lifting 5th wheel safely HELP!

[herkyfe]

You should tow any trailer with multiple axles level to ensure the weight is evenly distributed across the axles. Mind you, you don't need to be 100% level but certainly try to get close to it. Also this will help with tire life and braking. Just food for thought.

[tbarb]

OMG you guys are hilarious.

Raised my 2018 wildcat 29 RLX by 5".
2"lift by going to 6 leaf springs from 4 leaf. Cheap and easy to do yourself.
2" lift with Correct Track suspension kit from etrailer. Can do this yourself, but a little more difficult.
Small lift going from 235/80R/16 D rated China Bombs to
Salien 235/85R/16 G rated.
Pulls great with no problem in the wind.
If you are modestly handy you can do this with no problems.
I have had several raised trucks through the years and have had no problems towing with any of them.

[polecat28328]

Originally Posted by tbarb

OMG you guys are hilarious.



Raised my 2018 wildcat 29 RLX by 5".

2"lift by going to 6 leaf springs from 4 leaf. Cheap and easy to do yourself.

2" lift with Correct Track suspension kit from etrailer. Can do this yourself, but a little more difficult.

Small lift going from 235/80R/16 D rated China Bombs to

Salien 235/85R/16 G rated.

Pulls great with no problem in the wind.

If you are modestly handy you can do this with no problems.

I have had several raised trucks through the years and have had no problems towing with any of them.

Thanks so there is hope. Where may I ask did you buy your springs. I have until May before I have to use my camper so I’m really trying to get everything done with time to spare

[tbarb]

Got it all from etrailer except the tires.

[Idcruiserman]

Something's got to give. I bought a lifted dually and returned it to stock height, and we still found a few bridges we could not go under. Swap the trailer for a bumper pull or swap the lift and tires for stock bits. Good luck.

[YYCBrad]

I have very similar trailer (Sandpiper 3275DBOK). We actually looked at the Sandpiper version of yours.

We had issues from day one with the rear leveling jacks too low to the ground when hooked to my truck. At the time it was a stock 2016 Sierra 2500 HD. The dealer worked with FR as it was deemed to be a manufacturing error on where the jacks were installed. At the end of it all they ended up lifting the trailer 6". It was all done very well and the frame is probably stronger than it was from the factory with the amount of steel they added. Only real issue I had was the steps they installed felt like a spring diving board. I replaced them with the Mor Ryde stairs and all is well. Have well over 20 000KM on it. Never had an issue with stability or sway. Added a MorRyde SRE 4000 as well and it smoothed the ride out.

I am curious to see what happens this year as I have upgraded the truck to a '20 Sierra 3500 and decided to go with the Andersen over the Pullrite Super glide I had. I had a very love hate relationship with that hitch. Loved never having to worry about kissing my cab with the 5er, hated having to be almost perfectly level and straight on to hitch it.

[polecat28328]

Originally Posted by YYCBrad

I have very similar trailer (Sandpiper 3275DBOK). We actually looked at the Sandpiper version of yours.



We had issues from day one with the rear leveling jacks too low to the ground when hooked to my truck. At the time it was a stock 2016 Sierra 2500 HD. The dealer worked with FR as it was deemed to be a manufacturing error on where the jacks were installed. At the end of it all they ended up lifting the trailer 6". It was all done very well and the frame is probably stronger than it was from the factory with the amount of steel they added. Only real issue I had was the steps they installed felt like a spring diving board. I replaced them with the Mor Ryde stairs and all is well. Have well over 20 000KM on it. Never had an issue with stability or sway. Added a MorRyde SRE 4000 as well and it smoothed the ride out.



I am curious to see what happens this year as I have upgraded the truck to a '20 Sierra 3500 and decided to go with the Andersen over the Pullrite Super glide I had. I had a very love hate relationship with that hitch. Loved never having to worry about kissing my cab with the 5er, hated having to be almost perfectly level and straight on to hitch it.

Thanks for the information and pictures. Luckily my uncle is a master fabricator by trade. I guess it’s just time to order the steel and get it going. We just recently added a rear rack for storage.

[Mr Towed]

I was gonna say just get a set of stock (or stock size) wheels and tires just for when you tow, that will probably bring you down 3 inches, I'm guessing from the height with the 37s on, then upsize the tires on the trailer like TBarb said to lift the trailer slightly and you will probably be pretty good. Like someone said, if you are just towing local you can probably just keep it as is, but if you want to do a real trip out on the interstate you swap the tires out.

[polecat28328]

Originally Posted by polecat28328

thanks for the information and pictures. Luckily my uncle is a master fabricator by trade. I guess it’s just time to order the steel and get it going. We just recently added a rear rack for storage.

[polecat28328]

Originally Posted by Mr Towed

I was gonna say just get a set of stock (or stock size) wheels and tires just for when you tow, that will probably bring you down 3 inches, I'm guessing from the height with the 37s on, then upsize the tires on the trailer like TBarb said to lift the trailer slightly and you will probably be pretty good. Like someone said, if you are just towing local you can probably just keep it as is, but if you want to do a real trip out on the interstate you swap the tires out.

I’m contemplating lowering the truck some of the wheels and tires will clear. If not i will be lifting the trailer.

[oldxr]

Your are going to have to bust some steel and a welder out and get busy . Maybe some lift + some taller tires on the trailer . But you will be rolling the dice on stability . And if that rig gets in an accident with modded suspension the insurance company might use it as an excuse not to pay the claim.

[Dwjackson59]

I have a Chevy with a 6 1/2 inch lift and 35's . I widened the track 1" to stabilize the truck. I went to pick up a new fiver, backed up and clearly I was too high. Figured oh well, let's flip axles or block, the manufacturer said they would void all warranties, I got a tounge pull. Pulls great, I would think the natural added stability of a fiver would make it fine if lifted a bit. You have never said just exactly how much you need. I'm sure the negative or safety conscious replies might be a little less stingy if we knew it was 2" and not 6" , there has to be a safe amount and an unsafe amount. But if you are determined to do it come hell or high water at any amount here is my .02. Go to a place where some rich guys hang that have done this and copy what they do, listen well. Plenty have so it's doable. Re-arch springs, add shocks on the trailer, be sure the frames up to it and keep it under 100. Make sure a professional does it that warranties it. Good luck

[ClaeTA]

Nice truck by the way, I have a similar situation though not as extreme. With our new FR Sandstorm F286SLR toy hauler 5th wheel it pitched on the rear axle enough to have me investigate leveling/lifting methods.
First was the pinbox adjustment, it was already set as high into the trailer as it could go which left me the “fist” clearance you spoke to earlier between the bottom of the fifth wheel cap and the top of my bed rails. I was/am trying to obtain the 6” clearance at minimum you also mentioned.
Next I looked at my bed hitch to see if I could lower it but it was already as low as it could go.
I opted for an Andersen hitch due to its weight and ease of removal and installation and it also allowed me to lower the connection point into the bed about 1”.
Next was a proactive defusing to add the CRE3000 rubber equalizers for improved ride quality. This lifted the trailer off of the axles 1/2”. I measured and photographed the before/after.
This still did not level out the trailer but it made some
Improvements. There are other equalizers that add about 1 1/2” of height.
One thing I learned and caution you on is that with the “fist” clearance you spoke of that puts a lot of hitch in your bed, tight turn may could crush/pinch anything you have in the bed during transit or worse case nail the inside of your bed rails.
We accepting a new tow vehicle in a few weeks that has an air leveling system for the rear that should help me level things out.good luck, I’m interested to see what you come up with.

[Artmann]

You may have to realize and accept the fact that the problem you have created for yourself does not have a safe solution that will not compromise the integrity of your equipment.

[Foothills]

Polecat's dilemma is that he doesn't really know how much more it needs to be raised-not sure myself how you would figure out real accurately-it's trial and error and then it's welded.I had a Jayco raised and would not do it again. No one mentioned how wheel alignment might be affected. On mine I noticed the tires didn't wear even on both sides. Does poor alignment affect towing efficiency? I believe so.My replacement tows much easier. The suggestion of putting stock wheel/tires on the truck for towing purposes made sense to me.

[Artmann]

By altering the original suspension, the original poster has already degraded the towing capacity of his truck. That is just an unpleasant fact. Raising the suspension of the trailer will compromise his safety and the integrity of his equipment even more. I would question whether he can get an insurance company to pay in case of an accident for such a modified rig.

[Longhairdad]

First of all I like to read what everybody write on here and some of it is funny how some of you answer the question, but for this one I have a 32 fifth wheel and I pull it with a 2008 GMC and that truck is lifted 7" and I have no problems with it. In fact the trailer is lifted about maybe 2" higher them level and it ride nice I also pull a second 14' pull trailer in back of that so that make me 68' long to the money no problem so I would not worry bout it I think your fine.

[NMWildcat]

I call BS on the insurance fear mongering. Give us some proof.......

Originally Posted by oldxr

Your are going to have to bust some steel and a welder out and get busy . Maybe some lift + some taller tires on the trailer . But you will be rolling the dice on stability . And if that rig gets in an accident with modded suspension the insurance company might use it as an excuse not to pay the claim.

[Ejs4029]

Nice looking truck....I'm sure you will figure something out but as stated earlier in the thread this probably isn't the best forum to get the answer you seek. I have always enjoyed having my lifted truck for enjoying at Glamis and Pismo Beach when we lived in Southern CA although I didn't have a 5th wheel to contend with

[polecat28328]

Originally Posted by Ejs4029

Nice looking truck....I'm sure you will figure something out but as stated earlier in the thread this probably isn't the best forum to get the answer you seek. I have always enjoyed having my lifted truck for enjoying at Glamis and Pismo Beach when we lived in Southern CA although I didn't have a 5th wheel to contend with

Thanks. I have thought about changing back to a bumper pull but our 5th is paid for and we have it all setup just like we want it so I doubt we will change it out. I’ve searched other forums and actually haven’t had much luck finding a lot on lifted campers that differ from what I’ve found here. Everything I’ve found has been 1. Flip the axels 2. Build a sub frame and weld it on . 3 use block which I’m not a big fan of or #4 lifted trucks shouldn’t tow and all the counter productive comments that come with it