I new to the 5er world. In fact I aquired my older 35ft unit in late June. just got my truck late Nov. Hitch installed late Jan. my question is measuring from the ground up, how high can my hitch be? my 5er at river in storage. want my truck ready to tow when i go. my truck has slight lift. Thanks for any help anyone can give.
Alie and Jims Carrilite said
04:46 AM Jan 26, 2013
You want your 5'er to tow as level as it can. A little nose high is ok though. But you also need 6-7" of clearance between the truck bedrails and the 5'er overhang. Most pinboxes are adjustable for height and some hitches are as well. With my setup, I have the pin box in the second set of holes down, the superglide hitch is at its stock height and I have 7 inches of clearance on the bedrails and tow about 1-2 inches nose high. My wheel weightsand axle weights are all within spec on the trailer. If you put the nose of the trailer too high, the springs will transfer weight to the rear axle of the trailer causing it to carry more of the load and potentially overloading it. You might be better off taking the tools you need to the storage lot and do your set up there.
chip said
06:03 AM Jan 26, 2013
Thanks much for your input. would you happen to know how high your hitch is from the ground? my truck is a F 350 4x4 (already high) plus its been lifted. I dont want to get into flipping the trailer springs and etc. I have been trying to find my truck "stock" so I can guess at the lift. thinking 3 maybe 4 inches. ive been told that 4" is enough side rail.... your 6 would be safer. what you think about 4?
Terry and Jo said
05:08 PM Jan 26, 2013
Chip,
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You will find it to be a source of a lot of information. Considering all the different participants, there is a wealth of knowledge of just about every type of RV and RV lifestyle. Glad to have you as part of the family.
As to the 4" of clearance between the truck bed and fifth wheel overhang, I would be leary of that, unless you knew that you would always be on pretty flat terrain and there wouldn't be any sharp incline changes going into parks, fuel stations, and the like. However, since you bought a 4X4, I suspect that at least some of your terrain and roads will be a bit rough.
Good luck with your research and preparing.
Terry
chip said
05:50 PM Jan 26, 2013
Thanks Terry,
I guess that is why there is an adjustment in the hitch. I saw a posting on another site that suggested that the measurement I'm looking for is 48-52 inches. That would be from the ground to the top of a level hitch. Does that sound right? I think I'm at around 58". It would make things much easier if I had access to my 5er. Not sure there is a simple answer for the rail distance adjustment.
Lucky Mike said
05:56 PM Jan 26, 2013
You need to set up your height with the 5ver available to make sure it is right.....bring your tools to the yard and do it on site........I wouls suggest 6 inches on the rail......2 inches doesnt seem like much but when you go to pull into a park or fuel stop and the 5ver doesnt clear the bed while turning or because of an incline.....that dent that appeared in your bed rail will be awful expensive!!
There are no universal measurements for truck to trailer height....the 2 units should be on level ground and go from there.........for a quick height on trailer pin .....level it and measure from ground to plate, that should give you a rough hitch height.....remember that the truck is going to squat with the wieght applied so you will have to take that into account....
Good luck
chip said
07:30 AM Jan 27, 2013
Thanks to everyone. Being the newby isnt much fun when you have to ask dumb questions. Just being lazy I guess. I was in hopes to be ready when I get back to the river.
you know.... hook up and go. Life can't be that simple. Thanks again and I hope I will be able to pass on good info down the road. Regards,
Chip
Bill and Linda said
04:26 PM Jan 27, 2013
chip wrote:
I new to the 5er world. In fact I aquired my older 35ft unit in late June. just got my truck late Nov. Hitch installed late Jan. my question is measuring from the ground up, how high can my hitch be? my 5er at river in storage. want my truck ready to tow when i go. my truck has slight lift. Thanks for any help anyone can give.
Chip:
4” of clearance simply isn’t enough.Going “off-road” is no more the issue than coming off an Interstate ramp.During turns or dips even going into some service stations can cause a bedrail to trailer bump.May not happen in the first 6 months, but it will happen, and it is not pretty.
Trailers can be “lifted” to allow for them to run level.We had our lifted 3” at the factory but it can be done later and just as well by companies like MOR/ryde.This is sometimes the only solution to the problem if the trailer is “low” and the truck is “high” other than an RV-Hauler bed (which is not an inexpensive albeit the best solution.)
Running the trailer high in the front puts uneven weight on the back axle.However, you simply must have the bed rail clearance.Therefore, best solution (money aside) is to run the trailer high and then get it lifted so it can run level as soon as possible making sure the tires are properly inflated, etc.
That’s kind of the short version.You’re not alone.This “issue” happens all the time when the RV dealer doesn’t help with proper information.They seldom do as it nixes an easy sell.
Bill
Racerguy said
06:36 PM Jan 27, 2013
Just an opinion but if it were me I would remove the lift kit from the truck.You would like the difference in how the truck handles not towing and help solve the towing problem.Of course I'm not a fan of lifted trucks so my opinion might be a little jaded.
Terry and Jo said
10:01 PM Jan 27, 2013
Chip,
A couple of questions that might lead to a solution to your pin box height questions. When you parked it in storage, did you level the coach after unhooking? Is there someone you know or that runs the storage place that could then measure the distance from the pin box to the ground? If the answers to the questions are yes, then I would suggest calling the storage facility or a friend in that area.
I might also be a good idea to get the measurement from the the underside of the nose of the trailer to the ground. Knowing the difference between those two measurements, you might be able to determine what the distance is from the top of the fifth wheel hitch to the underside of the nose, thus giving you an idea of bed to underside of nose clearance.
Like George (Racerguy), I'm also not a fan of lifted vehicles. If nothing else, they seem to be less stable and subject to sway to me. Then again, I've never owned a lifted vehicle either, so that consideration may not amount to much.
Terry
wildbill2673 said
04:58 AM Jan 28, 2013
OK best advise measure your the height of your truck bed on level ground then measure the nose of the camper if the camper is less than the four inches then you will have to do the camper lift thing and it is not as hard as you think you will need new spring seats, new u bolts and the tools to lift the camper.
chip said
06:54 AM Jan 29, 2013
My thanks to all. You have got me thinking. my goal was to NOT get a lifted truck but I found one that had everything I wanted. So far I have come to really like the feel. Maybe that will change when I start towing. Best guess right now is "maybe 3", 4" max on the lift. Good advice about getting someone to measure at storage yard. This is why these forums are way cool. Going back to stock tires alone will drop me 2". Going bigger tires on 5er will help. You guys are great.....
Regards,
Chip
Most pinboxes are adjustable for height and some hitches are as well.
With my setup, I have the pin box in the second set of holes down, the superglide hitch is at its stock height and I have 7 inches of clearance on the bedrails and tow about 1-2 inches nose high. My wheel weightsand axle weights are all within spec on the trailer.
If you put the nose of the trailer too high, the springs will transfer weight to the rear axle of the trailer causing it to carry more of the load and potentially overloading it.
You might be better off taking the tools you need to the storage lot and do your set up there.
Chip,
Welcome to the RV Dreams forums. You will find it to be a source of a lot of information. Considering all the different participants, there is a wealth of knowledge of just about every type of RV and RV lifestyle. Glad to have you as part of the family.
As to the 4" of clearance between the truck bed and fifth wheel overhang, I would be leary of that, unless you knew that you would always be on pretty flat terrain and there wouldn't be any sharp incline changes going into parks, fuel stations, and the like. However, since you bought a 4X4, I suspect that at least some of your terrain and roads will be a bit rough.
Good luck with your research and preparing.
Terry
There are no universal measurements for truck to trailer height....the 2 units should be on level ground and go from there.........for a quick height on trailer pin .....level it and measure from ground to plate, that should give you a rough hitch height.....remember that the truck is going to squat with the wieght applied so you will have to take that into account....
Good luck
Chip:
4” of clearance simply isn’t enough. Going “off-road” is no more the issue than coming off an Interstate ramp. During turns or dips even going into some service stations can cause a bedrail to trailer bump. May not happen in the first 6 months, but it will happen, and it is not pretty.
Trailers can be “lifted” to allow for them to run level. We had our lifted 3” at the factory but it can be done later and just as well by companies like MOR/ryde. This is sometimes the only solution to the problem if the trailer is “low” and the truck is “high” other than an RV-Hauler bed (which is not an inexpensive albeit the best solution.)
Running the trailer high in the front puts uneven weight on the back axle. However, you simply must have the bed rail clearance. Therefore, best solution (money aside) is to run the trailer high and then get it lifted so it can run level as soon as possible making sure the tires are properly inflated, etc.
That’s kind of the short version. You’re not alone. This “issue” happens all the time when the RV dealer doesn’t help with proper information. They seldom do as it nixes an easy sell.
Bill
Chip,
A couple of questions that might lead to a solution to your pin box height questions. When you parked it in storage, did you level the coach after unhooking? Is there someone you know or that runs the storage place that could then measure the distance from the pin box to the ground? If the answers to the questions are yes, then I would suggest calling the storage facility or a friend in that area.
I might also be a good idea to get the measurement from the the underside of the nose of the trailer to the ground. Knowing the difference between those two measurements, you might be able to determine what the distance is from the top of the fifth wheel hitch to the underside of the nose, thus giving you an idea of bed to underside of nose clearance.
Like George (Racerguy), I'm also not a fan of lifted vehicles. If nothing else, they seem to be less stable and subject to sway to me. Then again, I've never owned a lifted vehicle either, so that consideration may not amount to much.
Terry
OK best advise measure your the height of your truck bed on level ground then measure the nose of the camper if the camper is less than the four inches then you will have to do the camper lift thing and it is not as hard as you think you will need new spring seats, new u bolts and the tools to lift the camper.