Making dents in our fifthwheel with our truck?

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Houseofarticcats

Active member
Joined
Jun 29, 2006
Posts
33
Location
NH
I am new to the forum but not to RVing.. We had Motor Homes untill last fal.. We decided to try a fifth wheel due to the size of our family. We got a used 2002 Nomad bunk house 27 1/2 foot long to try. We had to swap the axels from on top of to under the springs to level it on our Truck..  the truck is a 2002 Ford F350 4x4 four door crew cab with a 8 foot bed with a V10..
Now to the problem... The fifth wheel sits perfect on the truck. Almost level... clearance from the top of the bed walls is 6 inches to the over hang on the fifth wheel...
So you say GREAT set up... Nope....  When you  drive it and need to turn a corner and go on a slite incline or decline the top of the bed rails pust up into the bottom of the fifth wheel and make some bad dents.. I cannot even back out of my drive way with the slop and crown of the road with out it hitting....  I think.. My opinion is the wheel base on the truck is my problem.. and any fifth wheel we ever get is going to do this to it..  I have driven a lot of things in my life but this has got me... 
I can go up one more hole on the hitch in the truck but is that a OK thing to do?
So WE need your HELP..........
 

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Ford does build their trucks with more ground clearance (There is a reason for this) It is part of the reason that some Fords have a reputation for getting tired and rolling over to take a nap.

Larger wheels on the 5th Wheel raise it an inch or two, or lower the ford.. Or buy a Chevy

Note: That is if the larger wheels will fit (no guarentee there) and/or the ford can be lowered
 
Hummmmm..... I don't think Lifting the 5th wheel more or lowering the truck  will help.. the distance from the truck bed rail and the 5th wheel will not change..  it is 7 inches now..  ???
 
You should be able to raise the 5th Wheel hitch or the pin box on the trailer? It should provide more clearance, but will put a slight rear tilt to the trailer. Unless you really need the clearance of a 4X4, you can put a 2" drop on the truck, then adjust either the hitch or pin to level the trailer back out. I have about 10" clearance between bed rails and the bottom of the trailer, but then I don't have a 4X4.

Larry
 
I'm very surprised that 7 inches isn't enough clearance on the rails and wonder why the trailer is rocking side to side so much.  The hitch, maybe? Or the trailer suspension?  Traditional wisdom is that 6" is plenty of clearance on the sides and I have towed a large fiver with an F250 Superduty  with only about 4".  But I've heard other complaints about this problem with late model Fords.  Maybe "buy a Chevy" is the right answer?

We have several mmebers here who tow big fivers with Fords, so hopefully some of them will jump in with opinions or at least their own expereince, pro or con.
 
I think I am going to try and raise the truck hitch up the one more bolt hole and see how that works... Just hope it is ok to use the top hole..hehehe I am just a worry wart...    We drove today from Concord NH to Mystic CT and had no troubles... I wish I could show you all the slop in my driveway  and crown in the road at my house and you would see why it dose it.... The last camp gound we were at had a slop and it did it there as well....  I think it is something we are just going to have to live with... But thanks for the help so far.. Keep thinking..  Look at the pictures I posted and study them... I stare at the truck at least once a day ....  ;D
Thanks....
Gus......



 
I've been paying attention to the Fords pulling big fivers that come into the campground here most every day. They are mosly 4x4's but not all, and mostly F350's, either SRW or duals.  They seem to have 7-8 inches clearance, but that's just eyeball and not measured. Nobody has mentioned a "dent problem", but I haven't been asking specifically about that or checking up close.  Just observeing as I walk around the park and chatting when opportunity arises.

We see more Fords here than Dodges and Chevy are the fewest.  Don't know why - this is farm country, "Heartland America" even though way west, and Chevys are usually big sellers.
 
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