Raising my Fifth Wheel

I pulled out and replaced a shackle bolt by simply jacking the frame near the shackle. Didn't have to jack very high.

I will say yes if you know your way around the tool box. the trick in doing this is one must have all weight off the axles on at lest one side and high enough to bring equalizer down to the lower hole, but it is best to have the weight off both sides. Hope this helps.

johntank wrote:
I will say yes if you know your way around the tool box. the trick in doing this is one must have all weight off the axles on at lest one side and high enough to bring equalizer down to the lower hole, but it is best to have the weight off both sides. Hope this helps.

Just takes a bit of planing and caution, when I work on the suspension I use cribbing built of 12" long sections of 2X4's. You can get 8' 2X4's for about $2, and each will give you a 6" stack. I also have a couple of HD jack Stands I used last time.

Cribbing behind back axle.



Jack-stands assisting the Landing gear.



This is a better picture of the cribbing. The location I was using was not perfectly level, so I shimmed the first layer to level and built from there.

rhagfo wrote:

johntank wrote:
I will say yes if you know your way around the tool box. the trick in doing this is one must have all weight off the axles on at lest one side and high enough to bring equalizer down to the lower hole, but it is best to have the weight off both sides. Hope this helps.

Just takes a bit of planing and caution, when I work on the suspension I use cribbing built of 12 inch long sections of 2X4's. You can get 8' 2X4's for about $2, and each will give you a 6" stack. I also have a couple of HD jack Stands I used last time.

That's very similar to what I just did with our 38', 12,000 pound 5er when I installed wet bolts and a 1" block with 9/16" u bolts for a bit more wheel to body clearance. About the only difference is that I used 4x4x? treated which is usually tighter grained wood for cribbing. It might be even less expensive using the 4x4. I also cut them longer - 16 inches will get you 6 pieces from an 8 footer, 24 inches will get 4. The 12" length would worry me as far as stability - at least on ours, due to the height needed. Lower the nose as far as it will go, build up your cribbing then raise it back up until the wheels are off the ground. The landing gear is probably capable of holding the front but it will wiggle, hence the stationary jack stands. Oh and don't be surprised as I was if the spring shackles 'reverse' with the E-Z Flex or MORryde (two 5ers, with one or the other).

Irelands child, priced out the 2X4 to 4X4 and two 2X4's were cheaper than even the cheapest 4X4.
I also put a shoulder into the tail and it hardly moved!

I did mine last year and was fortunate enough to borrow some HD jack stands used in our shop on semis to rest frame on once jacked up. Knowing the wet bolts were serrated and probly not reusable, got new ones while I had it apart to re-mount the bolts in lower holes.

rhagfo wrote:
Irelands child, priced out the 2X4 to 4X4 and two 2X4's were cheaper than even the cheapest 4X4.
I also put a shoulder into the tail and it hardly moved!

I'm not arguing what you are doing, only stating what is a few bucks one way or another and my opinion on how I raise my high 5 figure 5th wheel for off the ground work

I suspect location may have something to do with cost. I'm also using treated wood. As far as sturdiness - I'll stick with the 4x4 and 16(good) to 24 (better/best)inch length - it is your choice. My history with cribbing is that as big as possible is better and an ~12,000, ~38 foot long 5th wheel crashing down on me would not make my day for the sake of a very few dollars invested in and my opinion, a safer approach. Whatever works and you are comfortable doing:C

I would recommend leaving the trailer hitched to the truck and raise the landing gear.

After jacking the frame near the axles use cribbing or jack stands before doing any work under trailer.

RCMAN46 wrote:
I would recommend leaving the trailer hitched to the truck and raise the landing gear.

After jacking the frame near the axles use cribbing or jack stands before doing any work under trailer.

Well both times I have done work on both axles at the same time I didn't have the option of leaving the TV attached. I also didn't consider as the cribbing is very stable, even a 12" square stack. Once the tires were off the ground I shoved hard at the back of the 5er barely moved, not worried about falling.

One other thing the other thing you may notice in the second picture that surface below the trailer slopes slightly to the left. I corrected for this by shimming the first layer to level in both directions.

One word of caution NEVER use cinder (concrete) blocks to support anything you plan on putting your body under.

First was Driveway was only long enough for the trailer.



Second current, end unit of Town Houses, enough space for the 5er, but TV would block neighbors garage.