Is a Lift Kit Available for Rockwood Fifth Wheel Trailer?

Question

Question:

Torsion Axle Lift Kit - Rockwood 2895WS 2014 Fifth Wheel. I own the fifth wheel above and find there is only about 1inch clearance between the top of the tire and the undercarriage and this seems too small. Also the RV now scrapes as we pull it out of its park when we pull it up the drive and return it. It scares my wife that we have so little clearance. We had a blow out last March 2017 with no damage but on our haul down to Sonora MX from BC Canada we blew another tire right rear and this thing took out all the electric cabling and propane connection. US$3,000 later - Insured thankfully. The dry weight on our rig is around 8,000 lbs and its a signature ultra Lite. Cheers

asked by: John M

1

Helpful Expert Reply:

Your wife is not wrong because an inch of clearance is not going to be enough; there needs to be roughly 4 inches for the suspension to have enough room to travel. If your tires are rubbing when you drive this will be the reason for your blowouts.

The torsion axle lift kits you were asking about will provide you with a decent amount of lift but you'll need to make sure they fit your specific axle. The # K71-724-02 will provide 2-7/8" of lift and works with # 11 Torflex axles that have a weight capacity between 4,100 lbs and 6,000 lbs. The # K71-725-02 provides 3-1/8" of lift and will work with # 12 Torflex axles that have a weight capacity between 5,500 lbs and 7,000 lbs.

If you have a round axle and double-eye springs you can use an over-under conversion kit to "flip" the axle and gain the amount of lift that your axle is as well as the width of the leaf spring stack. The Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion Kit # K71-384-00 is for a round 2-3/8" axle while # K71-385-00 is for a round 3" axle. I've added links to video reviews of these parts for you to take a look at.

Aside from those products you are also going to want to make sure you have the correct tire size that is recommended by the manufacturer and that you are not overloading it. I also recommend taking a look at the suspension components to see if there is a worn-out or otherwise damaged part that needs to be replaced; if you are not experienced looking over these parts I recommend taking your rig to qualified shop that has experience with RV suspension and they will be able to tell you if there are any parts that are damaged or worn.

expert reply by: Kyle S

1

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Answer 1

You may be able to combine a torsion lift kit and larger tires and wheels to get you close to the 4" lift that you are looking for. Currently there is not a torsion lift kit that will raise your 2011 Forest River Rockwood 8244S that much.…

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Answer 2

There are a few lift kits available, but they are all for very specific Torflex model torsion axles so you'll first need to verify what you have on the trailer. #10 Torflex axles with 2,300 to 4,000-lb capacities - Torflex Lift Kit - 2-5/8"…

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Answer 3

Can you get me the axle info from your trailer? The brand and capacity would be what I would need to pick out the correct lift kit. Most likely it's a Dexter Torflex.

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Answer 4

I sent your axle info to Dexter and they were able to determine that you have a set of 7k Dexter Torflex axles so the correct lift you need is the part #K71-725-02 which will give you a lift of 3-1/8 inches.

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Answer 5

Yes, you can use the same 5th wheel hitch but you will need a different installation kit for the new truck. For your new 2013 Dodge Ram 3500 long bed you can use Curt installation kit #C16430-204. This installation kit will accept the Husky 5th wheel…

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Answer 6

I have attached a drawing from the installation instructions for the rail kit part #C16430-204 you can check out. As you can see in the attached drawing I noted the carriage bolts and where they are located on the rails when installing. Please note…

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Answer 7

Yes, the Torflex Lift Kit #K71-725-02 is the correct one to use on your 5th wheel trailer with tandem #12 Dexter 7K Torflex axles. This kit will provide an additional 3-1/8 inches of rise and will help level out your trailer so it isn't nose…

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Answer 8

In order to determine the torque rating for the lug nuts on your trailer you will need to know check out the chart I attached that shows all of the torque specs for all the trailer lugs available based on stud size, wheel material and wheel size.

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Answer 9

Increasing the tire and wheel size can increase the height of the trailer but it's usually quite minimal. Before you do anything else you should see if the pin box can be adjusted. Although you have to be careful here since This will lower the…

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Answer 10

Thank you for providing the specs for the suspension components that you already have. Correct hanger spacing really depends on the components being used such as springs, hangers and equalizers. Most of the hanger spacing dimensions that we have are…

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Answer 11

To find the load capacity for your axle you should look on the trailer VIN plate or sticker that lists the VIN number. The weight rating of the axle should be listed on that same plate or sticker. Also, the axle could have a tag or plate on it that…

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Answer 12

For a single axle trailer, you want the shackle strap to be able to move so that you have the spring deflection needed for your suspension. Angled like the photo or even almost vertical is fine you just don't want the shackle strap to bind and…

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