Probably dumb question, but here goes....

tnclays wrote:
One of the limitations we had for buying our last fiver was that a number of the longer ones we were interested in couldn't make it up our driveway without bottoming out somewhere, e.g. sewer drain, rear bumper, etc. We settled on our current unit because a) it had a floor plan that met our needs and b) it made it up the driveway with no problem. Luckily, it was all for the best as I learned more about pin weights from this forum I discovered that some of the longer (and heavier) units probably would have been too much for my truck (naturally, the dealer never helped with that consideration!).

So now, to the question. I am about to pull the trigger on a dually that will greatly expand our weight horizon; and we have started looking at some longer fifth wheels. But I am mindful of the "bottoming out" issue with my driveway.

I think I have seen reference on the forum to folks who have "flipped axles" to increase the clearance of the bottom of their units. Is this easily done--by a service shop--- and how much additional clearance can be gained (probably specific to the unit) by this?

I appreciate any thoughts/comments. Thanks!

Just a few thoughts:

Most new units I've seen the past couple years already have the springs on top of the axles, so a "flip" has already been done.

Many units have adjustable spring hangers, or have these as an option, so you may have some room there.

Going to a larger diameter tire will only gain you minimal clearance. You have to be concerned with tire-to-tire and tire-to-wheel well clearances. You =might= gain 1" height if the axles on a particular unit are spaced wide enough, but you might lose your clearance in the wheel well.

Safest option for raising a FW seems to be adding a sub-frame and new spring hangars. If you do this, you'll have to watch overall height, especially if the FW is already near legal max. The advantage to this is that it strengthens the entire frame over the suspension, which can be a weak point on certain frames.

Some seem concerned with a slightly higher CG. If this is a major concern, travel with a half-full fresh water tank, or don't dump your waste tanks, instead of running empty. IMO, if a crosswind is enough to roll a FW, an extra 3-4" height isn't going to make a huge difference. If winds are that bad, you probably shouldn't be traveling in the first place.

Lyle