'13 Ram 2500 - how much lift and pull 5th wheel?

[rctoyguy]

I'm looking to level or slightly lift my 2013 Ram 2500, and I plan to trade my current TT for a 5th wheel fairly soon. I'm not looking for a big lift at all, but between that and (slightly) larger tires, it might raise the top edge of the bed a couple of inches.
Since I don't have the 5th yet, and I'm not sure which one I'll end up with, I don't know how much clearance I will actually have.
So, realistically and generally, how high can the top edge of the bed be and still be able to pull a 5th wheel without doing anything to the camper?
LOL - I just realized that I guess I should see how high the top of my bed is now.

[bcbouy]

tufftruck front springs will level it out.and flip the fivers axles.you'll fit 35's easily.i had 3.5 inches of rake before i installed mine,now nice and level with airbags in the rear to even out when the campers on.and 35's.:)it looks lifted but it's not.

[Cummins12V98]

With a 6" lift your RV has to have some modifications. If not the rear tires will be carrying a lot more and possibly overloaded. Looks like the trailer in pic is quite nose high. I do see the landing gear is down but the bed clearance looks correct.

[fly-boy]

Can't find one with the fifth wheel but here are a couple pics with some steel I hauled back from Oklahoma for the roping arena- as you can see the trailer rides flat. The trailer had 25k pounds of steel on it but then lifted trucks can't do any real work...


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[Cummins12V98]

drittal wrote:

fly-boy wrote:
Not a Dodge but my Chevy DRW has a 6" lift, rides on 20" wheels and 35" tires. Tows our 45 foot fifth wheel no problem.

Do you have a picture of your setup hooked up and mods done to trailer and/or hitch to accomplish a level tow?

I would love to see that also! A nice side view on level ground.

[Me_Again]

rctoyguy wrote:
I've looked for takeoff 20's, if I replace the wheels it will most likely be for oem 20's. If I just replace tires, then I'm not sure - that's what led to my original question, but the more I think about it the more I think that any "lifting" I do would probably just be a front level.

Leveling the front will result in a nose high towing experience!

Maybe you need two trucks, one to do real work and one to look pretty?

[rctoyguy]

I've looked for takeoff 20's, if I replace the wheels it will most likely be for oem 20's. If I just replace tires, then I'm not sure - that's what led to my original question, but the more I think about it the more I think that any "lifting" I do would probably just be a front level.

[The_real_wild1]

Me Again wrote:
Find a set of 18" take offs. The 2015 Laramie wheels on our truck are about the best looking of the lot. 18" tires are cheaper to purchase vs 20".

Not the last time I bought tires. The fawkers charged me more for my 18's then they were charging for 17's and 20's. I asked them wtf and they said because 20's are more common now lol.

[fly-boy]

drittal wrote:

fly-boy wrote:
Not a Dodge but my Chevy DRW has a 6" lift, rides on 20" wheels and 35" tires. Tows our 45 foot fifth wheel no problem.

Do you have a picture of your setup hooked up and mods done to trailer and/or hitch to accomplish a level tow?

The only thing I ever did was adjust the trailer pin- two trucks before the current one. The trailer rides maybe a little higher than most because of the length. They did this from the factory... I assume to help you keep from rubbing when entering/departing driveways...

Trailer rides flat- I have maybe 20k miles of towing this trailer with the current and or earlier trucks that have all had lifts. 2008, 2011, 2016 all GM trucks riding on 35" tires. I will look for a picture hooked up.

[drittal]

fly-boy wrote:
Not a Dodge but my Chevy DRW has a 6" lift, rides on 20" wheels and 35" tires. Tows our 45 foot fifth wheel no problem.

Do you have a picture of your setup hooked up and mods done to trailer and/or hitch to accomplish a level tow?

[goducks10]

fly-boy wrote:
Not a Dodge but my Chevy DRW has a 6" lift, rides on 20" wheels and 35" tires. Tows our 45 foot fifth wheel no problem.

Please don't muddy the conversation with real world facts. 🙂

[fly-boy]

Not a Dodge but my Chevy DRW has a 6" lift, rides on 20" wheels and 35" tires. Tows our 45 foot fifth wheel no problem.

[Me_Again]

Find a set of 18" take offs. The 2015 Laramie wheels on our truck are about the best looking of the lot. 18" tires are cheaper to purchase vs 20".

[rctoyguy]

It will probably be a new(ish) camper, but I don't plan on buying for a few months and I'm going to need tires before then. I guess I can find 2 or 3 campers that I like, get the measurements, and go from that.

I'm also slightly worried about increasing sidewall height - even if it's only 2 inches - as long as I stay with a load range e tire (isn't E preferred?) shouldn't the sidewall height not matter? I don't want to introduce squishiness to the mix. Changing to 20's could be an option, but that'll make it that much more expensive.

[Durb]

If you are buying a new 5th wheel I believe you will have options. Be careful if your are looking used. Mine is 8 years old and no way it could be towed level behind a newer truck let alone slightly lifted. Trailer lifting options are not there for my particular unit. I suggest picking out the trailer you want, get out a tape measure, then decide on tire/lifting options. I didn't do it but I got lucky because I had an older truck.