Leveling for Towing???

[bowler1]

Hi,
This is a followup to one of my previous posts. Just recently got my first 5th wheel. Dealer set it up pretty nose high despite claiming it was okay and telling me that it would level out with so weight in it.

It towed a bit better when I got some weight in it but was still noticeably high in the front. I lowered my hitch down to the lowest setting and it is still a bit high in the front; although a lot better. It seems to tow pretty well too.

I am going to be loading a good deal more weight in it (we are going to be living full time for a while). Should this help to level it out? Seems to me that it might, but only if the truck starts to squat so I don't know if it would still be nose high in that case. Or do I just need to raise the pin box? That sounds like a PIA, but I do have room to raise it a notch.

thanks for your help

Matt

[MFL]

Yes, this problem has worsened since the trucks are getting taller, and the RVs, while getting better, are not keeping up. You should post a pic of your rig hooked up, so we can see how too high it is.

Jerry

[ebshingleton]

over at blue dog RV they had no clue what to do with it. Is this the new problem? New trucks and 5th wheels not matching up when it comes to hieght

[Durb]

Your set-up doesn't look too bad to me. Weight shifts are all about angles. An inch nose high on a 40 ft. trailer will not affect the hitch angle nearly as much as ebshingleton's 29 ft. trailer. His weight shifts will be more dramatic. I might worry about the rear end dragging in certain situations.

In hindsight and of absolutely no value to you, the 2018 RAM dually sits about 2" lower than the SRW. Few people measure their truck and trailer's heights before purchasing.

ebshingleton, do a search on Correct Track suspension component. It might give you a couple of inches.

[Me_Again]

ebshingleton wrote:
Hi, i'm new to 5th wheel and i'm having the same problem it seems with a new Ram and nose high. I have a 2017 Ram 2500 all stock but with Fox 2.0 front shocks. just got a 2018 29' Open Range and after hooking up I am way to nose high for my liking. every thing I see says flip the axels but they were already flipped. At this point not sure how to fix the problem.

Subframe extension! They cut off the spring hangers and install a subframe and then new hangers.

[ebshingleton]

Hi, i'm new to 5th wheel and i'm having the same problem it seems with a new Ram and nose high. I have a 2017 Ram 2500 all stock but with Fox 2.0 front shocks. just got a 2018 29' Open Range and after hooking up I am way to nose high for my liking. every thing I see says flip the axels but they were already flipped. At this point not sure how to fix the problem.

[Me_Again]

bowler1 wrote:
Thanks for your help on this. I snapped a couple of pictures when out this weekend that show the camper hooked up. The road I am parked on has a very slight incline but is mostly level. You can see that the camper is nose high, but I am not sure if this is considered to be "significant" enough to worry about. It appears I have plenty of clearance with my truck rails and the truck is fairly level.

The truck is an 18 Ram 3500 with 4600 pound payload. Unloaded pin weight on the trailer is 2500 pounds.

Matt

I think if you look at the door jam sticker the listed payload for your particular truck is less. My 2015 3500 4x4 Laramie SBCC Aisin is stickered for 3664. RAM chart list 3920.

For long boxes the numbers on the chart are 4330 for Aisin trucks and 4480 for 68RFE trucks. So your door just sticker for a Laramie in most likely several hundred pounds less. The chart shows no combination with 4600 lbs capacity.

[mapguy]

Dayle1 wrote:

valhalla360 wrote:


Nose high by a couple inches has no appreciable impact on pin weight. The geometry just doesn't allow it to change the pin weight much.

If it gets excessive, it may impact the distribution between the two trailer axles but for modest amounts, it won't be significant as the suspension is designed to adjust for minor differences.

Static weight on each axle is not the entire issue. You are right, the equalizer will compensate for a nose high condition. But in doing so, remaining suspension travel for the rear axle is reduced. The increased shock stress while towing will reduce lifespan on all of the suspension from hangers, bolts, leaf springs, wheel bearings, wheels and tires.

The equalizer is a suspension component and not intended to compensate for the trailer being un-level.

Still nose high in 1st picture.
Measure distance from frame to ground at front and rear of main frame on fairly level ground - the difference between the two measurements is pretty close to the amount you are out of level.

Make sure you have at least 6" clearance above bed rails. You need more clearance if boondocking in remote areas with primitive roads. Also, make sure your pinbox will clear the bedrails and tailgate during turning. Some times this is an issue.

Trailer level and bedrail clearance are two separate trailer setup items that many like to lump together.....

Weight distribution is a third separate trailer packing/setup issue.

Level trailer frame insures that the trailer suspension has the full range of travel available for both compression and rebound. It is important to note that a full functioning leaf spring system on a trailer has a very small travel range. Axle loading is important only in the sense you don't overload the axle or tires.

Equalizer is there to allow independent axle articulation as the suspension complies with the roadway imperfections (there are lots of these). Using the equalizer to make up for improper towing setup just compromises the trailer ride and overstresses components.

[valhalla360]

The bed clearance looks fine.

Hard to say how level it is from the picture since it looks like the whole road is sloping. Just eyeballing it it doesn't look too bad.

Take a couple measurements on the frame to get a real estimate.

[j2catfish]

Closer to level is always best, but some manufacturers state that " slight nose high is Okay". No mention of exactly what "slight" means.
Catfish

[MFL]

Looking at pics, I'd still adjust pin box. With a helper, it is not a big job, and closer to level is always best, if you have ample bed rail clearance.

Jerry

[alexleblanc]

looks like you have 8-10 inches of clearance currently, I would adjust the pin box to whatever the setting that gives you between 6-7inch clearance and call it a day.

[tinner12002]

MFL wrote:
If you are more than 1-2 inches nose high yet, I would raise the pin box. You don't mention what your bed rail clearance is, but best to have at least 6"s.
If the truck squats an inch or two, that will help too. Towing a little nose high really is not an issue.

Jerry

I agree, but I'll also add that even 3-4 inches in 30 plus ft isn't going to hurt anything. Maintain at least 6in between the bot of RV and truck bed rail. Most dual axle setups have equalizers between the springs linking both together to help compensate unequal loads unless its extreme. Looking at your pics, it looks good to me just as it is!!

[azrving]

Doesn't look that bad. That thing is HUUUUGE. How long is it?

[bowler1]

Moderator edit to re-size pictures to forum recommended limit of 640px maximum width.

[bowler1]

Thanks for your help on this. I snapped a couple of pictures when out this weekend that show the camper hooked up. The road I am parked on has a very slight incline but is mostly level. You can see that the camper is nose high, but I am not sure if this is considered to be "significant" enough to worry about. It appears I have plenty of clearance with my truck rails and the truck is fairly level.

The truck is an 18 Ram 3500 with 4600 pound payload. Unloaded pin weight on the trailer is 2500 pounds.

Matt