lifted truck?

I'm curious, those of you with stock Fords and Dodges. How high is your bed from the ground?

So how lifted is it?
18'' wheels does not effect anything as its the tire size that matters.

My 2011 Dually had a 3'' leveling kit and Supersprings on the rear also brought up the rear. I had no issues with it. Looking at doing the same on my 2016 dually.

I personally wouldn't do much more than a leveling kit if I was hauling a truck camper and or towing a large trailer.

On a SRW with a lighter camper or popup camper I could see doing a 4 to 6 inch lift on it for fitting larger tires for offroading.

So far in life my 2016 is the only truck I have owned that has not ended up being lifted or leveled out :)

jefe 4x4 wrote:
The answer is not cut and dried. I mostly depends on what terra you are driving on. For most TC owners, the stock suspension height is just the ticket. A stock suspension is a LOT less trouble than any lifted, clabbed together one. This only changes if you are an XTC-er. I have a Gen2 Dodge which has a lot of clearance below the frame in stock format. Once I started using the TC like I used various 4WD's I've owned, I found I needed a little more clearance on the approach angle, the breakover angle, and the departure angle. Having a short bed helped in the last two angles but I installed 3" lift coils on the front axle, which, of course forced me to level things out by going with 8 leaves on the rear axle giving that 3" lift to the rear also. (5 leaves in the main pack and 3 leaves in the upper secondaries). The extra on the rear axle was it was stiffer and less apt to sway. On a trip up Goler Wash in Death Valley this past Spring, I used every bit of that clearance just to get over the trail.

Very stable, but I have an under 2000 pound wet camper with the lowest ceiling height, so only 10', 4" tall, overall. If i didn't enjoy 'the edge' while TC-ing, I would want a stock suspension setup with no lift.

I'm thinking you are in the 'normal' range of would-be TC-er's, so an unlifted truck should be your goal. jefe

Jefe4x4 is truly the 'Captain Kirk' of TC-ers "To boldly go where"...well you know the rest.

Travelon

The answer is not cut and dried. I mostly depends on what terra you are driving on. For most TC owners, the stock suspension height is just the ticket. A stock suspension is a LOT less trouble than any lifted, clabbed together one. This only changes if you are an XTC-er. I have a Gen2 Dodge which has a lot of clearance below the frame in stock format. Once I started using the TC like I used various 4WD's I've owned, I found I needed a little more clearance on the approach angle, the breakover angle, and the departure angle. Having a short bed helped in the last two angles but I installed 3" lift coils on the front axle, which, of course forced me to level things out by going with 8 leaves on the rear axle giving that 3" lift to the rear also. (5 leaves in the main pack and 3 leaves in the upper secondaries). The extra on the rear axle was it was stiffer and less apt to sway. On a trip up Goler Wash in Death Valley this past Spring, I used every bit of that clearance just to get over the trail.

Very stable, but I have an under 2000 pound wet camper with the lowest ceiling height, so only 10', 4" tall, overall. If i didn't enjoy 'the edge' while TC-ing, I would want a stock suspension setup with no lift.

I'm thinking you are in the 'normal' range of would-be TC-er's, so an unlifted truck should be your goal. jefe

Most of us modify our suspension for load carrying capacity (stiffer). "Lifted" trucks are typically for off-road applications-more compliant (softer) suspension.
Not what you need for heavy hauling.
I would pass on this one...

Bill

Remember, a Lance 1172 weighs A LOT!

Lance 1172: dry weight, 3,923 pounds + 42 gallons fresh, 350.3 pounds + 6 gallon full hot water heater, 50 pounds + 2x 30-pound full propane tanks, 54 pounds + 2 batteries, 130 pounds + stuff, 500 pounds = 5,007.3 pounds.

Buzzardcheater ~ Love your handle!!

From a guy with a lifted truck, 4" suspension and 35" tires, a lifted truck would not be ideal for normal camper hauling duties. As mentioned, softer springs for better articulation and the taller height creates more of a roll tendency. I get away with it as I only have a small pop up.

I would especially be aware of a lifted dually. For larger rear tire clearance one would need spacers, very hard on lug studs and bearings.

My Lance 855S can be lifted to a maximum of 45" from the ground to the bottom of the camper. My truck's bed is 42", giving me 3" of clearance if I go all the way up. I usually only go 1 1/2" higher than the bed in order to clear and set the camper in or take it out.

Also depends on the truck. My current toad is a Chevy 2500 W/ 4" lift and 35" tires and I am the same height as a stock Dodge Ram 2500 on a good day. While I don't have a camper for this truck I wouldn't hesitate to put one in it and head cross country.

Not necessarily a good comparison but I carried a Lance squire light in the bed of a lifted Chevy 1500 and never had issues. Moved up to a lifted F-250 and life was even better so it can be done and can be done safely.

Artum Snowbird wrote:
The other item is your steps in. Some use platforms to put the lower step on, but even then, getting the scissor steps to work well when there is a lower back end to put the steps on is really difficult and dangerous at times. Family and dogs coming up and down sloping steps is not fun.

Torklift GlowSteps and GlowGuide are very adjustable. Torklift even made me a heavy duty 7-step version of their 8" tread to allow GlowSteps from the door opening instead of using a basement step. With the LandingGear on the end of the steps I even adjustment when the truck is blocked level on a side slope. SafeSteps give my DW additional confidence in climbing the seven stairs to the door even though she already has a hand rail.