beemergary Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 Your only going to gain 1/2 of what you go down on longer shackles. If you did go down I'd weld on some plates for strength. Tubing above would be better. My 2014 F 350 4x4 is 37' at tailgate and 55.5" to top of box. Awesome truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmup68 Posted February 21, 2018 Report Share Posted February 21, 2018 16 hours ago, GlennWest said: Now you went and done it. Lol. I agree. I have so much less money in my HDT and so very much more truck. Even if I was towing a travel trailer now I would keep my truck. So much safer. Yes, I agree. I still own a powerstroke, but I don't tow the 5ver with it, ever. It's my daily driver when we are in town. If it would fit on the deck with the 5ver, I would ditch the Escape. 2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline 2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hill_Country Posted February 23, 2018 Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 I'm currently fighting this same TV height problem. I went from a 2016 F250 4x2 to a 2017 F350 4x4 that is a full 7 inches taller. No matter how I worked the math, it didn't work out, but in practice, the fiver was about 2.5 inches nose high when hooked up. Bed rail clearance wasn't bad, but I did reverse the kingpin adapter on my AUH. Even nose high, the RV axles are within 20# so I'm not overly concerned in that regard. Next week I'll be swapping out the stock 3.5 inch axle blocks for 2.0 inch blocks from a 2016 F250 4x2. Part number is 6C3Z-5598-A. I never was able to determine what U-bolts would work so I'm having them fabricated by a local suspension shop. John, Jean and Mea the Super Springer Spaniel 2019 Entegra Aspire 44B 2022 Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted February 23, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2018 2 minutes ago, Hill_Country said: I'm currently fighting this same TV height problem. I went from a 2016 F250 4x2 to a 2017 F350 4x4 that is a full 7 inches taller. No matter how I worked the math, it didn't work out, but in practice, the fiver was about 2.5 inches nose high when hooked up. Bed rail clearance wasn't bad, but I did reverse the kingpin adapter on my AUH. Even nose high, the RV axles are within 20# so I'm not overly concerned in that regard. Next week I'll be swapping out the stock 3.5 inch axle blocks for 2.0 inch blocks from a 2016 F250 4x2. Part number is 6C3Z-5598-A. I never was able to determine what U-bolts would work so I'm having them fabricated by a local suspension shop. Good luck on your project! We decided to kick the can down the road and just keep our current setup another couple of years. At that time we'll be ready to think about upgrading the entire RV camping setup. Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hill_Country Posted March 5, 2018 Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 I swapped the rear axle blocks on my '17 F350 CC SB SRW and it made a huge difference. I started out about 1.5 inches nose high with 6 inches of bed clearance. With the shorter axle blocks the trailer is level and allowed me to raise the AUH one notch (1 7/8"). The fiver is about 1.5 inches nose high and I have 7.5" of bed rail clearance which is plenty. Now I have enough room to rotate the hitch adapter back to the forward position which will give me more tailgate clearance. Even though I'm slightly nose high, the axle weights are within 20# of each other and the tire temperatures are nearly the same front to back. This modification is a no brainer for anyone pulling a fifthwheel with a '17 or '18 super duty. John, Jean and Mea the Super Springer Spaniel 2019 Entegra Aspire 44B 2022 Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GR "Scott" Cundiff Posted March 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted March 5, 2018 Just so everyone will know I completely solved the problem. I decided to keep my 2008 F350 and 5th wheel for a couple more years. No need to raise the 5ver, no need to lower the truck. Problem solved. Who knows, in a couple of years I might have won the lottery and be ready to buy a new Prevost. Our "Here and There" Blog 2005 Safari Cheetah Motorhome Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Axel888 Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 This is what I have on mine 5th wheel camper. It weighs almost 15,000 pounds at boot https://bestoutdooritems.com/best-5th-wheel-hitch/ and it works fine. This is good because it has a cable and handles to lock and unlock it from the ground rather than crawl into the bed to lock the hitch. I think it was 450 dollars or so. Just make sure you paint the ball insert with never seize, it makes it so much easier to get in and out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raylen Posted August 3, 2018 Report Share Posted August 3, 2018 Scott, I raised mine 6" by dropping the running gears and bolting/welding a box of the same size beam Jayco used where the running gears were and remounted the running gears back. (The box also goes across the body as well as along it.) Haven't had any problems. Passed safety inspection too. Ray SKP 980101990 Bounder 27D by FleetwoodRay and Elen living this beautiful life style and exploring this beautiful country Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblo Posted November 24, 2018 Report Share Posted November 24, 2018 Scott, Even tho you 'solved' your problem, FWIW--I have a '17 450 with a fiver that was towed previously with older 450s. End result, tows slightly nose-high and pin box barely clears the bed cover rails. Hitch is B&W at mid-height, fiver is not 'raised.' So, possibly, you had a non-problem to begin with... Hope you do win the lottery. Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4ord Posted January 9, 2019 Report Share Posted January 9, 2019 On 2/21/2018 at 9:18 AM, lockmup68 said: Yes, I agree. I still own a powerstroke, but I don't tow the 5ver with it, ever. It's my daily driver when we are in town. If it would fit on the deck with the 5ver, I would ditch the Escape. Nice unit but so different from me. I'm pretty sure I'd ditch the International, the old Powerstroke and the Escape and buy a new Powerstroke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmup68 Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 22 hours ago, 4x4ord said: Nice unit but so different from me. I'm pretty sure I'd ditch the International, the old Powerstroke and the Escape and buy a new Powerstroke. Why would I ditch the safety, power, and ease of pulling with an HDT for a new Powerstroke that costs more than my whole setup and can't even tow the whole thing, much less stop it? And where would by 8k Onan diesel genset go? Where would I store all the gear that's on the truck? And where would I put my 68 Bronco or Razor when we go wheelin? 2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline 2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4ord Posted January 10, 2019 Report Share Posted January 10, 2019 5 hours ago, lockmup68 said: Why would I ditch the safety, power, and ease of pulling with an HDT for a new Powerstroke that costs more than my whole setup and can't even tow the whole thing, much less stop it? And where would by 8k Onan diesel genset go? Where would I store all the gear that's on the truck? And where would I put my 68 Bronco or Razor when we go wheelin? Obviously your set up is perfect for you and there is not a thing wrong with it. I just have a very different idea of the "ideal". I'd probably throw the razor on a hydralift on the back of the 5ver and say good by to the Bronco..... For some reason I look forward to climbing out of the class 8 and into a little pickup to go RVing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lockmup68 Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 2 hours ago, 4x4ord said: Obviously your set up is perfect for you and there is not a thing wrong with it. I just have a very different idea of the "ideal". I'd probably throw the razor on a hydralift on the back of the 5ver and say good by to the Bronco..... For some reason I look forward to climbing out of the class 8 and into a little pickup to go RVing. No worries, to each his own. My setup is not perfect and I've done it all ways, good and bad. Lots of stuff I want to change, but I am amazed at how much less I have into this setup than previous setups with the safety factor way overboard. Main thing for me is stopping. We got hit head-on by a drunk driver in my old F350. We were very blessed to walk away. The other driver did not. My truck and trailer were destroyed by a Ford Ranger going 75 mph in a 45 mph zone. The only thing that saved us is we won the mass equation, but barely. In the new setup, I wanted to be on the safe side. In my current setup, the brakes can be out on the trailer and I stop as normal. In fact this summer, I had a hard line break on the trailer, all the hydraulic fluid drained out of the master cylinder in the trailer and no trailer brakes for ~1500 miles and I didn't even notice it. The only way I found out was a guy was moving my trailer for me with his F350 while my rig was being serviced and he couldn't stop my 5ver with his truck. He blew through a stop sign. Luckily, all was well. But I am on the heavy side at 24k loaded on the trailer. Truck and trailer together are around 51k, the genset, car/bronco/razor and lots of other gear are on the truck and not the trailer, so that doesn't add weight to the trailer. 2003 International Eagle 9200i, Cummins ISX, Freedomline 2007 Teton Scottsdale XT4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
4x4ord Posted January 11, 2019 Report Share Posted January 11, 2019 I'm planning on lifting my fiver about 5 inches. In my case I will build a sub frame out of 2x6 rectangular tubing. Part of the reason I want to use a sub frame is to strengthen my frame and move my axles back about 20 inches. I need more pin weight on my truck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jblo Posted January 13, 2019 Report Share Posted January 13, 2019 Than is quite an impressive task...what 5er do you have? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GlennWest Posted January 13, 2019 Report Share Posted January 13, 2019 That not that big a job. Just have to block up camper. If you have a welder and the knowledge it is rather easy 2003 Teton Grand Freedom towed with 2006 Freightliner Century 120 across the beautiful USA welding pipe.https://photos.app.goo.gl/O32ZjgzSzgK7LAyt1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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