our new truck

plumberdude

Well-known member
hi ya'll
the wife and i are proud owners of an 2010 dodge one ton:). so as new truck owners we had the curt hitch from one installed on the new one. question?? when we lowered the fifth on to the hitch and after all creeking and cracking the bottom of the fifth and the truck rails were only 4.5 " . So,we took the truck to Holiday World in Katy Tx. They told us it should be at least 6in from the bedrails to bottom of rig. They raised the hitch up one hole. Now we have 6in plus from the rail to the rig. However, when we put a level inside the rig on the floor it appears the rig is not level. We have not even put any weight in the garage. Which would be about 1600lbs (two bikes). Therefore, the garage has all the weight and would be putting all the weight on the back tire. Do any of you think we should have not raised the hitch?
 

trvlrerik

Well-known member
I have a 09 3912, and had a similar problem with bedrail clearance. The shackles attatching the springs to the frame on my Cyclone had 3 sets of holes pumched and the were set to the lowest setting. I moved them to the middle setting raising the trailer about 1 3/8". This leveled the trailer out, the truck squatted down however. I added a set of airbags to level out the truck causing the nose to be a little high again.

I was concerned about the weight on the axels and scaled out each axel and found that my rig, when loaded for travel is better balanced weight wise with the nose a little high. I cannot give an exact measurement, but when I set a four foot level on the floor over the axels it is about a 16th of an inch out of level, nose high.

In my opinion each trailer probably has its own balance depending on the load and factory build. I hope this helps some.
 

beardedone

Beardedone
I have a Landmark and an 08 3500 CTD dually. I also had an 04 2500 with a Titanium 5th wheel. On both trucks I moved the spacers between the spring and axle saddle and just put them on top of stack for future use. This lowers the back end 1 1/2 to 2 " and really helps to keep things level. Doing this has not caused any collateral damage. I also have airbags (on both trucks).
One thing to remember if your trailer is nose high is that the bearings, tires etc, on the trailer are going to wear differently because there will be more weight on the back axle.
 

plumberdude

Well-known member
hi eric
thanks for the input, we are new at this and we would like everthing to go smooth as we can.
being in my own bussiness i know all about MURPHY'S LAW
i have air bags with me but with the front end up i did not want to put more stress on the back tire.
again thanks
pat
 

westxsrt10

Perfict Senior Member
Where's the photos of the new truck?
I know plumbers run their work downhill but keeping your unit level is just the right thing to do! I think you should keep the 6" bed clearance also.
Like 'trulrerik' says try changing your spring bolt location to raise the rear end or add an axle block like i did.
 
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