Shorter pin box, dimension recommendations?
Picked up a new to us 2007 Kz Sportsmen 3551lx. I'm new to camping in general so there's a bit of a learning curve. As you can see the camper is a bit low on my stock height Ram. I'm thinki...
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These are some interesting questions and I've enjoyed thinking about these adjustments you are asking about. I know, kind of nerdy.
1. My KZ and another Jayco 5er I had had adjustable height spring mounts. There were 3 holes in each end hanger and 2 holes in the intermediate hanger to adjust ride height. I didn't have to change either one. I guess it would have came in handy if I had ever went from a 4 wheel drive truck to a 2 wheel drive. I'm not sure when KZ started doing this, but, a quick look at the suspension would confirm that this is not an option for you.
2. What is the distance from you tailgate in the down position to the camper when hitched up? Someone else has already mentioned this and something else to keep in mind is that you may not always be able to back up perfectly straight to hookup and the corner of the tailgate could hit your front storage door. Just something to keep in mind when looking at a shorter pin box.
3. As far as shifting weight to the steer axle, I talked to an engineer at B&W years ago about the affect of moving the hitch forward or back and he told me that at most it would probably add or takeaway 50 to 75 lbs on the steer axle. As far as adding more weight to by shortening the pin box, I don't think you will see any difference. A big rig would be a good example. They slide the fifth wheel to adjust the weight on the steer axle. They slide the tandems on the trailer to adjust the weight on the drive and trailer axles. My thinking is that shortening the pin box would not change the weight being put on the truck as you still have the same amount of weight from the trailer axles forward that the truck has to support. When I traded my Montana for my KZ with both being comparable in size and weight I told my wife that it felt like the KZ put more weight on the truck. Sure enough when I looked at pictures, the front axle on the KZ was where the rear axle on the Montana which would put more weight on the truck just like sliding the tandems back on a big rig.
Sorry for the long post. I'm working night shift and this gave me something to think about and hopefully make my night go quicker. Good luck with whatever changes you make and I hope that you enjoy camping as much as we have over the years.
1. My KZ and another Jayco 5er I had had adjustable height spring mounts. There were 3 holes in each end hanger and 2 holes in the intermediate hanger to adjust ride height. I didn't have to change either one. I guess it would have came in handy if I had ever went from a 4 wheel drive truck to a 2 wheel drive. I'm not sure when KZ started doing this, but, a quick look at the suspension would confirm that this is not an option for you.
2. What is the distance from you tailgate in the down position to the camper when hitched up? Someone else has already mentioned this and something else to keep in mind is that you may not always be able to back up perfectly straight to hookup and the corner of the tailgate could hit your front storage door. Just something to keep in mind when looking at a shorter pin box.
3. As far as shifting weight to the steer axle, I talked to an engineer at B&W years ago about the affect of moving the hitch forward or back and he told me that at most it would probably add or takeaway 50 to 75 lbs on the steer axle. As far as adding more weight to by shortening the pin box, I don't think you will see any difference. A big rig would be a good example. They slide the fifth wheel to adjust the weight on the steer axle. They slide the tandems on the trailer to adjust the weight on the drive and trailer axles. My thinking is that shortening the pin box would not change the weight being put on the truck as you still have the same amount of weight from the trailer axles forward that the truck has to support. When I traded my Montana for my KZ with both being comparable in size and weight I told my wife that it felt like the KZ put more weight on the truck. Sure enough when I looked at pictures, the front axle on the KZ was where the rear axle on the Montana which would put more weight on the truck just like sliding the tandems back on a big rig.
Sorry for the long post. I'm working night shift and this gave me something to think about and hopefully make my night go quicker. Good luck with whatever changes you make and I hope that you enjoy camping as much as we have over the years.
