This may sound kind of stupid. But what is your hitch height from the ground to the hitch plate? I already know mine is too high. I went to a RV dealer and they told me the average height for a 5er is 46". The problem is my truck's bed is 43 from the ground. The bed is about 8-10 inches above the frame, so I am having the place that installed my hitch and bed, cut out the bed to fit the hitch into it. Even by doing that I may still be too high to pull a 5er. I looked under the truck and under the rear leaf springs there is a 5" spacer. Is it possible to get a 1" or 2" spacer to replace this? If I get the hitch installed ON the frame AND lower the rear of the truck, it should work. Anybody ever heard of this being a problem? This really sucks! > :'( >

 

hi hi, dont know if this will help you but , from all the dealers and the transport companys i have talked to in the pass month have told me that max height of truck should not aceed 54 in and that most 5th wheel pins at level positoin comes in at 52 In. good luck hope this is of some help <br> TnT

 

CMN_NOT_STROKN, My fiver hitch has a 3&quot; vertical adjustment in one inch increments my 5er hitch pin box also has a 4&quot; vertical adjustment. <br>I'm confused when you say, &quot; The bed is about 8-10 inches above the frame&quot;. The bed should be about 2-2 1/2&quot; above the frame. Do you mean 8-10 inches above the axle? I berlieve the spacer is 4 inches higher on a 4x4 than a 4x2. If the rear is lowered that will effect the front end geometry and may cause stability problems. <br><br>A better solution is to have a large RV service facility install your trailer springs above the axles. this will result in the hitch pin 4-5 inches higher. You could also consider larger wheels and tires on the 5er if there is wheel well clearance. Most new high profile 5ers are built with springs on top of the axles and larger wheels. <br><br>I hope this helps. You might also check, http://www.goodsamclub.com/forums/index.cfm/CFB/1.cfm<br><br>

 

What I am looking to do is hotshot hauling camping trailers for a commercial carrier, so therefore modifying the trailer to fit truck is not an option. I have a flatbed and it is raised about 8-10 inches off the top of the frame. The hitch that I have is currently set up at the lowest setting and is 60 inches from the ground to the plate. My bed is 43&quot; from the ground. I need to get the hitch at it lowest setting to be around 42&quot;. The hitch adjusts from 16&quot; to 20&quot; high. It is a 21K Hijacker hitch. Like I said I would like to know about lowering the rear springs. I think it is too tall even after mounting the hitch on the frame. Anybody have any experience with a shorter rear spring block? I don't think it will mess up the geometry since it will only be about 3&quot;. What do y'all think?

 

Cmn_not Strokn, just check my catalog, Reese has a fiver hitch which i believe meets your specs. It adjusts from 9&quot;- 13&quot;. It is a heavy Duty 5er hitch 30,000# capacity. Lists for $999. At Camping World Presidents Club members price is now $863. This would give you a hitch without modification of truck or trailer. <br><br>Hope this helps.

 

What about the TSB to lower the rear of the truck? Would that help out?<br><br>http://dodgeram.info/tsb/2001/02-001-01.htm<br><br>Tony

 

Phil,<br>Wish I would have checked into that hitch prior to purchasing the one that I have now. At the time I didn't think that the height would be a problem. Now I know better.<br><br>TPilaske,<br>That TSB is what I was looking for. Thanks for the info. I don't know if that will work for me but if it will lower the rear of the truck several inches like it states that may be an option. I'm not crazy about losing the overloads that it has on it but if that is my only option, then that is what I will have to do.<br><br>Thanks all for the info. If anyone else has any ideas/thoughts, let me know.

 

CMN NOT STROKN, Without the overloads your truck essentially becomes a 3/4 ton. My 98 Ram 2500 did not have the camper pkg but the tow pkg. When I sat the 5er on its hitch the rear dropped 3 1/2&quot;. My 5er's hitch weight was 2200#. I don't know your 5er's hitch weight. So without the overloads you might get the drop in rear you need. If it drops too much you might add air bags to adjust height.. Hope we've given you some options.

 

What I did was take the overloads off and install the Road Master aux springs. As you probably anyway , they hook from the rearspring to the center U bolt area and replace the OL springs. On my 3500 I've towed like this 3 years and it works for me. My pin weight is 26-2700 lbs. The only thing with this setup is the shocks will have to be in good shape to handle the pressure on the rear springs. For me I like it this way.<br><br>..Preston..

 

Well I am not sure of what the pin weight will be. I will be towing all kinds of trailers with all kinds of pin weights since I will be hauling these trailers for a commercial carrier. Trailers will vary from small 20' to large 40'. Pin weights will vary as well and for the larger triple axle 3 slide trailers the weight of the trailers can get up to 17-20k pounds. I think that I will need the overloads or an aftermarket aux spring setup. I don't really want to go with air bags cause the ride quality sux running empty. I may drop the rear spring blocks and add an air ride suspension like the big rigs and an aux spring. This is in addition to the mods I will be doing to the bed. May be cheaper to get a different bed all together. I will be discussing this with the bed installers. Don't really need the full functionality of the bed for what I will be doing. I just don't want to lose the WHOLE bed.

 

The 36-40 foot fiver's like Excel, Hitchhiker,Travel Supreme, and Teton are to large for our 3500's. The 33' Teton I ordered is 1470 loaded and I was concerned about weight there. The trailers in the 36-40 foot range will have over 3K pin weight. I think that is to much for our 3500's.<br><br>..Preston..

 

Well I understand that the larger trailers would be too much for a normal 3500, but mine is a chassis cab and thus has a trailer tow rating of 19,200 and a gcwr of 30k. I just got 30k plates and have taken the written test for my Class A license and will be taking the skills test this week. I will only be hauling these trailers at their minimum weight and I don't think that any of them will be over 19,200 lbs. I have an appointment for Wednesday to have my truck modified to fit the hitch on the frame and lower the rear of the truck.

 

turbo thom,<br> How do you like your Teton??? Never been in one, just saw them in the mag's. Wondering how they stack up against the Alfa's and other high-end 5er's? I have a Forest River and really like it, but later down the road I'll be looking for something different. <br> Big dawg

 

I use the lil rocker hitch and with it in the middle position and my hitchhiker as set from the factory it sets perfectly level and no need to lower the hitch at all. I would maybe change hitches before tearing up the bed.