in the sync menu, easy to find.

 

[dhrandy]

Load everything needed before hitching, for the last few things I just place them over the bed.

 

[Tosh]

My electric tongue jack is rotated 90 degrees, and the tailgate will clear it with about 1/2" gap (as long as the truck & trailer are lined up straight with each other)

 

[Davexxxx]

My electric tongue jack is rotated 90 degrees, and the tailgate will clear it with about 1/2" gap (as long as the truck & trailer are lined up straight with each other)

Can I ask what kind of hitch you have?

It seems that some stand off from the truck a bit more than others. and a half " isn't much wiggle room.

The one that comes with the trailer we're buying, is a Husky, Centerline.

 

[Buyer2021]

Odd man out here with a 5th-wheel travel trailer that doesn't 'clear' the tailgate when hitched.

As a solo traveler I really appreciate being able to raise / lower the fully-powered tailgate with the button in the cab since that's required mid-way when hitching / unhitching, the step-saving is appreciated along with the bed-cam that allows perfect hitch alignment every time.

Yep, I love my '22 Lariat tow vehicle, the rig tows wonderfully and I have cab clearance to 'jack knife' 90-degrees when backing if desired!

 

[Tosh]

Can I ask what kind of hitch you have?

It seems that some stand off from the truck a bit more than others. and a half " isn't much wiggle room.

The one that comes with the trailer we're buying, is a Husky, Centerline.

I have an Escape 21NE with a Fastway E2 hitch, factory installed. The original owner pulled it with a Tundra, and he rotated the electric jack 90 degrees clockwise so it would clear his tailgate. The Tundra tailgate cleared with about 1 1/2". I was lucky that the trailer setup matched the F-150; I didn't have to make any changes to it.

 

[{tpc}]

The only issue with rotating the jack so the tailgate clears is when you do something dumb, like try and readjust the trailer position in the camp spot while the tailgate is still down.

I prefer that mine doesn't clear, because I'll never make that mistake! I don't have anything but a small box I carry the hitch pins and stuff in, so if I need access to the bed, I open the tailgate slightly to allow me to open the tonneau and then close it again.

 

[jeffrt]

Turn off the power tailgate when you have a trailer attached. Turns it into a manual tailgate.
It’s in the sync menu, easy to find.

I tried this last summer, and just verified at lunch to make sure I didn't miss something. Even in manual mode, when I stop the tailgate part way down, it beeps and goes back up. I was able to get it work maybe 1 of 5 tries today (zero last summer). Seems like as soon as the system tries to let it drop and you can hear the motor engaging, you can't stop it in one spot. If i pulled it down before the motor engaged, I was able to stop it, but I couldn't repeat it consistently. Maybe something is wrong with mine?
I usually have my tonneau closed when towing, or this wouldn't be an issue.

 

[ptricky]

We use the Weigh Safe weight distribution hitch with our travel trailer. The tailgate just *barely* clears our run-of-the-mill Lippert electric jack. There are 2-3 inches between the jack and tailgate when open, but clearance is within 1" of the buttons when the tailgate is lowering.

 

[Davexxxx]

We use the Weigh Safe weight distribution hitch with our travel trailer. The tailgate just *barely* clears our run-of-the-mill Lippert electric jack. There are 2-3 inches between the jack and tailgate when open, but clearance is within 1" of the buttons when the tailgate is lowering.

Yes, I noticed that the Weigh safe hitch seemed longer than most.

 

[Aron]

When hitched, I can open my tailgate manually, but it does hit the tongue jack, so it doesn’t open fully. I generally just open it enough to be able to unlock the tonneau cover and roll that back, then shut the tailgate again, then climb over the tailgate if necessary.

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