2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride with 2011 F350

d_conaway

Member
We just drove to the dealership to pick up our new 3450ts only to find out that our 2011 F350, Lariat, 6.7L 4x4 sits too high to enable a level riding 5ver. I have a Trailer Saver (Hensley) BD-3 hitch that sits between 19-20 inches above the truck bed...however, the off road package that came installed on the truck lifts the rear end 4-5 inches. Does anyone have any suggestions other than having the lift blocks removed...which I guess isn't a bad thing since it will lower the CG as well as level the trailer. I don't plan to do any off roading anyway.
Thanks in advance for any advice you can offer!
 

Ray LeTourneau

Senior Member - Past Moderator
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Removing the rear blocks may be your best option. I'm not familiar with newer trucks and their options but won't you have to lower the front an equal or similar amount? Is this something that can be done?
 

caissiel

Senior Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

I have the F250 with the 2" inch blocks and the truck lowers by about 2" when I hook it on the 5er.
With the setup the trailer rides level.

But I had to removed the rear blocks for the previous trailer and the truck was fairly level due to an extra ply on the spring. had to remove the blocks because the rear was to high and running the tail gate to close to the trailer.

The single wheel F350 sits much higher then the F250, thats one of the reason I prefer the F250 setup.

Maybe F250 Blocks would lower the rear of your truck enough.
 

d_conaway

Member
2011 F350 Truck bed too high for a 5ver

I have a 2011 F350 Lariat, SRW, 6.7L diesel, 4x4 with the off road package ( a few skid plates and a 3.5" lift). I installed a trailer saver (Hensley) BD-3 air ride hitch and drove to the RV dealership to pull our new 2011 Big Country 3450TS home for the first time. Two issues tho' , 1) the 5ver was a bit nose up when hitched to the truck, and 2) it sure looks to me like the pin box is going to hit the truck bed sidewalls if I need to turn or back up sharply. The service manager said the truck sits too high to attain a level coach and the only way to fix it is to remove the 3.5" lift blocks. I'm fine with this as you almost need a ladder to get onto the tailgate anyway (i know i know, I should've gotten the tailgate step;-(). Has anyone else had an issue like this? Although not new to trailers or class A's, this is my first 5ver and I appreciate any advice you can offer. Thank you! Dave
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

May not solve the problem, but this is from the Hensley website BD3 page:

  • Adjustable from 16" - 19" (from truck bed to top of hitch head)
 

d_conaway

Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Thanks Dan and Ruth Ann, I actually have the hitch in it's lowest setting already. Btw, love the look of your Sierra and Rushmore! Any issues with the SRW? I simply couldn't justify a DRW for my daily driver and part time tow vehicle.
 

d_conaway

Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Thank you for the advice. I probably should've gone with the F250 but wanted the extra payload for a heavier 5ver. I'll have to see what Ford says on Monday. Thanks again!
 

d_conaway

Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Ray I'm not 100% sure if the front needs to come down or not. Currently the front tire is 8.5" from the lip of the wheel well and the rear tire is 10.5" from the wheel well. I think the truck will ride level...although I'll bet I have to change to a shorter shock. Thanks for the help!
 

Bighurt

Well-known member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

The off road package does lift the rear but upgrades the front as well, when loaded it will ride level (the truck) removing the rear blocks will throw everything out of alignment. The rear blocks are more than lift blocks they orientate the pinion as well as provide the bump stops something to stop. That would be the horn on the lift blocks purpose. There are no blocks in the front, they use new coils.

There is not much in the way of lowering the truck without lowering the capacity on the suspension. DJM makes a drop kit for the 2010 3" front 5" rear that can be modified to work on the 2011 but it requires the removal of the helper spring, a much needed component in your application.

There are some air bag options out their but these are custom set-ups and can be fairly spendy.

Aside from raising the pin on the trailer and adding lift blocks to its suspension I don't see much in the way of cheap solution.

Best of luck.
 
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d_conaway

Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Thanks for the information Bighurt. Looks like I may have made a very costly error in selecting a truck with the off road pkg. The heck of it is I really didn't want the off road pkg...but got a great deal on the truck. Live and learn I guess. Thanks again! Dave
 

lwmcguir

Well-known member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Sounds like it would be much simpler to raise your trailer suspension. A good shop can do it in less than a day and you could beef it up a bit as well. I wouldn't mess with the truck suspension at all. We have raised trailers suspension in the past to get a level ride and it worked fine. Surely you wouldn't have to raise the Coach 5 inches though. We usually raised them around 2 inches. I have seen some on the road that are raised 5 or so and they were getting along OK. You want to keep plenty of clearance between the bed and the pin for dips and tight spots so raising the Coach seems to be the only alternative.
 

d_conaway

Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

I was afraid that may be a primary alternative. Can you suggest what can been done to beef up the suspension? Springs, bags, etc? Thanks again for the advice!
 

ct0218

Well-known member
Re: 2011 F350 Truck bed too high for a 5ver

I would think you would be a little nose high with your setup. My truck sides are lower than yours even if you didn't have a lift, and mine was nose high. Have you checked to see if you spring hangers have adjusting holes? Mine did, so I just dropped them down to the lowest of the three holes and it is perfectly level now. The downside is you trailer now sits higher, with a slightly higher center of gravity, but it would help your leveling
 

jimtoo

Moderator
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

You need to start thinking about the other side of the 5er also....the top... how high are you getting by adding blocks and springs? Factory shows 12' 11" stock... do you have front A/C,,,it adds a couple more inches... And I think over in your neck of the woods there are some low underpasses.
 

d_conaway

Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

Trailer height and CG are very much on my mind. The last thing I want to do is raise the 5er. I'll have a better idea of my options once I talk to Ford tomorrow. Hard to believe they can't simply lower the tail end a couple of inches....as it would actually make the truck ride level....or just a smidge tail up. Thanks again for your sage advice. Dave
 

caissiel

Senior Member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

The F350 SRW is setup higher with larger tires.

At the introduction of the first Ford super duties, Ford came up with a lowering kit that alowed the mid shaft bearing to be relocated along with the rear blocks modified to lower them to suit the 5th wheels at the time, that were much lower pin height like the previous trailer I owned.
So by lowering the back of my truck work realy well to line the unit up so as when I unhook the trailer would be level.

I replaced the blocks to suit the BC height and when I unhook the trailer sits level.

Your truck most be much higher then mine due to your saying it sits higher up front.

Mine is down 2" when hooked leaves the front lower by 2" compared to unhooked.

I prefer that the rear of the truck be lower then the front so that the rear of the box be further from the trailer then at the front, to give better clearance.

I have seen so many setup that with air bags the rear is lifted, cutting in the rear of the box clearnce.

Hope you work it out without raising your trailer because they are already high enough at 12' 11". with 7" from the 13'6" top height.
 

danemayer

Well-known member
Re: 2011 Big Country King pin Height for level ride???

The SRW hasn't been an issue at all. A few friends warned about handling when tractor trailers pass us, or come against us on a 2 lane road but I haven't had any problem with this. I've driven a little thru moderate crosswinds where I could see the treetops moving and could feel the wind on the rig, but it was not creating any sort of handling issue. Sometimes I can barely tell that I'm towing. The GVRW of 11,600 seems a good match for the Rushmore pin weight, truck options, etc.
 
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