5th wheel leveling while hitched up

[Boubou]

How level front to back should the 5th wheel be when hitched to the truck?
Just weight it and 20% on hitch which is good but I had to load mostly in the back to keep the weight off the hitch. The fifth wheel sits lower on the back than the front.
This is for the short Eagle Superlite HT 23.5

[Diesel Donnie]

The fiver should be within 1 inch of level when hooked up- Measure from the bottom of the frame at the rear and from the bottom of the frame just to the rear of the front jacks- If the unit is high in the front, unnecessary weight and strain is placed on the rear axle and running gear- At least 5 inches of clearance is required between top of truck box and bottom of the fiver overhang- Less clearance creates serious problems when traversing uneven terrain in campgrounds and when entering and/or leaving fuel stops- There are various methods to achieve the desired level- JMHO- DD

[Boubou]

Ok thank you! I've got a little over 6" between 5er and rails. I'll measure as per your instructions and will get hitch adjusted if nescessary.

[Diesel Donnie]

Originally Posted by Diesel Donnie

The fiver should be within 1 inch of level when hooked up- Measure from the bottom of the frame at the rear and from the bottom of the frame just to the rear of the front jacks- If the unit is high in the front, unnecessary weight and strain is placed on the rear axle and running gear- At least 5 inches of clearance is required between top of truck box and bottom of the fiver overhang- Less clearance creates serious problems when traversing uneven terrain in campgrounds and when entering and/or leaving fuel stops- There are various methods to achieve the desired level- JMHO- DD

In our case, it was necessary to "flip" the axles to achieve a leveled fiver, but Jayco has a patented system whereby the axles can be adjusted to achieve a level fiver- JMHO- DD

[misfit]

Could you tell me how the axles can be adjusted? My fiver sits higher in the front and my rail clearance is at 5" now. I thought all I could do to level it was to flip the axles. Thanks.

[Diesel Donnie]

Originally Posted by misfit

Could you tell me how the axles can be adjusted? My fiver sits higher in the front and my rail clearance is at 5" now. I thought all I could do to level it was to flip the axles. Thanks.

Jayco's patented suspension adjustment consists of spring mounting brackets with 3 vertical holes 1 inch apart- The springs are attached to the bracket in the lower holes to raise the trailer frame or in the upper holes to lower the trailer frame- To raise the rear of the trailer, the lower holes are used- JMHO- DD

[Boubou]

Just measured front and back and low 4 inches on the back. Will contact dealer this week for a fix.
Also, will having level 5th wheel make the hitch heavier?

[clutch]

Lowering the front 2 in will transfer more weight to the front. It should tow better with the trailer level.

[tinlizzie23]

Boubou - I agree with Diesel Donnie that you should have a minimum of 5 inches clearance above your TV bed rails, but IMHO, six would be better. An example would be the CG I just spent a week in, which had a railroad track crossing the entrance road. The track was about 3 feet higher than the road, with very short ramps up and down. When I went over it with my 33' 5er, the bed rails cleared by less than 1/2 inch, and I have 6 inches of clearance. 5 inches clearance would have bottomed on the bed rails. 5 inches would work most of the time, but you never know when you will encounter a need for more clearance.

[Diesel Donnie]

Originally Posted by Boubou

Just measured front and back and low 4 inches on the back. Will contact dealer this week for a fix.
Also, will having level 5th wheel make the hitch heavier?

Yes, leveling the unit may increase the hitch weight- The increase may be substancial but necessary to reduce strain on other suspension parts- In the long run, it's the only way to go- JMHO- DD

[3'senough]

Also your axles will have more balanced weight distribution. By riding high or low you are putting more weight on one axel vs the other which could lead to blowouts due to extreme heat from the stress. I've seen some questionable setups while driving that is probaly just a bad dealer IMHO. No good dealer should let a new unit drive off the lot not being level or at least close, sure some could be upgraded trucks after purchase. Mine made sure it was level and my clearences were good before sending me off. If you have a long bed you'll want every bit of the those 6 inches for hills or pitches where your unit will pivot. The short beds can get by with a little less due to amount of rail under the unit or the option to slide back in such cases. If they are on top of your axels you're flipped if they are on top then you have that option. Dexter sells a kit to do this mod and it's fairly inxepensive outside labor. By doing so you will achieve a 3-4" increase in the rear which may then put it too high for you if you cannot take it back out within the holes for the springs. Start with the holes and see if you can move any up or down to achieve what you need. Also you will have some king pin movement and hitch adjustments as options as well. You should not though, move the king pin lower to where less bolts are mounted.

[Boubou]

Thanks for that. Going to the dealer on monday to get it leveled

[Boubou]

Turns out they cannot level my unit
there are no extra holes on my mounting brackets on my frame and there is no room to adjust the king pin, it's at the maximum.
The tech says the axles cannot be flipped. What is that Dexter kit?

[3'senough]

Originally Posted by Boubou

Turns out they cannot level my unit
there are no extra holes on my mounting brackets on my frame and there is no room to adjust the king pin, it's at the maximum.
The tech says the axles cannot be flipped. What is that Dexter kit?

http://dexteraxle.com/inc/sdetail/1100

Link above to the Dexter page. I would call Dexter and provide them your axel ratings and model numbers for confirmation of what kit you need and why the dealer says you can't flip them. If they are under your leaf springs already then they are flipped, but if not then why?

[Boubou]

Originally Posted by 3'senough

http://dexteraxle.com/inc/sdetail/1100

Link above to the Dexter page. I would call Dexter and provide them your axel ratings and model numbers for confirmation of what kit you need and why the dealer says you can't flip them. If they are under your leaf springs already then they are flipped, but if not then why?

Going on a trip to Nova Scotia, leaving Thursday, 1600 km (900 +- miles) there and then back.
I went to dealer to get unit level for trip and as you know, it didn't happen.
Now concerned about the trip. We will be driving about 350 per miles a day. Hope this is safe.
Also, not sure how much air to put in tires. MichelinLTX275/65R20 now, have 45 psi in them.

[rwilley]

I wouldnt know why you cant put the axle under your springs unless its like 3'senough said that its already been done. As for the 350 miles a day, it sounds fine to me. Ive been known to travel a lot father than that. The tires have a load range on them probly C, D or E and a max. amount of air to put in them and it all should be on the side of the tire.

[Boubou]

Load D @60 PSI

[Diesel Donnie]

Crawl under the fiver and look at the axles- Are the axles above the springs or below the springs? If the axles are above the springs, you need a more qualified tech- When axles are "flipped", new mounts are welded on the axles and the axles are installed under the springs- Any qualified frame and suspension business can do this in less than a day- If your fiver has shocks, a modified u-bolt is necessary for mounting- Been there, done that- It's not rocket science- JMHO- DD

[Boubou]

Would that affect my Jayco warranty?

[Boubou]

Originally Posted by Diesel Donnie

Crawl under the fiver and look at the axles- Are the axles above the springs or below the springs? If the axles are above the springs, you need a more qualified tech- When axles are "flipped", new mounts are welded on the axles and the axles are installed under the springs- Any qualified frame and suspension business can do this in less than a day- If your fiver has shocks, a modified u-bolt is necessary for mounting- Been there, done that- It's not rocket science- JMHO- DD

Axles are below the springs