I have a 2017 GMC Denali 2500 Duramax with a 6” Pro Comp Suspension Lift, 20” Wheels, and 35” Tires. I just sold my 30’ Bumper Pull Travel Trailer and want to upgrade to a 5th Wheel. I had one RV Dealer tell me I can pull a 5th Wheel as long as the top of my bed rails are not taller than 62”, which I am a hair under. Another dealer told me the 5th Wheel will have too much weight on the back axel and it could blow tires on a hot day. I do live in Texas so it’s hot as hell in the summer. Anyone pull a 5th Wheel with a lifted truck like mine or does anyone have some good advise for me?
Towing 5th Wheel Camper with Lifted Truck
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I suspect that your limiting factor will be your tire and wheel combo. You should verify that they are of sufficient capacity to support the pin weight of a 5vr.
You may find towing a 5vr with a 6 inch lift to be a not so pleasant experience from what I have read on some RV forums.
You may find towing a 5vr with a 6 inch lift to be a not so pleasant experience from what I have read on some RV forums.
x2, i'm 13'3" at my high point on the trailer (front AC) and trailer & truck are level. Truck is stock.
Also, you want 5" or more bed rail clearance between the top of the truck bed rails to the bottom of the RV over the truck to allow for traveling over short dips & hills. If your RV is nose up your bed rail clearance will be less at the rear of the truck & you may have contact between the RV and bed rails.
The dealer that told you it's possible to overload your RV tires if towing nose up is correct.
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I have a 7.5" lift and 37's. I ended up putting a flatbed on my truck to tow my 5er. I had to convert it to a reese goosebox. I researched all about lifted trucks and 5th wheels. You either have to go the route I did or ditch the lift kit. I still had to do a spring over on the 5th wheel. It tows great, and sits pretty close to level. You HAVE to have at least 5" between the bottom of the bunk overhang and the bed rails. You will inevitably slap the rails if you dont. I am at max height so I have to plan my route for low bridges. Good luck and get ready to read a lot to figure out a setup. Any TV dealer will promise it will work great. Trailer parts warehouses are no help because every truck, 5th wheel setup, and RV are different.
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I went through this earlier this year when I wanted to buy a fifth wheel. You’ll find that most half-ton model and mid-profile fifth wheels have an over hang that is 60” to the ground. Full size fifth wheels are typically around 65” to the ground. My bed rail height was at 62”. I ended up lowering my truck quite a bit. After lowering my truck and putting smaller tires on, I got my bed rail height to 56”. I have my fifth wheel hitch mounted on the lowest setting, and my pin box is at its highest setting. This gave me 5” of clearance between my bed rail and the overhang. It is still a little bit nose high, but not bad. I’ve towed it now 1,700 miles with no issues.
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That's a good looking setup.I went through this earlier this year when I wanted to buy a fifth wheel. You’ll find that most half-ton model and mid-profile fifth wheels have an over hang that is 60” to the ground. Full size fifth wheels are typically around 65” to the ground. My bed rail height was at 62”. I ended up lowering my truck quite a bit. After lowering my truck and putting smaller
tires on, I got my bed rail height to 56”. I have my fifth wheel hitch mounted on the lowest setting, and my pin box is at its highest setting. This gave me 5” of clearance between my bed rail and the overhang. It is still a little bit nose high, but not bad. I’ve towed it now 1,700 miles with no issues.
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Thanks! Wish me luck, lol. I’m taking off next Friday for a 3,000 mile round trip. I’ll be going from the Oregon coast to Mt. Rushmore and back, with a few stops in between. I’ve gone over the truck with a fine tooth comb to make sure it does ok on the trip. But it’s still a 13 year old truck. If I break down, it’s definitely not due to lack of maintenance. Honestly, I’m more worried about the *********** tires they put on these trailers nowadays.
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Lifted trucks and 5th wheel trailers are not a good fit. They can be made to work but there will be compromises.
You can lift the trailer to match the lift on the truck. That makes the trailer more tippy and bouncy. It also makes it harder to get in and out. You will probably need a step stool to set beneath the steps for normal use. Depending on your 5er you may have height problems but not necessarily. Mine is right at 13 feet and I still worry about pulling it under a filling station awning. Perhaps I'm just a worry wart but that's how I feel.
A flat bed or at least a bed with reduced sides could be an answer but of course there is the additional cost involved. There are some utility beds that have sides that are only about a foot tall. That could work.
With a higher hitch point for the trailer there will be more sway on the truck if you have a tilting hitch. Hopefully you will not go rallying with this but you just never know when you will have to swerve around something in the road. Just something to consider.
What you have to ask yourself is whether the reasons you have your truck lifted outweigh the problems they create while towing. Perhaps the best solution of all is to return to stock height so that you will be working with a situation that has been engineered and is more known.
This brings up a new consideration. The 2020 trucks are MUCH taller than older trucks. I was watching a video about fuel economy on one and when it showed the guy at the pump the top of the bed was at eye level for him. I don't think he was particularly tall but I think the latest trucks are going to have a problem with 5th wheel towing. Another case of mine is bigger than yours.
You can lift the trailer to match the lift on the truck. That makes the trailer more tippy and bouncy. It also makes it harder to get in and out. You will probably need a step stool to set beneath the steps for normal use. Depending on your 5er you may have height problems but not necessarily. Mine is right at 13 feet and I still worry about pulling it under a filling station awning. Perhaps I'm just a worry wart but that's how I feel.
A flat bed or at least a bed with reduced sides could be an answer but of course there is the additional cost involved. There are some utility beds that have sides that are only about a foot tall. That could work.
With a higher hitch point for the trailer there will be more sway on the truck if you have a tilting hitch. Hopefully you will not go rallying with this but you just never know when you will have to swerve around something in the road. Just something to consider.
What you have to ask yourself is whether the reasons you have your truck lifted outweigh the problems they create while towing. Perhaps the best solution of all is to return to stock height so that you will be working with a situation that has been engineered and is more known.
This brings up a new consideration. The 2020 trucks are MUCH taller than older trucks. I was watching a video about fuel economy on one and when it showed the guy at the pump the top of the bed was at eye level for him. I don't think he was particularly tall but I think the latest trucks are going to have a problem with 5th wheel towing. Another case of mine is bigger than yours.
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Right on. That's an awesome drive. where in oregon are you from? I'm in Medford.
I had to replace all the tires on mine too, the factory tires are garbage.
I had to replace all the tires on mine too, the factory tires are garbage.
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I live in North Plains. It’s about 30 miles west of Portland.
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What the heck is the matter with you - wasting this guy's time like that. Why would he be interested in either his own safety or co-users of the roads, when it is so important to people like that to "look cool".
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Many have already stated it, but I had the same decision to make when I was looking to lift my truck, because I wanted that look. I ended up just leveling it, putting 33's on it and calling it a day. Its a happy medium for me as far as the look of a lifted truck, but still functional to tow our 5er. Mine still rides a little nose high too, but its not too bad, and I plan to play around with dropping the hitch, as I want to add bags to it as well for balancing out the load.
My advice, like other is to ditch the lift (or go smaller block in back and crank down front) and get whatever 5er you want or keep the lift and just find a travel trailer you like. I personally still want a big lifted truck, but I think for that to ever happen I'll keep my aging Duramax to pull, and buy a Raptor or new Sierra AT4 package 1/2 ton to lift and daily drive or something. (PIPE DREAM LOL)
Here's an example of why you want the clearance though. I had to go down a steep but short hill to enter a place we were camping (a buddies property with river access, not a campground) and it was close to the bed rails, but still room to clear. However, once the truck flatened out I ended up dragging the bumper of the trailer for about a foot before I got clearance again. Ultimately, I should've drove the trailer tires up onto boards to give it a tiny more height to clear the bumper, but I was with friends who don't have the mindset to notify me of these kinds of things as I was behind the wheel.
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My advice, like other is to ditch the lift (or go smaller block in back and crank down front) and get whatever 5er you want or keep the lift and just find a travel trailer you like. I personally still want a big lifted truck, but I think for that to ever happen I'll keep my aging Duramax to pull, and buy a Raptor or new Sierra AT4 package 1/2 ton to lift and daily drive or something. (PIPE DREAM LOL)
Here's an example of why you want the clearance though. I had to go down a steep but short hill to enter a place we were camping (a buddies property with river access, not a campground) and it was close to the bed rails, but still room to clear. However, once the truck flatened out I ended up dragging the bumper of the trailer for about a foot before I got clearance again. Ultimately, I should've drove the trailer tires up onto boards to give it a tiny more height to clear the bumper, but I was with friends who don't have the mindset to notify me of these kinds of things as I was behind the wheel.
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Towing a lifted 5RV is not a big deal. I recently purchased my 1st 5th wheel and it's previous owner did a great job of lifting the trailer to match the lift that was on his truck. Which was around 6" lift. I run the Cognito 7-9" de-cranked to a 6" lift, 35's and 22's and it hooks up level and tows just fine. So you need to put some thought into it and set the trailer up right to match your rig. But so far so good on my end. We just finished our own Oregon coast road trip from SLC, UT. Hauled the trailer just about 2000 miles, and no problems. Like whenever you tow something big and heavy, you just need to be smart and careful. Good luck to you. Some pics of the truck and trailer out doing our thing.
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Those that put after market wheels on your SRW trucks when you pull a 5th wheel and go around a corner the rear wheels get extreme side load on them. The rear axle on your truck is forcing the 5th wheel to turn putting heavy side load on the wheel. I have seen where the wheels break the spokes at the hub and roll the truck on its side. If possible see what the wheel is rated for for side load. The trucks that are lifted have a greater chance of this happening. I know some will say "I don't have a problem". Just giving you some information that I have came across.
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Many things are possible and reasonable to do, if you know what you are doing. The problem is, the further you get from stock the less you can rely on the factory engineers and the more you have to take responsibility for your own actions. If you are confident that you have it all under control then good for you. If you have doubts then maybe it is time to reconsider. There are many ways to go wrong and the further from stock you get the more likely that one of them will surface.
Don't get me wrong. I don't think I've ever owned a stock vehicle, at least not for long. I just think caution is warranted.
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X4............I too am at 13'4 at the top of my front A/C unit with a stock height suspension RWD 2500. The only thing elevating mine is the 285/75R16 tires that add an inch or so, but also add additional weight bearing capacity over the stock 246 tires
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