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Old 04-03-2013, 05:29 AM   #15
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What if you are nose high with equal weight on each axle and can't adjust any more weight in the 5er?

( I am not trying to start an argument, just interested in your thoughts)
I have always been slightly nose high and refuse to mess with the truck because among other things it will void your warranty and is not favored by the manufacturer. When I bought a new truck in 2011 I had to put the springs on top of the axle of my 2005 which made me 13'2" going down the road and I was still slightly nose high and way too high as far as I was concerned. After passing under service drops on fm roads I kept looking in my mirror to make sure wire wasn't moving. Not enjoyable traveling.

I haven't seen much written (technical) against slightly being nose high. I know truck manufacturers don't want you messing with their ride. I guess it's like a lot of stuff in rving. You have to get the best information you can and then decide what's best under your circumstances which is exactly what this young man is doing.
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Old 04-03-2013, 06:28 AM   #16
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I have always set up my 5th wheels noze low. Enough that when I raise the pin to unhitch the unit is level. On my 39 ft unit it hardly moves the bubble and we don't feel it in the bed when we sleep at stops along the route. An unlevel unit only affects the fridge operation. Unless the unit is equipped with IS (rubber suspension) the loading of the axles is never affected and also braking is not affected due to equilizers installed for this purposee.
I like the setup to show equal or more clearance at the tailgate. I see to many setup with truck front low by the use of airbags or not enough load on the rear axle of the TV.
Mine drops about 2in and stands level and with my trailer a bit down the box clearance looks just right at the rear.
Caution on raising the unit to high on the front for bridge clearance close to 13' 4".
I have seen some raised and height never checked specialy the full bedroom height models.
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Old 04-03-2013, 02:21 PM   #17
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Well I appreciate all the input.
Let me just think out loud here for a second.
Looking at my trailer, the axles are adjusted so that it is raised. There are 4 holes for the bolts to go in that hold the springs, and it is in the very bottom which means it is raised up as high as it will go without getting into more expensive work.

By raising these, makes it level, No matter how much these are moved, there will always be the same amount of space between the truck and the camper except in the back where it will change.

By moving the hitch up a notch , I am increasing the space between the truck and the camper all around, just just in the back. The pin is already adjusted in the lowest setting as it would go.

The camper still sits level with the hitch adjusted, just with a little more space between the truck and the camper.

Ok there, I thunk aloud for all to hear.

Some are saying that the springs need to be adjusted, but no matter how you adjust the springs, the pin will still be afixed to the truck and will not move other than with the movement of the springs in the back.
If the camper goes higher, there will be more space in the back and less in the front.
On perfect level ground before I moved the hitch, I had 4.5 inches on all 4 corners of the camper and truck, but raising the hitch, all 4 corners were raised.

IF for some reason i did adjust the springs to raise the camper that way without adjusting the hitch.
Wouldnt I have more space on the back 2 corners of the truck and less in the front?
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Old 04-03-2013, 08:49 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by AndyTblc View Post
...
By raising these, makes it level, No matter how much these are moved, there will always be the same amount of space between the truck and the camper except in the back where it will change.
No.

Disconnect the trailer from the tow vehicle. Level the trailer front to rear. Measure the distance from the base of the kingpin to the ground.

Raise the trailer 2" on it's suspension by "flipping the axles" or installing longer shackles or by installing a Dexter TorFlex raising kit or whatever technique will result in the floor of the trailer being raised 2". Then level the trailer front to rear. The base of the kingpin should now be 2" further from the ground than before you raised the trailer.

Adjust the pinbox by lowering the kingpin, or adjust the hitch by raising the fifth wheel on its frame, or both, until you make up that 2" difference caused by raising the trailer. Fine tune the adjustments to the pinbox and the hitch until the trailer is level when connected and ready for the road. That fine tuning might mean hooking up and unhooking a few times.

If you had 4.5" clearance before the raising, then you should have 6.5" after the trailer is raised 2".

Note: I used 2" as an example. If you raise the trailer 4" instead of 2", then change all my mention of 2" to read 4".

Quote:
Some are saying that the springs need to be adjusted, but no matter how you adjust the springs, the pin will still be afixed to the truck and will not move other than with the movement of the springs in the back.
If the camper goes higher, there will be more space in the back and less in the front.
No. If you begin with a level trailer, and you finish with a level trailer, after raising the trailer 2", then you are going to have 2" more clearance between the top of the bedrails and the underside of the 5er overhang. When you say "the pin will still be afixed to the truck" it sounds like you're assuming you don't adjust the pinbox or hitch after raising the trailer. But of course you must adjust either the pinbox or the hitch or both so the trailer is level after the modification is complete.
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