2nd Gen Non-Engine/Transmission 5th wheel and tall truck?

[ebrooker]

I have a 99 4x4 Dodge diesel pickup longbed with H2 wheels and tires. This setup makes my truck pretty tall. Yesterday I bought a 5th wheel camper from a guy with a 96 4x4 Dodge diesel pickup and when he pulled up I noticed the camper was running uphill to the hitch. He gave me the hitch with the camper and it doesn’t have any adjustments. The camper is a 1990 Wilderness made by Fleetwood. Is anyone towing a 5th wheel camper with 315 tires on one of these trucks and our there any alternatives for this situation?

 

[wildmanben]

I saw a lifted camper behind a truck one time...

 

[rsaderlund]

I tow with 315's and it took swapping the axles on the 5er to under instead of over the springs to ride level. Mine also had some adjustment for height on the fith wheel pin. Good luck and enjoy it

 

[ebrooker]

How much did it cost to do these modifications to the axles. I've seen people to this for more ground clearance on trucks but I have no idea how much this would cost or if it is a do it yourselfer job.

 

[NVR FNSH]

My 5th wheel is a spring over configuration as well. I bought the trailer with the axles already flipped so I can't help with cost/difficulty but I can say having my trailer so tall is a PITA - overhead clearance is a problem, I have to carry a step stool in addition to the 3 level step on the trailer (I'm 6'4", wife is 5'11" and we require the step stool) and the aerodynamics are truly horrible due to the height.



Brian

 

[rsaderlund]

It's not a difficult job. . if you are a little mechanically inclined you can do it. I did mine and it was easy. And I am not a master mechanic.

 

[HPetrat]

Just had my axles "flipped" (over-under shackle swap) on my TT last weekend.

Total cost including zero drop, 12k lbs receiver and 2 5/16" ball - $260. 00 CND.



Tows and looks much better behind 98 QC, 12V 5spd, 5"lift 315BFG AT's 400RWHP. Oo.



HP

 

[litespeed]

ebrooker,



Not sure what hitch you have.....



You should have adjustments on your hitch to compensate for this. Most hitches can drop or rise at least 6 or 8 inches to compensate.



I had to drop ours all the way to the bottom for our camper to ride level (lifting our camper is not an option).



You should be able to rise quite a bit, just with the hitch.



Also, the camper pin assembley can be adjusted to rise as well.



Beyond that... ... You may need to lift it. Axle flip etc..... Especially if you are 4x4.



The back of our truck was high. The pin height on the camper was high too. By lowering the pin... ... . It really helped our situation.





I dropped ours all the way to the bottom. We still have tons of bed rail clearance and the camper sits level (most important).



What make (brand 5th wheel hitch) do you have?



Here is a picture of ours as it rides down the highway. Notice the shadow between the ground and the camper. This thing sits perfectly level going down the road (This makes a HUGE difference).



This is with a VERY HEAVY pin weight.



AJ

 

[ebrooker]

It is a Owens hitch. It has rails that go over the wheel wells and the the hitch pin to these rails.

 

[jebabb3]

ebrooker, i have the same set up - 99 3500 4x4 + 90 wilderness fleetwood fifth wheel 27'. i had to do an over/under axle swap on mine. its not hard to do if you have a welder and half a day to work on it. id be happy to go into more detail if you like-let me know. i also took the fifth wheel hitch setup that the guy i bought it from gave me and sold it on ebay and got a 5th wheel to gooseneck adapter(also off ebay) which dropped the hitch height about 6''. i have a retractable ball in bed and 2 other gooseneck trailers. the pin on the trailer is(should be) adjustable, but the further down you go, the further back you go, which can be getting close to truck hitting trailer when you turn-especially w/ a long bed. it cost me about $150. afew years ago to do mine myself. i replaced everything-4 new leaf springs, new hardware, new spring perches, etc. its good preventive maintanence. voice of experiance says trust me on that! like i said, id be happy to go into detail if you like. john

 

[ebrooker]

http://dexteraxle.com/over_under_conversion_kits.



This is the kit I ordered any experiences with this?



John how do you like your camper? I do not have any experience with Wilderness or Fleetwood. How much did the gooseneck conversion cost?

 

[jebabb3]

no problems with camper so far. gooseneck adapters usually run about 300. -500. i got mine used for 125.

 

[surfbeetle]

I have a '88 wilderness and had the axles swapped to under leaf springs, that gave me about 4 inches. The axles on mine have the spindle offset from the axle which cause me to lose some height, If I went to a straight axle, I would gain more height. I have an adjustable kingpin and hitch, but you still need at least 6 inches between the top of the bed rails and the frame of the 5'ver.

 

[EricBu12]

I have a Keystone Raptor and this setup has the Axles already under the spring... . But I am 1" high in the nose as measured by the level indicator, and my hitches are all the way lowered.



I also need to have a little more bedrail clearance as I have a toyhauler and some Off-road areas has dips and ruts that make my bed come very close to hitting...



So I got 6. . 2 x 2 x 4" steel blocks that will fit between the axle and spring to raise it 2"... . Also got longer U-bolts for this... . now I can raise the hitch 1" to level it out and have more clearance... . the cost of all this was $150 for the parts... . doing the lifting myself.

 

[duckcarvr]

i have stock tires so i don't know the height difference but i just bought a 2002 3500 and it had a 5" lift block on the rear and i had a 2" one put on to lower the truck. it was still too high so i put a 2" lift on the trailer. my dutchman trailer had straight axels so i couldn't turn them over. i thought if it works on trucks under torque it should work on a trailer. I've only towed it once about 80 miles but it towed well. A trailer that is level or almost will handle better and ride better. the refrigerator will oprerate better. and most importand you wont be puting more weight on the rear axel,bearings and tires. i took my trailer to a off road shop to have this job done for about $400. the trailer shops would not do it. they wanted to extend the leaf spring hangers which i already thought was a weak point. i had already broke one. they also wanted $850 to $1200 for the job. robert