Anyone running with 5.5" bed rail clearance?

[grampscamper]

I'm curious to know if anyone is running with 5.5" bed rail clearance. I've always had at least 6" or more clearance in the past. I have a 2017 F350 Super Duty. Hooked up to our 5th wheel yesterday and have 5.5" of clearance & the trailer is 1-1/2" nose high. If I raise my hitch I will be 2.5" off level. We typically stay in resort style campgrounds and stay on major highways. Dealer said I won't have any problems.

[drag_slick]

TS21sso,
My 5-er is about 1700 lb pin weight and I carry a tool box and other stuff in the box as well so about 2000 lb total load in the bed including hitch.

As far as other uses go, I also haul a tractor on a flatbed that's about 9000 lb total weight between the two.

Heaviest thing I've had in the bed other than the camper was about 1500 lbs of rubber stall mats.

I've not noticed anything odd about the suspension from before or after the shackles were installed.

The camper is an inch or two nose high, but i've since dropped down to a 275/65/18 tire which took me from 32.7 to 32.1 tire height. I've not hitched up since putting the shorter tire on.

The drop shackles sure have made loading and unloading things from the bed a lot easier. Gave the torsion bars a couple turns to level the truck out as well

[TS21sso]

drag_slick wrote:
I've a pair of McGaughys drop shackles in my 2014 2500HD for about a year and a half now, made a ton of difference

drag_slick,
During this year and a half, may I ask what type of loads and or pin weights has the suspension been subject to. This is the solution I am choosing to take for the clearance problem, just looking for someone who has already used these shackles with out experiencing any problems. Thanks

[drag_slick]

I've a pair of McGaughys drop shackles in my 2014 2500HD for about a year and a half now, made a ton of difference

[ZeeLet50]

Thats what i would do, there is a 2" lowering shackle that works well on GM vehicles.

[campinghut]

I am going to try it this weekend. I have not read any cons about driveline angles/vibration. 2017 F350 with air bags.

[TS21sso]

There has been much discussion on this post about lifting the trailer to accomplish both the bed clearance and nose high condition.
Has anyone corrected this same problem by using 2" lowering spring shackles on the rear of their TV? What would be the pros and cons of this solution to the problem?

[grampscamper]

Lantley wrote:
I ran in the 5-6" range for a while. I had some mild contact. No real damage but some minor scrapes. It was not an ideal situation. Eventually I had Correct Trax. Axle Alignment kit installed strictly for the 2" lift it provides. The Correct Trax kit resolved my issues.

Correct Tracks

Our trailer came with this system. Unfortunately it's not an option.
Thanks

[grampscamper]

memtb wrote:
grampscamper, Went out and measured my clearance today. Conditions were not"perfectly" level... one side 6 1/2" , the other 7 1/2" . So, I guessing that I'm around 7" . I would like to have greater clearance, but I want to keep trailer level. memtb

Thanks for the info. When I checked mine it wasn't perfectly level either. When I get some time I'll tow it to a nice level spot and take more accurate measurements. I know I'm not at 7".

[memtb]

grampscamper, Went out and measured my clearance today. Conditions were not"perfectly" level... one side 6 1/2" , the other 7 1/2" . So, I guessing that I'm around 7" . I would like to have greater clearance, but I want to keep trailer level. memtb

[Lantley]

I ran in the 5-6" range for a while. I had some mild contact. No real damage but some minor scrapes. It was not an ideal situation. Eventually I had Correct Trax. Axle Alignment kit installed strictly for the 2" lift it provides. The Correct Trax kit resolved my issues.

Correct Tracks

[grampscamper]

memtb wrote:
grampscamper, This is from (bad) experience, back in early '94.Though there was very little damage to camper beneath nose, it was still damage. As mentioned, wrong turn, had to turn around. As we now do some off roading (boondocking),I prefer 8" or more clearance if at all possible! memtb

Thanks for the information. I don't think there is anyway I could get 8" of clearance. I would be happy with anything over 6". The 5th wheel is still in storage. In the next week or two I will bring it home and see if I can come up with a solution.

[memtb]

grampscamper, This is from (bad) experience, back in early '94.Though there was very little damage to camper beneath nose, it was still damage. As mentioned, wrong turn, had to turn around. As we now do some off roading (boondocking),I prefer 8" or more clearance if at all possible! memtb

[grampscamper]

memtb wrote:

grampscamper wrote:
I'm curious to know if anyone is running with 5.5" bed rail clearance. I've always had at least 6" or more clearance in the past. I have a 2017 F350 Super Duty. Hooked up to our 5th wheel yesterday and have 5.5" of clearance & the trailer is 1-1/2" nose high. If I raise my hitch I will be 2.5" off level. We typically stay in resort style campgrounds and stay on major highways. Dealer said I won't have any problems.

I did..... now don't. Under ideal conditions, you'll be fine. But, unexpected things happen. A wrong turn, requiring a turnaround in less than "ideal" conditions is but one of many things that can cause you problems. I'd either try to lower the truck or raise the unit! JMO. Good Luck with whatever you decide. memtb

Did you have contact between your truck and trailer or did you do this as a preventative measure?

[memtb]

grampscamper wrote:
I'm curious to know if anyone is running with 5.5" bed rail clearance. I've always had at least 6" or more clearance in the past. I have a 2017 F350 Super Duty. Hooked up to our 5th wheel yesterday and have 5.5" of clearance & the trailer is 1-1/2" nose high. If I raise my hitch I will be 2.5" off level. We typically stay in resort style campgrounds and stay on major highways. Dealer said I won't have any problems.

I did..... now don't. Under ideal conditions, you'll be fine. But, unexpected things happen. A wrong turn, requiring a turnaround in less than "ideal" conditions is but one of many things that can cause you problems. I'd either try to lower the truck or raise the unit! JMO. Good Luck with whatever you decide. memtb