Raising the Height of a 5th Wheel Trailer to Tow it Level with a 2016 Ram 2500

Question:

I have a 1998 kit sportsmaster fifth wheel 24 ft. camper and would like to buy a 2016 dodge ram 3/4 ton with the 6.4 gas. Means it was built for that era of pickups for the way it fits on them versions, how else can you compensate for the height of the newer bodies to make it ride somewhat level. The newer styles stand roughly five ft. tall towards the tailgate. Im not sure if Ill gain enough clearance by turning the axles upside down and putting the leaf springs on top of the axle and then the torsion side of it also is confusing to know if you can leave it as is. Main concern is that I dont want all of the weight riding on the back axle. I dont think by adjusting the head on the hitch or kingpin is going to be sufficient to the clearance over the box because of the of the overall height of the box.

asked by: J.D.

Helpful Expert Reply:

The general steps to take to get a 5th wheel hitch level are to adjust the height of the hitch and pin box up or down as needed. If this is not sufficient there are other ways to get the trailer more level but you definitely to not want to turn the axles upside down because that will diminish their capacities and can lead to suspension and tire wear problems.

To move the leaf spring stacks above the axles you could either weld on new spring seats to the tops of the axles or use an over/under conversion kit if:

The trailer uses double-eye springs
And the trailer has 2-3/8 inch or 3 inch diameter round axles

For a 2-3/8 inch round axle use # K71-384-00 and for a 3 inch diameter axle use # K71-385-00.

If you cannot use an over/under conversion kit then the only other way to raise the height of the trailer is to have the old suspension hangers cut off and new, taller ones welded on by a qualified professional welder. I have included a link to the hanger main page for you.

expert reply by: Michael H