Love/hate new truck

[Gonzo 1066]

If you alter ride height you should wedge shim the rear axle to correct the driveline angles. Any good suspension shop can handle this easly.

 

[JSoloman]

Dutch & Di,

I was faced with the same problem. The 5th wheel trailers aren't tall enough to ride level with the 4x4s. I owned an Arctic Fox and had the axles flipped. That worked great. This past year we purchased a 30' Crusader and flipping the axles wasn't enough. Lowering the truck is not an option in the rural area we camp and travel in. The RV maintenance shop recommended a bolt/weld on lift kit that has capacity to lift 2-6". It was just under $1200 installed. Nice job and looks good. The trailer tracks nice. I would recommend you check into something like this. It is a catalog order. I have seen them fabricated as well.
I am planning to order a 2014 3500 SRW in February and my concern is the height difference between my '01 and the new truck marrying up to the trailer. This lift design will definitely be an advantage, along with the hitch adjustments.

Jen

 

[Dutch & Di]

Hi,We don't have axles to flip or a 4x4. We started with triple axles and went to Mor/Ryde IS suspension in the late 90's

Dutch & Di,

I was faced with the same problem. The 5th wheel trailers aren't tall enough to ride level with the 4x4s. I owned an Arctic Fox and had the axles flipped. That worked great. This past year we purchased a 30' Crusader and flipping the axles wasn't enough. Lowering the truck is not an option in the rural area we camp and travel in. The RV maintenance shop recommended a bolt/weld on lift kit that has capacity to lift 2-6". It was just under $1200 installed. Nice job and looks good. The trailer tracks nice. I would recommend you check into something like this. It is a catalog order. I have seen them fabricated as well.
I am planning to order a 2014 3500 SRW in February and my concern is the height difference between my '01 and the new truck marrying up to the trailer. This lift design will definitely be an advantage, along with the hitch adjustments.

Jen

Gonzo-Agree completely
Sag2-In theory you are correct but with the way things have been going with this truck, I could do anything and it would somehow void the warranty. When we can finish gathering all our information we can make the correct decision on how best to get more clearance.
Grizzly-not true big boy. I know that even Dutch would give our old beloved 96 a pat and say "Good Girl" or call her "Baby" on occasion but since "she" is my truck, she will remain a truck of the feminine persuasion ps will post my love hate list as soon as I can stop going from Dodge dealer to Dodge dealer to find out what else I didn't get that we thought we were getting. But it does look and ride GREAT
Gonzo-A flat bed while great for some isn't out cup of tea. I want to keep the full bed to hold some of our product, our bikes and out golf clubs then secure everything by closing our Pace Edwards roll top cover. Glad the flatbed works so great for you.
Wertles---RAMona, Dutch just about fell off the couch when I read your post to him--I LOVE it Oo. Oo.
AH641D-Eleanor--How regal sounding, I like it.
Ha, Ha Joe--so what did name yours?????
Will keep you posted on our progress and thanks for all the suggestions/replies. Hugs, Di

 

[Bug Out]

Worst case senario, you can try about 10-12 sacks of concrete mix (90lb bags) at the very tail end of the bed to weigh it down and see if that gives you the extra 1-1/2 " you need. It certainly wont put you over the weight limits of your truck. I have used that much concrete sacks to get traction in 3/4-1 tons in snow etc. Its a cheap try anyhow. Or it used to be 10 years ago.

 

[AH64ID]

I guess what I am not sure of yet is where the clearance is needed? If it's over the pin there is nothing that can be done to the truck. It has to be hitch or camper modifed.

 

[RustyJC]

When I moved from a 2nd to a 4th generation truck, I had insufficient 5th wheel to bed clearance at the "spoiler" lip of the tailgate with no changes made to the 5th wheel hitch or pinbox, and mine is a 2WD truck! Fortunately, I had 1 bolt hole available to drop the pinbox extension and 1 bolt hole available to raise the hitch head, and that took care of my problem. With Dutch and Di's truck, I don't know where the problem is, but the higher ground to bed rail and tailgate dimension of the 4th generation trucks can indeed result in 5th wheel to bed clearance problems.



Insofar as naming is concerned, my wife claims this as HER truck, so she assumed naming privileges - she calls it Beastie Boy. I assure you, I had NOTHING WHATSOEVER to do with that.



Rusty

 

[Kirwin]

I measured the receiver hitch height on my 2003 and compared it to my 2013. They are within 1/4 inch when the trailer is connected. This was odd to me as the 2013 started out unloaded about 1. 75" higher. I even had to change the trailer jack extension pin location to get the trailer tounge high enough to get my trailer on the ball the first time I connected it to the 2013. But, as I said, once all the weight is on the truck's suspension the receiver is at the same height. For your issue Dutch&Di, I'd think that you would be better to split the diffenence, add some to the trailer height as you said above with the bolt holes and maybe shim the hitch to get another 1/2" or so. Just thniking out loud. Ken Irwin Full Timer Wantabe

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

Betty named him Copper, go figure, lol. Stop by, we are in Henderson for another 10 days or so.

 

[Dutch & Di]

Well we are now officially "raised"!



We spent a day and a half at an alignment shop where we had stopped for a 2nd opinion and a quote. We felt their price was quite reasonable and they could start the following day. It was quite an undertaking but I'm so glad Dutch, and I, didn't have to tackle this job ourselves.



While under there, they did find one tire at an angle and between Dutch and them, they felt it needed new new bushings. Of course, Ol` Dutchie just happened to have a spare set so they undertook that job too. It took them awhile to figure out how to easily change the position of the suspension but by afternoon they were on track. It was getting late and while the tires were on, they still had the alignment to do. It was a unanimous decision to hook up and drive over to WallyWorld for the night because if they kept out Carriage, we would be homeless!!!



Back over in the morning, they finished the alignment and lowered the hitch to keep us level. We were very pleased that they kept to their "not to exceed" price quote. The only additional fee was for replacing the bushings which we had expected to pay for.



We pulled out and for the 1st time since picking up our new truck didn't worry about making an uphill turn. We now have 7 inches of clearance.



We pulled into Arizona Charlie's RV Park in Vegas to relax and unwind for a week. The weather is wonderful and we plan on lots of golf!



Our only other "job" while here is to measure the new height of our Carriage. We were at 12'7" so that 2 inches shouldn't be a problem but we want to be 100% sure of our height.

Thank you for all the suggestions, Hopefully now that this is taken care of and we had slide our steps installed so we can get into our truck, we can get back to normal. Hugs, Di

 

[AH64ID]

Great news Di!!

Do you have any photos of the setup now?

 

[Wingate]

hhmm... ive never even thought about clearance between the bed and camper. . never had an issue where it came close. gonna have to measure next time Im hooked up.

 

[Grizzly]

I'm happy to hear that the fix turned out good. Enjoy the new truck and Vegas.



george

 

[Dutch & Di]

We are in an RV park now and will post pictures when we hook up to leave on the 14th. It sure is a relief knowing we have the room we need now.

Hugs, Di

Great new Di!!



Do you have any photos of the setup now?

 

[Dutch & Di]

Thanks Griz. We are enjoying the down time and hope to golf twice more before we leave here and hopefully take in a show!!

Enjoyed our visit and dinner with Joe Donnelly. He and Nancy are working hard on the 2014 May Madness. Hugs, Di

I'm happy to hear that the fix turned out good. Enjoy the new truck and Vegas.



george

 

[Dutch & Di]

I guess it depends on your setup. With our 96 Dodge we had 6 inches of clearance between the truck bed rails and our 5th wheel. We were good for 17 years ----minus 1 uphill turn into a fuel station where we put a dent in the bedrail.

When we realized this truck is higher and we only had 5 inches we knew that for our peace of mind, we had to do something.

Will be interesting to see what you have after you measure it. Hugs, Di

hhmm... ive never even thought about clearance between the bed and camper. . never had an issue where it came close. gonna have to measure next time Im hooked up. [/QUOTE ]

 

[Dutch & Di]

Enjoyed getting together last night, Joe. The restaurant we went to with you did indeed have great prime Rib!! Sorry that Betty couldn't join us.



Maybe we can stop by one more time before we leave so we can see our new trucks in daylight! I know they are both really sparkle in the sunlight. Hugs, Di

Betty named him Copper, go figure, lol. Stop by, we are in Henderson for another 10 days or so.

 

[larime2013]

I have raised trailer both by flipping springs from bottom to top gives a bout 10 inch and also they make a 2 1/2 spacer to but between axel and springs if it is a heavy trailer I would go with the spacer or check with Best Springs dealer or a spring manufacture and go with a heavier spring with 5 or 6 leaf and A STEEPER ARCH to give more stabileity with the height cost will be about 75 to $100 per spring

 

[OldRetiredAFGuy]

Alignment Shop Name?

HI Di,
Glad to hear that you solved the problem with the Mor/ryde IS system. Please share the name of the shop so the rest of us will have an alternate shop to go to if we can't find a local one.

Mike

P.S. I have been looking at the 2014 brochures for the new Dodge 3500 Dually. Your situation is making me very reluctant to replace my 2002 with a new one.

Well we are now officially "raised"!




We spent a day and a half at an alignment shop where we had stopped for a 2nd opinion and a quote. We felt their price was quite reasonable and they could start the following day. It was quite an undertaking but I'm so glad Dutch, and I, didn't have to tackle this job ourselves.



While under there, they did find one tire at an angle and between Dutch and them, they felt it needed new new bushings. Of course, Ol` Dutchie just happened to have a spare set so they undertook that job too. It took them awhile to figure out how to easily change the position of the suspension but by afternoon they were on track. It was getting late and while the tires were on, they still had the alignment to do. It was a unanimous decision to hook up and drive over to WallyWorld for the night because if they kept out Carriage, we would be homeless!!!



Back over in the morning, they finished the alignment and lowered the hitch to keep us level. We were very pleased that they kept to their "not to exceed" price quote. The only additional fee was for replacing the bushings which we had expected to pay for.



We pulled out and for the 1st time since picking up our new truck didn't worry about making an uphill turn. We now have 7 inches of clearance.



We pulled into Arizona Charlie's RV Park in Vegas to relax and unwind for a week. The weather is wonderful and we plan on lots of golf!



Our only other "job" while here is to measure the new height of our Carriage. We were at 12'7" so that 2 inches shouldn't be a problem but we want to be 100% sure of our height.

Thank you for all the suggestions, Hopefully now that this is taken care of and we had slide our steps installed so we can get into our truck, we can get back to normal. Hugs, Di

 

[DieselLady]

Just read through the thread. I'm a little late, and glad you got this figured out. Just wanted to add a little note for anyone else with same kind of issue. When I bought my Newmar double slide 34 footer, I had to get a superglide hitch due to my short bed. it swivels in all directions, including side to side. I had to flip the springs due to my 4x4. After struggling for a yr or so, I finally just welded along the sides of my hitch to prevent it from swaying from side to side. I only have around 3 inches of clearance, but never have any issue with the trailer hitting the truck. Including going out to Glamis. In the sand. LOL So I found that giving the trailer a solid flat surface to ride on was most helpfull. Just my 2 cents. ")

 

[JSoloman]

Slide hitch is the best way to go with the short bed. I've only had short beds. The RV (my sig) we have now had the springs flipped, so I went with the 4" lift on it. That was pulling it with the '01. The '14 is nearly an inch taller. We'll see how it looks hitched up.
I took the advice of some of the guys here and am having a B&W slider installed in a couple of weeks.

Jen