new ram 3500 4x4 tailgate height and fifth wheel clearance

I was concerned about this same issue. We purchased a RW 38GK last September at the Hershey RV Show, and the dealer agreed to store it a year since we don't start FT until the end of 2014. This gave me time to get the best TV for our useage. I had already decided that a standard pickup box would offer awfully low clearance and little lockable storage, so I started looking for utility bed bodies I could mount on a Ram 3500 crew cab chassis cab dually, and found the Knapheide Westerner body. The bed sits an inch higher than the standard pickup, but the rails are seven inches lower, so this should give me plenty of clearance while also giving us about 40 cubic feet of lockable storage for tools and stuff. This rig will be delivered in June and will go to the Knapheide dealer, where they'll install the body. They will have to fabricate some brackets for the 22K Reese's hitch, but this shouldn't be a big problem. The moment of truth will come when I get the TV and drive the 300 miles to the RV dealer to pick up the 5er. It may be perfect, we may have to adjust the height of hitch and/or pin box, or it may all go horribly wrong. I did the research for two months, but some times the best laid plans of men... :-) If I had the $30K I'd have ordered a hauler body from Classy Chassis, but that was too rich for my blood. I'll let you know how it all works out.

I have 2014 Ram 3500 4x4 dually and pull a 2014 Montana 3900FB had it set up at Camping World at Lowell Arkansas and it has plenty of clearance

youreckon wrote:
on Ram there are spacer plates that can be moved to the top of the spring pack. This can lower the bed several inches. 4x4 shackles are 5.5 inches --4x2 spring shackles are 4.5 inches. mix and match to get height. Ford used to have lowering kits for tt towing. I believe Chevy did also.

The OP posted his question on - FEBRUARY 22.

The last reply before the above was on - FEB. 23.

The above reply was on - MAY 12.

A wild guess would be....
he somehow solved his problem in the almost 3 Months since he posted..:@

Maybe his Jayco had the factory "Jake Plates" which allow raising the trailer?

Would be nice to know how he solved it, but......:?

~

Just shows that it pays to buy the right truck for the RV.

Another reason for my 2wd.

youreckon wrote:
on Ram there are spacer plates that can be moved to the top of the spring pack. This can lower the bed several inches. 4x4 shackles are 5.5 inches --4x2 spring shackles are 4.5 inches. mix and match to get height. Ford used to have lowering kits for tt towing. I believe Chevy did also.

Yes ,an option, but they sit high in the back at least my 2014 3500 Ram does, with the fifth wheel sitting on it the truck is pretty level. Lower the truck, then the truck will be too low in the back, raise it back with airbags then back where I started.

gtsum wrote:
I have a 2014 Ram 3500 SRW and recently backed under 2 different fifths at the dealer because I was concerned with your issue as well. The first was a Jayco Eagle HT series...only about 8k dry, 10k GVWR. The floorplan is what we wanted in a rig....the truck maybe squatted an inch. I then backed under a Grand Designs 40 ft that had a dry weight of 12300 I think it was...truck settled about 2 inches and had at least 7 inches bedrail clearance and was about perfectly level. Obviously the much bigger, heavier unit with 16 inch tires seemed to setup a lot better. I think I will need to go with a heavier pin weight rig, because the lighter ones dont settle the truck much at all.

Same truck, totally different results with 2008 3400RL , sits nose high pushes truck down about 2*1/2" have the Onan 5500 generator in the front so it is a bit heavier on pin weight then some. These fifth wheels you are backing under are obviously higher than my Montana, you wouldn't like the level on mine. Pin box high as it can go, hitch as low as it can go. Only choice at this point if I want it more level is to raise the fifth wheel ,which I am looking into.
Makes no sense to me to lower the truck ,then I will be too low when hooked up , would have to add air bags to level up the truck. Truck sits pretty level hooked up now . I would probably be at about the same level I am now lowering the truck, then bringing it back to level, nothing accomplished.

I have a 2014 Ram 3500 SRW and recently backed under 2 different fifths at the dealer because I was concerned with your issue as well. The first was a Jayco Eagle HT series...only about 8k dry, 10k GVWR. The floorplan is what we wanted in a rig....the truck maybe squatted an inch. I then backed under a Grand Designs 40 ft that had a dry weight of 12300 I think it was...truck settled about 2 inches and had at least 7 inches bedrail clearance and was about perfectly level. Obviously the much bigger, heavier unit with 16 inch tires seemed to setup a lot better. I think I will need to go with a heavier pin weight rig, because the lighter ones dont settle the truck much at all.

FYI..I have a one year old 3500 Ram 4x4 long bed with the Companion Turnoverball hitch and 2013 40 foot Montana with the moorride hitch, no problems. Runs level and great pull now for 6 months full-timing in AZ,CA, OR., WA. TX. and OKlahoma.

on Ram there are spacer plates that can be moved to the top of the spring pack. This can lower the bed several inches. 4x4 shackles are 5.5 inches --4x2 spring shackles are 4.5 inches. mix and match to get height. Ford used to have lowering kits for tt towing. I believe Chevy did also.