New F250 bed height/clearance nightmare

[436Blue]

The F250 is more than adequate for the job, folks... as mentioned, I've already towed this baby 30K+ miles with a 2013 F250 King Ranch with airbags and a Trail Air Air Ride pin box... ride and handling were amazing.... managed the Grapevine with nary a whimper.... truck is still in fantastic shape... just going to live with another family member who needs a great rig but can't afford a new one.

Meanwhile, I am left to investigate fitment options for the new rig setup. I could probably grab an additional inch of trailer height by upsizing my tires but I hate to do that as I believe the negatives outweigh the positives.

2017's bed wall height is 1.75 inches greater (as measured) than my 2013 so I'll be needing to adjust my Reese Elite hitch up by that amount to achieve the same bed wall clearance (6 inches) I had with old rig. Fortunately I have that option as my hitch was adjusted fairly low on my older rig.

Additionally the 2017 bed is 2 inches higher than the 2012 as measured. So if I add this 2 inches to the 1.75 I have raised the hitch to properly clear the bed rails, I have 3.75 inches of difference to mitigate to achieve level towing as I knew it in my 2013 rig (by the numbers).

I am currently traveling so must wait a week to actually load my 5er onto the truck to identify any differences in compression between the two trucks under load. Has anyone considered reducing the block size under the leaf springs to lower the truck rear? the 2013 block was around 2 inches and block on new rig is a tad over 3... so I could buy back a bit over an inch there.

Still also need to account for the addition of airbags... hey, if it were easy, everyone would do it... right??

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Is this a factory original truck? Or has some one modified the suspension?

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Straight off the showroom floor......

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That's strange, given the the F250, F350, F450 all share the same tranny. Chris

Correct... and the same diesel engine.... now with more hp and torque for 2017....

 

[SNOKING]

I would hook it up before I decided it needs bags? Or is that just a Ford SOP?

Chris

 

[436Blue]

I would hook it up before I decided it needs bags? Or is that just a Ford SOP?

Chris

That's the plan... just getting my plan B and C lined out in the event I need to address fitment issues... will hook er up in a week when I get back home. Like dual path bags for traversing uneven terrain (keeps the bed level) and for cornering at speed. As a single woman running around the country in a truck towing a fairly large 5th wheel I don't like to make many mistakes

 

[Razorbackfan]

That's the plan... just getting my plan B and C lined out in the event I need to address fitment issues... will hook er up in a week when I get back home. Like dual path bags for traversing uneven terrain (keeps the bed level) and for cornering at speed. As a single woman running around the country in a truck towing a fairly large 5th wheel I don't like to make many mistakes

Keep updating and post what you find out once you've had a chance to hook up.

 

[436Blue]

Keep updating and post what you find out once you've had a chance to hook up.

Roger that.

 

[TechAddiction]

Roger that.

I raised the front of my truck with a leveling kit and put airbags on the rear and mine sits level with no bed height issues. I am using a Gooseneck adaptor rather than 5th wheel. I have a 2017 F250 and pulling a Heartland Edge 357ED.

Tony D

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[CDN]

When I bought my 2016 F350 I measured the 2017 F350 as well. The actual unloaded measurements were the same at bed height. Once we bought the Bighorn the truck settled in nicely level with 7 inches bed rail clearance. I would try you setup with a fully loaded trailer first. I know between dry weight an fully loaded the clearance and towing level are entirely different. I do not have air bags and do not need them. We run 2 lane roads and gravel camp roads like where we are right now. We also often have a full tank of water for boon docking.

I do do run a Reese Sidewinder though as most back in sites are too tight for conventual pin box.


It's your money and your choice. I had a F250 fully equipped maxed out with camper package. I would not tow my Bighorn at 16k up here.

 

[porthole]

Considering that most truck/RV combinations don't have this problem, rather than modifying the RV, and raising its center of gravity, which makes it easier to tip, maybe you should work on the truck.

Looked at any of the 17's yet ???

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Considering that most truck/RV combinations don't have this problem, rather than modifying the RV, and raising its center of gravity, which makes it easier to tip, maybe you should work on the truck.

Looked at any of the 17's yet ???

 

[Alan_B]

I was very concerned about bed clearance while I was planning out our truck/fifth wheel combination.

As it turns out, with our 2016 Bighorn 3570RS, 2017 F350 and B&W Companion hitch, I have 6-7 inches of bed rail clearance. The hitch is set at the highest point. The overall height of the fifth wheel when hitched is 13'4".

Even with 6-7 inches, I have had contact between the pin box cover and the bed rails when backing the fifth wheel down a small slope into a camping spot.

And for what its worth, I will echo the concerns about a Landmark with a F250. We chose the Bighorn 3570RS as the largest fifth wheel we could comfortably tow with a SRW truck. The truck is basically maxed out on the specs for gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR), payload, and front and rear axle weight ratings (GAWR).