Installing A 5th Wheel Hitch In A Lifted 2000 Ford F-250 Super Duty
Question:
I received my full 5th wheel curt hitch kit, complete with brakets and rails. The issue is that my truck has a 3 inch body lift, and i was wondering what additional hardware do i need for instalation.
asked by: Miguel V
Expert Reply:
There isn't any additional hardware to purchase to install your 5th wheel but you may need to lift the trailer to reach the minimum height clearance. The issue you're going to have with a lifted truck is the clearance between the nose of the fifth wheel and the bedrails of your truck. I've had some cases where the only option was too remove the lift to be able to tow the fifth wheel. To properly tow your 5th wheel you'll need to have 6" of clearance from the nose of your 5th wheel and 16"-24" of clearance from the rear bumper to the body of your 5th wheel (see diagram below).
First you'll want to determine the height your hitch head needs to be at to have your 5th wheel ride level as you tow.
To determine the height your hitch head will need to be set at you'll need to measure the height from the ground to the floor of your 2000 Ford F-250's bed and subtract it from the height from the ground to the king pin plate while the camper is level. The difference between those numbers is what your hitch height needs to be to ride level but you'll also want to ensure you have that 6" clearance between the truck and trailer.
For example if your bed height was 40" and the king pin plate was 55" (once leveled) you would need to set your hitch at 15". If you had a negative number, due to the lift, then you can either remove the lift or raise the height of your trailer.
If you have double-eye leaf springs, you can use an over-under kit that moves the spring stack to the top of the axle. These will give you a couple of inches of height gain depending on the axle diameter. Kit # K71-384-00 works for 2-3/8-inch diameter axles and part # K71-385-00 fits 3-inch diameter axles. Each kit will give you a trailer height increase of roughly the axle diameter.
Products Referenced in This Question
Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion Kit
- Trailer Suspension Parts
- Alignment and Lift Kits
- Boat Trailer
- Camper
- Car Hauler
- Snowmobile Trailer
- Utility Trailer
- Double Eye Springs
- Round Axle - 2-3/8 Inch
- Single Axle
- Dexter
more information >
Dexter Trailer Springs Over-Under Conversion Kit
- Trailer Suspension Parts
- Alignment and Lift Kits
- Boat Trailer
- Camper
- Car Hauler
- Snowmobile Trailer
- Utility Trailer
- Double Eye Springs
- Round Axle - 3 Inch
- Dexter
more information >
Product Page this Question was Asked From
Curt Custom Fifth Wheel Installation Kit for Ford F250 and F350 - Carbide Finish
- Fifth Wheel Installation Kit
- Custom
- Above the Bed
- CURT
more information >
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