raising fifth wheel 2 or 3 inches

[EMurillo]

whats up fellows, i need some impute on my fifth wheel. i am trying to find

the best way to raise the trailer about 2 to 3 inches because the rear always

is lower than the front so i like it to be on the level side. my brother said

i can just get some metal spacers or blocks and put them under the leaf springs i also heard that they can flip the axles but that would raise it a lot

more than i like,. has anybody done this? i sure would appreciate some info.





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2004. 5 ctd 325/600 4 x 4 , swd, 48re, 3. 73, step bars, billet grille, sureset air lift syst. ( rear air bags), rancho rs9000x w/in cab cont. toolbox, bedliner,

magnaflow, deep trans pan, bf goodrich all terrain, f/er 27. 5 wanderer

 

[R C Cola]

Raising the trailer ! ?

Just a thought. How much space do you have between tailgate and the trailer.

If you have over 6 inches you could just lower the hitch height adjustment. Mine is set with about 6 levels of holes spaced one inch apart. I have run with

five inches with no problems on many occasions on interstate, dirt trails would call for a lot more caution. 15 Minute solution if you feel it is a viable option.

RC

 

[RJOL]

whats up fellows, i need some impute on my fifth wheel. i am trying to find

the best way to raise the trailer about 2 to 3 inches because the rear always

is lower than the front so i like it to be on the level side. my brother said

i can just get some metal spacers or blocks and put them under the leaf springs i also heard that they can flip the axles but that would raise it a lot

more than i like,. has anybody done this? i sure would appreciate some info.

First... They don't really do a axle flip. The correct descripton is a "spring over. " If your current springs are mounted under the axle, they will move them to the top. You could also add a spacer under the springs, if they are already on top of the axle, but you need to be careful about the height and alinement.



Instead of doing this, you could adjust the kingpin height, but with most of the 4X4 CTD's I've seen, you don't have the space over the rear tailgate area to lower the kingpin.



The better solution may be to remove the spacers, under the truck springpack. If you do a search on this forum, there are couple of real good threads, with pictures, explaining this. By doing this, you will lower the top of the tailgate about 2". Have fun...

 

[Mundgyver]

I flipped the axles on my 8 x 16 cargo trailer with no problems. I had a second set of saddles aligned and welded on each axle and then mounted them (the axles) on the underside of the spring. It gave 5 inches of height and leveled the trailer out very nice with my truck. I have a steep driveway and this mod now allows me to back the trailer up without scrapping. It works well for me. One bonus is that if I have a flat or need to service the brakes, there is all kinds of room to work on them now.

 

[TowPro]

Click Here and you shall find the true meaning of flipping the axles Grasshopper.

 

[klenger]

Also consider restacking the rear spring pack on the truck and moving the spacers to the top. I gained about 1. 5" at the tailgate and the cost is free. See http://www.klenger.net/dodge/lowering-rear-end/slide01.html for instructions and pics.

 

[surfbeetle]

I had the axles put under the leaf springs, it gave me about 3 inches. I have a friend who went to an rv place and they cut off the leaf spring hangers, built a sub frame under the trailer's existing frame and then put the hangers back on. This gave him 9 inches.

 

[RMachida]

Click Here and you shall find the true meaning of flipping the axles Grasshopper.

Thanks for the link!

 

[Popiol]

I did the flip with dexter kit worked grate, trailer is 2 deg. down where it should be.

 

[Silver Ratler]

I had to have the axles "flipped" on my Road Ranger fiver. There was just not enough adjustment in the hitch or the trailer. I would NEVER pull a fifthe wheel without proper clearence between the trailer and bed rails... ... it's just a problem waiting to happen and it won't wait long!!

 

[viper700]

Last year when I went to hook up my 36' 3 axel, 3 slide,King of the Road to my 04. 5 Dually I had an OH **** **** moment. I discovered that the 04. 5 4X4 was way to tall for the 5er. What happened next was an axel flop and I gained 5 " that I needed in height. One thing to consider is to make new brackets for shocks and install steering or 50 50 shocks on the axels. This I have found make a real smooth ride down the road and no sway at all. The pin weight is 1700/2000 pounds and the trailer drops down to touch the overloads and rides real level. just my experience. .

 

[CLAYTON]

Mine came with a spring over. I have plenty of clearance. I even have BFG 315's which raises the back up a little. The back end of the 5th wheels is a little lower then the front though.

 

[Grunt]

Here's a picture of my trailer after a "spring over" and a 6" subframe. Also went from 4 leaf spring to a 6 leaf.



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[Mundgyver]

That is a large lift, how much did you go up

 

[Bob V]

Some Jayco 5th wheels have 2" of adjustment built into their spring atachment points. That was enough for my '97 and my '05 with 35" tires.

 

[SOLER]

I have posted this many times. I had a welder take the whole axle assembly off the frame, and put a piece of 3" tubing on each side. He welded those tubes to the frame, and then welded the axle perches to the tube. The geometry of the axle flex is unaffected, but an axle flop is.



my $. 02



SOLER

 

[Grunt]

That is a large lift, how much did you go up

I believe it gave me between 10-12" of lift.



Here is how it sits behind my Dodge



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[Mundgyver]

Wow, I raised my trailer 6 inches and it runs nice and level with the truck. 10" to 12" is alot. Do you get any towing problems with tracking or wind??

 

[viper700]

Grunt

If you do the math the axel is about 3 1/2" in D. and the springs about 1 1/2" and the spring pad is 1/2 to 3/4. This will bring you up about 5 1/2". Looking at your picture it might seem higher but 5 1/5" is where it is at. Your Truck clearance looks like it is about the right height.

 

[Grunt]

Grunt

If you do the math the axel is about 3 1/2" in D. and the springs about 1 1/2" and the spring pad is 1/2 to 3/4. This will bring you up about 5 1/2". Looking at your picture it might seem higher but 5 1/5" is where it is at. Your Truck clearance looks like it is about the right height.

Now add in the 6" subframe