New 5th Wheel & New Truck - Running nose high - UGH!!

[Herzog]

We recently purchased a 2016 Hideout 5th wheel (30 feet and 8000 pounds). Last summer I bought a 2016 Ram 2500 4x4 gas truck. We love both but when I hitched up to bring the RV home, it was running about 4-5 inches nose high.

I can't flip the axles as they came from the factory under the springs, and I have the pin box as high as it will go. There is about 6-7 inches of distance between the top of the bed rails and the bottom of the RV....seems good to go there.

The only recommendations I got from the dealer to raise the trailer were:
1. Build a box frame and put it between the trailer and the axles
2. Let it go and all should be ok.

I guess I should have received better advice for a $30,000+ investment...ugh

I don't want to add a box frame as it doesn;t sound very safe and the RV sits high enough as it is.

So, if I just "let it ride high", I assume I have more wear on the rear tires than on the front, but will it cause any other problems??

We only towed it about 40 miles to get it home but it seemed solid without any sway, but there was some chucking.

Any advice would sure be appreciated....I really think it is unreasonable that the newer trucks stand so darn high to begin with!

[Wild_Card]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"If a man didnt want to go that route there is a 3" block under my rear springs on the Dually. Removed and I am now level."

If you did remove the block the truck would be riding nose high.

depends how much the trailer squats the rear of the truck, but no as the truck sits unloaded removing the block still gives it about inch to inch and half rake. The block is not 3'' anyway...at least on mine.

But the theory here is reverse leveling the truck, then you can add air bags to stop the truck from sagging past a rear low condition. So a person has the ability to pick up an Inch here or an inch there to get everything level...not just jacking up the trailer.

[rhagfo]

Herzog wrote:

dinwiddi wrote:
Jimmyfred is onto something. Go to trailerblocks.com and look around. That is my plan for raising trailer at the axles.

Thanks Dinwitti....I went to trailerblocks.com and it seems to be the best solution so far. Guys lift trucks with rear axle blocks all the time with no issues, so why wouldn't it work for an RV????

I never heard of this place before but I will be contacting them soon....

From what I can rough calculate, if I put 2" blocks over the axles, the back bumper should come up about 3-4 inches...almost level!! thanks again.

The reason it is not a good idea is the twisting that your axles on the RV are subjected to that the rear axle on a TV are not! I woul limit it to a 1" block.

[Herzog]

dinwiddi wrote:
Jimmyfred is onto something. Go to trailerblocks.com and look around. That is my plan for raising trailer at the axles.

Thanks Dinwitti....I went to trailerblocks.com and it seems to be the best solution so far. Guys lift trucks with rear axle blocks all the time with no issues, so why wouldn't it work for an RV????

I never heard of this place before but I will be contacting them soon....

From what I can rough calculate, if I put 2" blocks over the axles, the back bumper should come up about 3-4 inches...almost level!! thanks again.

[MFL]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
"If a man didnt want to go that route there is a 3" block under my rear springs on the Dually. Removed and I am now level."

If you did remove the block the truck would be riding nose high.

:B

[Cummins12V98]

"If a man didnt want to go that route there is a 3" block under my rear springs on the Dually. Removed and I am now level."

If you did remove the block the truck would be riding nose high.

[dinwiddi]

Jimmyfred is onto something. Go to trailerblocks.com and look around. That is my plan for raising trailer at the axles.

[Wild_Card]

time2roll wrote:

john&bet wrote:
This is a very major reason I will not be buying a 4x4 truck. Just to darn high.

It would push me into a used truck before I gave up 4wd.

Iys not as big a deal as people are making it out to be. I have a '15 Ram dually 4wd and a brand new voltage toyhauler. With and Andersen Ultimate and 7" bed clearance I am 3" nose high. The trailer has standard equalizers and 235/80 tires. By the time I upgrade equalizers and put real tires I will be perfectly level.


If a man didnt want to go that route there is a 3" block under my rear springs on the Dually. Removed and I am now level.


I would never be caught with a diesel truck and 2wd...let a lone a dually and 2wd, but my stuff goes off the pavement alot.

[Searching_Ut]

jimmyfred wrote:
..........WHY , can't you simply purchase some of those blocks\inserts they use on the rear axles of 3/4 , 1 ton trucks and get longer Ubolts and add them to the suspension ? , jf

Lifted trucks are common in my area, and I've seen more than one person do as you suggest only to learn that the lippert frame I-beams are not strong enough to support the side loads and get twisted due to the extra leverage applied to the shackles.

[time2roll]

john&bet wrote:
This is a very major reason I will not be buying a 4x4 truck. Just to darn high.

It would push me into a used truck before I gave up 4wd.

[Wild_Card]

Herzog wrote:

jimmyfred wrote:
..........WHY , can't you simply purchase some of those blocks\inserts they use on the rear axles of 3/4 , 1 ton trucks and get longer Ubolts and add them to the suspension ? , jf

I believe that would LIFT the truck making it taller....also it has coil springs do there are no blocks to remove.....

He is talking about doing it to the trailer...not the truck

[IdaD]

john&bet wrote:
I can not find one to verify that. In '04 there is a 4-5 inch difference. All you guys that say you need a 4x4 do not live nor travel like I do. I have never been stuck with a 2x4 in snow solo, even when I lived in the Black Hills for 9 years. Just my experience.

I got stuck in over a foot of wet snow in my unplowed street a couple of weeks ago. Got it unstuck with some rocking but I would have had to shovel it out and put on chains if my truck was 2wd. A lot of this depends on where you live, I get that. In Idaho you'd lose more resale value with a 2wd truck than the 4wd option costs the instant you drove off the dealer's lot. There are just almost no 2wd trucks in this part of the country, with good reason.

[Herzog]

jimmyfred wrote:
..........WHY , can't you simply purchase some of those blocks\inserts they use on the rear axles of 3/4 , 1 ton trucks and get longer Ubolts and add them to the suspension ? , jf

I believe that would LIFT the truck making it taller....also it has coil springs do there are no blocks to remove.....

[jimmyfred]

..........WHY , can't you simply purchase some of those blocks\inserts they use on the rear axles of 3/4 , 1 ton trucks and get longer Ubolts and add them to the suspension ? , jf

[Cummins12V98]

john&bet wrote:

Cummins12V98 wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

john&bet wrote:
This is a very major reason I will not be buying a 4x4 truck. Just to darn high.

This is the last reason I would use to disqualify a 4X4!

RAM 2x4 and 4x4 sit about the same since 2013.

I can not find one to verify that. In '04 there is a 4-5 inch difference. All you guys that say you need a 4x4 do not live nor travel like I do. I have never been stuck with a 2x4 in snow solo, even when I lived in the Black Hills for 9 years. Just my experience.

Having your wife at dust taking the wrong road back to camp that the GPS was directing her to take and the road goes from gravel to sand with her getting stuck in 2wd made it priceless to have 4wd!

[john_bet]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

rhagfo wrote:

john&bet wrote:
This is a very major reason I will not be buying a 4x4 truck. Just to darn high.

This is the last reason I would use to disqualify a 4X4!

RAM 2x4 and 4x4 sit about the same since 2013.

I can not find one to verify that. In '04 there is a 4-5 inch difference. All you guys that say you need a 4x4 do not live nor travel like I do. I have never been stuck with a 2x4 in snow solo, even when I lived in the Black Hills for 9 years. Just my experience.