Compatibility of Rear Axle Air Bag Kit with B&W Patriot 5th Wheel Hitch in 2001 Ford F-350

Question:

I have a 2001 F350 7.3 it has air bags .it has had a hitch in it before 8 holes in bed.my question do I have to take the air bags out to put in these rails.also I bought a 2000 prowler trailer model 285s am I going to have to flip the axles to make it run level? my

asked by: Kevin M

Helpful Expert Reply:

Compatibility of a rear axle air bag kit with 5th wheel rail installation depends on the specific products you have. Some combinations will be compatible while others not.

I linked our page for rear axle air bag kits for your truck. Firestone kit # F2550, which fits both 2WD and 4WD versions of the 2001 F-350, is compatible with an in-bed hitch like a B&W Patriot # BWRVK3270. But the AirLift kit # AL57215 is not compatible with an in-bed 5th wheel or gooseneck hitch.

5th wheel hitches offer adjustable height settings and the pin box on a trailer can also be bolted to the mounting wings at different heights to help level the trailer and provide enough clearance at the truck bed rails. In cases where more space is needed an axle over-under kit can be installed to raise up the height of the trailer.

We offer two versions, # K71-384-00 for 2-3/8-inch diameter axles and # K71-385-00 for 3-inch diameter axles. Each one provides lift equal to the total of the axle diameter plus the height of the leaf spring stack. New spring seats will need to be tack welded on the other side of the axle.

The linked diagram shows the recommended clearance between truck and trailer.

expert reply by: Adam R

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Michael B.

7/27/2020

In have a 2004 f250 super duty 2wd and i have a curt E16 5th wheel hitch. Is there custom brackets i can buy from you to install the AL57215 air lift kit

Chris R.

8/3/2020

The Air Lift # AL57215 is not compatible with 5th wheel base rail brackets on your F-250 and unfortunately there's not a separate bracket kit available that will allow it to fit. For your F-250 I instead recommend the Air Lift LoadLifter # AL57393, which is perfectly compatible with in-bed hitches on your truck.