Lifted truck

[Bill_Hoff]

Does anyone have experience towing a fifth wheel with a small lift kit? I am installing a 3" kit on my 2017 Silverado 2500. The rear is only 1.5" and the front around 3".
The truck sits with a rake now and level with the fifth wheel hooked up. The lift will eliminate the rake and my leave the front end higher than the rear when hooked up I would imagine.
Anyone with real experience?? thanks

[Grit_dog]

Depends how you lift it.
Anything from rough to Baja capability plush.
If I was your tire guy I’d promote lifting trucks! More $ in tires!

[ksss]

Lightning55 wrote:
My tire guy talked me out of lifting my 2500, even a leveling kit. He says okay on a 1500 but a 2500 lifted will jar your teeth out when not towing.

That is not necessarily true. I had a 2011 2500HD gas that I turned up the torsion bars on. Ride sucked. The next '15 3500 gas and '15 Dmax and current '18 Dmax I used Cognito leveling kits. The ride is OEM, I kid you not. Check out their website. Much more comprehensive leveling kit. All mine were I believe the level two, using existing Rancho shocks with extenders. You can order FOX shocks with them if you like. I have been very impressed with these. If you want to level it, I would look into them.

I looked them up, I have been buying the Stage 4.

[Lightning55]

My tire guy talked me out of lifting my 2500, even a leveling kit. He says okay on a 1500 but a lifted 2500 will jar your teeth out when not towing.

[IdaD]

GM trucks seem to be a little lower than Rams and Fords. I doubt an inch and a half lift on the rear axle would make much of a difference in terms of the mesh between the truck and fifth wheel. I do think if you're dead level now hooked up you'll likely be a bit nose high loaded if you lift it twice as much in the front. If it's an issue you can reduce rear sag with bags. Whether this is all worth it is up to you.

[ppine]

Okay the truck will be light in the front. That is even worse. You start losing steering when that happens. why people worry about rake is beyond me.

I have a one ton Ford that came with 16 inch wheels. It still has the factory wheels and factory rake which is considerable. I have hauled every kind of trailer you can name with no problems. I still think trucks are made to perform, not look cool. That makes me an outcast.

[schlep1967]

It can be hard to have one truck for all your needs. But some modifications just don't work well with other needs. Lifted trucks and towing 5th wheels just don't mesh together real well.

You are looking at a very moderate lift. You may be able to make it work without modifying your trailer. Then again you may have to install a "lift kit" on the trailer. Which it then may follow you need to add another step at the door. There is an old country song about the "chain of events".....

[valhalla360]

STBRetired wrote:
Think Bill was talking about the truck, not the 5er. Yes, the truck will bw nose high with the 5er hooked up if it is dead level without the 5er hooked up

Two separate issues:
- If the bed sits higher, he may have to flip the trailer wheels to maintain clearance to the truck bed rails and the overhang. Also to keep the trailer level.
- If he eliminates the rake, any squat will result in the headlights pointing to the sky. Also not a good thing. Airbags could address this or leave a bit of rake.

[BB_TX]

Clearance between the bed side rails and the bottom of the 5er overhang is a frequent problem on newer 4x4 trucks, even stock. You don't say if yours is 4x4. 4x2 trucks don't sit as high. 6" minimum clearance is generally accepted as what that should be. Towing slightly nose high is not a particular problem. But at some point it begins to shift too much weight to the trailer rear axle.

[Grit_dog]

Plenty of lifted truck towing, albeit not a 5ver camper. But the result you expect will be exactly what happens.
Truck will be nose high to whatever extent it is leveled and the amount of rear sag with the 5ver hooked up.

There are alot of truck "duties" that are less affected by leveling kits. Heavy pin weights or bed loads are not 2 of those duties.

However it's done all the time, so it's not prohibitive if that's the look you're going for.

[STBRetired]

Think Bill was talking about the truck, not the 5er. Yes, the truck will bw nose high with the 5er hooked up if it is dead level without the 5er hooked up

[ppine]

You are going down a dangerous road.
I have never understood the lift and rake issues.
You have to spend money to look cool and mess up the geometry of both rigs.
Hauling a fifth wheel that is light in the front is not good.

[agesilaus]

If you run out of adjustment on the hitch and the king pin then you may have to flip the fiver axles. Any trailer shop can do it.