Towing a fifth wheel with a 6" lift. Will I have issues?

[lacofdfireman]

I bought an 07.5 New body style Chevy Duramax truck and it came with a 6" lift and 295 tires. Basically 35" tires. We are in the process of buying a 2014 Grand Reflection 303RLS and I'm worried about driving out 300 mikes to pick it up because my truck is lifted. My truck has the B&W turnover ball and the guy is giving us his B&W companion hitch out of his truck to go with the fifth wheel. Is it possible I'll get up there to buy this and my truck will be to high for the fifth wheel to work? Also should I put airbags on my truck? The guy that owned the truck before me took the airbags off that he had on.

[lacofdfireman]

Cummins12V98 wrote:

lacofdfireman wrote:

Planning wrote:
Just go available "A" once a month and you can have a new truck and 5er.;)

Haha. I hear ya. I just bought the truck less than a month ago and really like I so not getting rid of it. Also went to a local 4x4 shop to find out about the lift and having it removed. They soar it would cost more than putting a lift on the truck because of the type of lift that it has. Also they said it's a 4" lift not 6. Looking into putting airbags on now. Trailer will be getting a 2-3" lift and with the airbags illl be good to go. Trailer I bought is just over 9k empty. Pulled it with my truck as is up to 80mph the other day and it pulls great and not sketchy at all. I could probably Lela even everything as is and be totally fine but with lifting the trailer 2" and getting rid of trn15" wheels for 16 and airbags I'll be more than good.

YES, bag the truck and RV add a lift to RV heck yea tow it all day at 80. For good measure maybe some 19.5's on the truck. :B

Oh boy here we go again.

[mx727]

He had about a four inch lift. To me, it looked like a significant amount of weight is being transferred to rear axle.

[Cummins12V98]

lacofdfireman wrote:

Planning wrote:
Just go available "A" once a month and you can have a new truck and 5er.;)

Haha. I hear ya. I just bought the truck less than a month ago and really like I so not getting rid of it. Also went to a local 4x4 shop to find out about the lift and having it removed. They soar it would cost more than putting a lift on the truck because of the type of lift that it has. Also they said it's a 4" lift not 6. Looking into putting airbags on now. Trailer will be getting a 2-3" lift and with the airbags illl be good to go. Trailer I bought is just over 9k empty. Pulled it with my truck as is up to 80mph the other day and it pulls great and not sketchy at all. I could probably Lela even everything as is and be totally fine but with lifting the trailer 2" and getting rid of trn15" wheels for 16 and airbags I'll be more than good.

YES, bag the truck and RV add a lift to RV heck yea tow it all day at 80. For good measure maybe some 19.5's on the truck. :B

[lacofdfireman]

Planning wrote:
Just go available "A" once a month and you can have a new truck and 5er.;)

Haha. I hear ya. I just bought the truck less than a month ago and really like I so not getting rid of it. Also went to a local 4x4 shop to find out about the lift and having it removed. They soar it would cost more than putting a lift on the truck because of the type of lift that it has. Also they said it's a 4" lift not 6. Looking into putting airbags on now. Trailer will be getting a 2-3" lift and with the airbags illl be good to go. Trailer I bought is just over 9k empty. Pulled it with my truck as is up to 80mph the other day and it pulls great and not sketchy at all. I could probably Lela even everything as is and be totally fine but with lifting the trailer 2" and getting rid of trn15" wheels for 16 and airbags I'll be more than good.

[Planning]

Just go available "A" once a month and you can have a new truck and 5er.;)

I traded a F350 (1 ton) SRW for the same in a dual rear wheel. Yes, I could have pulled it with the single 1 ton. The difference between the two while pulling is very significant both in driving performance and handling the load.

You want to do it with a 3/4 single. If, which is still in question, your weight fits within truck capacity, you will have zero safety margin.

There is a difference between "at fault" and "preventable. Good judgement often eliminates the need for good skill.

[john_bet]

When I was at an RV show in Indy this pass Monday I measured several 5er's overhang to the ground to include a GD model. They all were 60-61 inches. If my current truck was a 4x4 the tail gate would be 56" from the ground. With the 2" squat I now have with my current RV, then my distance from tail gate to the bottom of the GD would be 7". The rest of the math I will leave up to you.

[tmm2good]

I am not a fan of lifted trucks for towing, do people do it all the time? sure, Would I - NO.
If you want real world experience of towing 5ers with lifted trucks, go over to glamisdunes.com. lots of lifted trucks over there pulling big 5ers out to the dunes.

[Me_Again]

ford truck guy wrote:
I too had a lifted truck when I was younger... I grew up and had to decide between camping, or a lifted truck . .

I suggest that you think about why you want a lifted truck . .

That answer may influence your next decision.
and to the question, I do not see how you would be able to hook up and tow that trailer with the trucks present configuration. I had an almost bare bones stock F250 when I got my first fiver back in "07".. The trailer was pulling a major wheelie down the road, and that put way too much weight on the rear tires...

^^^ What he said. This is the correct answer. If you want to tow a 5th wheel, first turn your hat around so the bill is forward, dump the lift and put decent LRE tires on the truck. Camp ON!

Chris

[laknox]

lacofdfireman wrote:
I bought an 07.5 New body style Chevy Duramax truck and it came with a 6" lift and 295 tires. Basically 35" tires. We are in the process of buying a 2014 Grand Reflection 303RLS and I'm worried about driving out 300 mikes to pick it up because my truck is lifted. My truck has the B&W turnover ball and the guy is giving us his B&W companion hitch out of his truck to go with the fifth wheel. Is it possible I'll get up there to buy this and my truck will be to high for the fifth wheel to work? Also should I put airbags on my truck? The guy that owned the truck before me took the airbags off that he had on.

You will likely have major issues. Short term, find someone to tow the FW home for you. Once home, then start figuring out what you need to do to get things level and safe. FWIW, I heard that some GM lifts require a part to be cut off the front suspension (or transfer case or something), and that can't be put back without replacing the entire part that was modified.

Lyle

[ScottG]

If you want to enjoy the towing performance your truck was designed to deliver, lose the big tires and lift. Both are detrimental to its towing capacity.

[JIMNLIN]

Much depends on the lift type...... Suspension or body.

Some suspension lifts were know to be a show and no go as far as carrying heavy loads and keeping the trucks OEM load carrying ratings.
Because the previous owner had bags on it could mean he was carrying more weight than the 6" suspension lift suspension could handle or he may have been simply overloaded on the rear.

However for just 300 miles I would check out your route with the 13" 6" max height on fed roads and less on rural and county roads. Your call

[ford_truck_guy]

I too had a lifted truck when I was younger... I grew up and had to decide between camping, or a lifted truck . .

I suggest that you think about why you want a lifted truck . .

That answer may influence your next decision.
and to the question, I do not see how you would be able to hook up and tow that trailer with the trucks present configuration. I had an almost bare bones stock F250 when I got my first fiver back in "07".. The trailer was pulling a major wheelie down the road, and that put way too much weight on the rear tires...

[rhagfo]

Well the listed height of the 5er is 143" 11,-11" tall so it could likely be lifted to match the TV, BUT!!!! I have a stock height 2001 Ram, and the floor of our 5er is about 3'+ off the ground, I can't see what this guy will end up with.

To the OP Donn and I don't see eye to eye too often, BUT why do you want to tow a 5er with a TV with a 6" lift, either get a TT, or drop the TV back down to stock height.

Just like Cummins12V98 pointed out, Lifted TV and 5ers are not stable.

[Dave_and_Sue]

One other thing is the max height of the 5er. What ever it came from the factory,plus your 6" lift just might make you over the 13' 6" max height most states have.