Lifting a trailer for more clearance?

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Desertfront

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Has anybody lifted a travel trailer? I was looking at the suspension system and was hoping to be able to fab some shackles to bring my trailer up a bit for tire and ground clearance. I'm not talking very much 2" or less of lift.

Thoughts, experiences?
 
There is do it cheap and then there is do it right.  Which camp are you leaning toward?
Do it cheap, put blocks and longer "U" bolts in.  Do it right involves, cutting the entire suspension out welding in a new sub frame and then reattaching the suspension using all new hangers etc.  Which you prefer doing all depends on your budget and how well you want the trailer to hold up over the long term, and how well you want it to handle.
 
Depending on how you springs are mounted Dexter axle has a low cost lift kit that lifts the trailer about 4 inches.  fairly easy to install.  Even if this doesn't apply to your trailer or you don't want to use it, looking at it on their web site might give you some ideas.
 
Regardless of how you do it, you're changing the center of gravity of the trailer, and it will adversely affect handling and fuel economy to some degree.  If you need the ground clearance for where you go, that may be an acceptable price to pay.  Everything is a trade off.  Slowing down a bit on the highway may be enough to compensate for the difference.
 
Thanks guys. I was just going to fab brackets and extended shackles. I am well aware of center of gravity issues and am willing to adjust my speed.  The areas I go are not parks but just raw areas and dirt roads. I have learned that tires matter on any vehicle. I never lift a truck, or in this case, trailer more than to fit some good tires on it. I don't go for rendering a vehicle useless by over lifting it. Tires and I have low clearance on my sewer drains are the primary reasons.
 
I put a 2" lift on my 5th/W, not to gain clearance but to level the trailer. I used solid steel blocks and longer U-bolts. For block, U-bolts and longer centering pins it cost about $96.00. The trailer rides and handles as well as it did before the lift and I noticed no loss in MPG pulling it. With more lift some of that might change IDK.
 
I know several people who lifted their trailers with the Dexter lift kit.  None noticed any problems with the higher CG causing any stability issues...everything felt the same when towing and gas mileage drop was not noticeable.  Their issues were: Need for a new draw bar and the requirement to install it inverted to get the hitch high enough, the need for a step box due to the step being higher and the need to go through the entire hitch set up again to get the proper load distributing.  Most were happy with the higher clearance and were glad they made the change.

These were very low profile trailers and their issue was dragging on driveways and fear of the dump valve hitting the ground.  After the change one had an issue with the tailgate hitting the hitch due to the higher hitch.  He solved that (after denting his tailgate) by moving the gate cable ends up to the latching pegs.  That worked good and kept the tailgate a couple inches higher when open and cleared the hitch.
 
Trailer and axle manufactures don't recommend using suspension blocks nor do they offer them as a upgrade option.  I've raised two of my 5th wheel RV trailers.
The first one was with heavier/longer shackles for a two inch lift. The frame rails were stacked tubes so adding 1/2" HRS side plates with adjustable holes worked great. The side plates went from the the top of the main frame tubes well past the shackle bolts. No handling or any mpg difference.

I cut the shackles and added a welded cross braced tube frame to the bottom of my current 5er for a 3" lift so I could use 16" LT235/85-16 E tires. Like others that have raised their trailers no handling or mpg changes from doing so.

I've also raised  one of my tandem and a tri axle GN flat deck trailers with the sub frame method under the main frame. Those trailer were in commercial service for over 200 k miles. No issues from the lift.
 
I just can't see raising trailers very much. As you see most over the road trucks having to add skirts to the semi-trailers to keep wind drag down. Taller you stand in the wind typically the worse the MPG numbers get. But when you got a bill board in tow behind you its bad anyways.
 
I had this done on a 5'er, primarily to level it, as did a previous poster. The dealer simply moved the spring hangers from the bottom of the axle tube to the top, giving about 3.5" of lift - no blocks, no longer shackles, etc. It worked great, no problems.

Bill
 
arcticfox2005 said:
I had this done on a 5'er, primarily to level it, as did a previous poster. The dealer simply moved the spring hangers from the bottom of the axle tube to the top, giving about 3.5" of lift - no blocks, no longer shackles, etc. It worked great, no problems.

Bill
Click to expand...
I did the same thing. They re arched the tubes and put a piece angle iron on top to reinforce it. And yes you need a box step to get in!
 
I am working on using air shocks to get more height when I need it for boondocking i.e. Crown Land in Canada.
 
Hello all,

Has anyone experimented with any type of "on-the-fly" air-lift system for the most versatility such as the LoadLifter 5000?
The reason I am asking is I may also want the added clearance to go "boondocking" from time to time and during our future travels across and around the country, and still have the availability of the lower riding height for cornering stability, aerodynamics, trailer height (for low clearances, etc.).

In fact, I've just ordered one of these kits for one of my trucks (a 1989 GMC Sierra) and it is on the way to the house as I write these words. So, I wonder if the same kit could be used for the 5th wheel trailer. I am sure though that I may have to go with a higher capacity as 5000 lbs of load-leveling capacity may be too low a rating.

I am still doing research but this is what I've got for a link:
http://www.airliftcompany.com/products/air-springs/loadlifter5000/

and some more detailed info:
http://www.airliftcompany.com/workshop/single-path-vs-dual-path/

Ralph
 
I remember air shocks, the ride would chip your teeth. Better to lift it and still have suspension absorbing some of the bumping and flexing. Don't really know how bags would work.

Bill
 
One of the best discussions of off road trailer suspensions http://www.adventuretrailers.com/suspension.html#rubber
I am using Air Lift components and Monroe air shocks with a Dexter axle.
 
Hello Shadow Catcher,

Thank you for passing that link on to us.  Great article! This will help me better understand my application options for sure.

Ralph
 
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