Adjusting suspension question

Diesel Donnie · 01-18-2012, 08:55 PM

Our 07 341RLQS tows with the front 1 inch higher than the rear- The GMC 3500 tow vehicle is already as low as possible- The fiver can be raised by moving the springs to another set of holes in the spring hangers- Has anyone done this operation to their Jayco? Do all springs have to be adjusted or can we change only the rear hanger? All replies appreciated- THANX in advance- Don

clutch · 01-19-2012, 12:34 AM

Is there any way to lower your hitch? Our Husky hitch that we had for our last trailer (5er) was adjustable. The hitch pin may also be adjustable on the trailer. As far as I know most of them are adjustable.

**norty1** · 01-19-2012, 06:25 AM

IMO, the limiting factor are the side rails of the truck not having enough clearance when lowering the hitch.

Not much else to do but flip the axles on the rig or look at some other TV.

RVhiker · 01-19-2012, 06:38 AM

Some thoughts:

1) In my opinion, if your fiver tows level to within one inch that is plenty close enough.

2) Keep in mind the clearance needed between the underside of your fiver and the pickup sides; I've found that six inches clearance is the minimum that works for me.

3) It's better to lower the front than raise the rear, if your configuration allows that. So better to lower the hitch or raise the pin if those are possible. The problem with raising the rear by using a different set of hanger holes is that by doing so you increase the "lever" length of the hangers and therefore increase the stress on them.

4) Seems to me that having all spring attachments in the same set of hanger holes would be necessary.

3'senough · 01-19-2012, 07:23 AM

I don't know exactly what year they started "flipping" the axels from the factory or if it is just on specific models. The newer truck heights were one of the main reasons that they started doing this. If you are already close to your bed rails and the hitch can go no lower then the trailer suspension is your only option.

Are your axels below or above your springs? If below then you would only have the option of lowering the leaf spring mounts. I would second that they need to be equal both for the front set and rear set so they are all at the same height to keep the stress on each setup the same. You could alter tire, spring and axel stress by not keeping them equal.

If however your axels are above the leaf then a flip would be more appropriate. This will keep your spring ride and performance the same as it is now but give you another 2 inches or so of height. Most dealers do this service.

Spike99 · 01-19-2012, 07:15 PM

"flipping" the 5ers axle means unbolting its steel axle beams and re-postion these beams under the leaf springs. This is done by welding new leaf spring saddles on the steel axle beams and reconnecting its electric brake wiring. Many welding shops perform this axle re-postion task. Or, some DIY folks perform it themselves. If wondering, my buddy across the road re-positioned the axles under his 5er and it works great. Much more road clearance, its towed at level and it had more gap on his truck's bed rails. Glad he did it to his 5er.

**norty1** · 01-20-2012, 06:50 AM

My rig has 2 holes that could allow the springs to be lowered on either end, giving 1-3 more inches of frame height. Not sure how that would affect the ride or if there would have to be some welding to raise the center support. Any of that would increase the height of the rig and that is a no no for me.

To high already.

Diesel Donnie · 01-20-2012, 10:17 AM

My original question remains- Has anyone raised their fiver by utilizing the existing extra holes in the oe spring hangers? The tv and hitch are already at their lowest settings- I wish to increase the side rail- pin box clearance and raise the rear of the fiver to tow level- I also plan to install "wet bolts" at the same time- I have a couple of months to accomplish this so time is not critical- THANX again for all replies- Don

dzwiss · 01-20-2012, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Diesel Donnie

My original question remains- Has anyone raised their fiver by utilizing the existing extra holes in the oe spring hangers? The tv and hitch are already at their lowest settings- I wish to increase the side rail- pin box clearance and raise the rear of the fiver to tow level- I also plan to install "wet bolts" at the same time- I have a couple of months to accomplish this so time is not critical- THANX again for all replies- Don

Mine came that way from the factory at the request of the dealer when I ordered it as he foresaw a potential problem with my F350 4X4. It works great and I have 7 inches of clearance from the bed rails. It is high though and we use an eight inch step to gain access in most places.

3'senough · 01-20-2012, 11:55 AM

DD, I am sure most guys haven't done this since most of the brands out there do not offer additional mounts for the leafs. My last TT did not have any additional holes to raise it or I would have for sure. I am sure you could do it but most people go for the flip rather than the raise. Maybe ask Jayco directly on this adjustment.

Dexter makes kits especially for this "flipping" application and you could do it without diconnecting the brake lines by unbolting the leafs fully and raising the unit above the axels then lowering them back down on top. Here is a link for the kits.

http://dexteraxle.com/over_under_conversion_kits

At $45.00-$50.00 per axel it's not that bad. I am sure you can find them for less aftermarket by looking around.

My unit has the Mor-ryde system which is center mounted between both axels and not adjustable in height in that location. I can raise the front and rear mounts on the next two lower holes provided from Jayco in the frame mounts.

My hitch is one hole above the lowest setting and I have about 7.5 inches of clearence on my rails. The unit sits perfectly level while in tow.

Diesel Donnie · 02-27-2012, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dzwiss

Mine came that way from the factory at the request of the dealer when I ordered it as he foresaw a potential problem with my F350 4X4. It works great and I have 7 inches of clearance from the bed rails. It is high though and we use an eight inch step to gain access in most places.

Did the factory "flip" the axles or utilize the extra holes? I prefer to use the extra holes but will do what is necessary to solve the problem- Your response much valued and appreciated- Don

bad99ram · 02-27-2012, 02:42 PM

I adjusted my 04 designer. I used the same hole in all of the brackets.

Diesel Donnie · 03-07-2012, 02:50 PM

Okay, we bit the bullet and had Dexter E-Z Flex suspension installed on the Eagle- The tech raised the trailer by utilizing the second set of holes so I'm hoping the fiver will tow level when we hit the road at the end of the month- An added benefit of the E-Z Flex is the ability to lubricate all the moving parts of the suspension- We had this suspension on our Montana and towed the old girl for 8 years without any failures- THANX for the responses and will post the results of the adjustment when we've towed a few miles- Don

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