We got a new 5th wheel and my truck tows it fine, but it looks like all of he weight is on the rear axle of my trailer. What do you guys think and should I consider bags? Where would I take the 5th wheel to get it adjusted? Looks like i can raise the pin 1.5-2" but don't know enough about it. What type of shop would I take it too for adjustment? This is our first 5th wheel, sorry if these are dumb questions.

 

I am assuming that your 5'r has a leaf spring suspension. If so there are equalizers between the axles that equalize the weight between them, it's not 100% but very close. I wouldn't adjust anything at this point unless you are having problems. The slight nose high stance of your 5'r wont hurt anything. I would however go to a cat scale and weigh your rig so that you know what your real numbers are.

 

Big yes to actual weights front axle of truck, rear axle of truck, both trailer axles. You want to do this fully loaded with everything your going to put in the trailer, truck, full fuel and water. I would worry more about level from there. It actually looks pretty workable where she sits.

 

Looks like you're squatted pretty good, so I'd have to say yes to the air bags but that'd raise the nose of your 5'er more. I can't speak to the spring distribution on the trailer but have read of people lifting them for exactly what you're describing. We have a towing/trailer sub-forum here and I'm sure folks there could give you better advice.

 

I agree this doesn’t hurt anything. This is the tall truck problem we all deal with. You’ll need 6-7 inches clearance to keep the trailer from contacting the bed rails.

 

I agree with the others. Get it on the scales first and see.

If you need to adjust the pin box, it is probably a Lippert item. Send them some info you get for off the box and they can send you the torgue specs for the bolts.

The other option is the one I would do at this point. Just drive it. It is close enough and won't hurt anything.

 

Looks like you have 2 problrmens

the fore mentioned rear truck squatting

and it looks like your trailer is nose high which will get worse when you bag your truck rear. See if you can adjust your 5th where setup or check with the trailer manufacture to see if you can flip the axle shackle position to fix this. Some trailers have axles below the springs some have a led above the springs, some you can add a spacer, etc.

 

This is critical...if you don't maintain that 6" +/- truck bed rail clearance you will damage your truck and/or fifth wheel the first time you get into an off camber or steep turn getting in or out of a campsite. That other stuff is important too but if you level everything and end up with 3-4 inch clearances you will have problems. These tall trucks make towing a fiver level a challenge.

 

I agree with the others. If all weights are within specs fully loaded, then let it be. If you have more then 7” of clearance between the truck and camper, you may be able to adjust the hitch or pin box, but do not go under 6”, and 7” is better. The truck sag is not a concern if within weights, except for headlight aim. Let the springs take the weight.

My F350 sags a bit, the trailer rides almost level, and I have 7” of clearance. No bags needed.

 

I'd say it looks pretty good to go. You don't want to airbag the truck because you'll raise the nose of the 5'er. But yes, as others have mentioned load 'er up and weigh the rig out just to be safe.

 

Let's address this in two phases:

1) Dealing with the truck squat: As others have said, run it through a set of scales, and see what your real numbers are. From the photo, you seem to have a fair amount of squat occurring. You can adjust it with airbags, but that doesn't necessarily change anything if you're overloaded. If you're within your weights, then airbags to level it out could help. Or possibly stiffer springs. I've got the camper package on mine, and with my lightweight fiver, my squat is just over an 1". If you're overweight, you'll need to shuffle things around to get your weights under control. Like, if you carry a bunch of stuff in your bed with your hitch, maybe carry that stuff in the trailer instead.

2) Dealing with the nose high: Address this after you address the first problem. As mentioned, you probably want about 6" of clearance. After raising my pin, I'm only running about 5" on mine, and while I haven't contacted the trailer yet, it is a constant concern and I have to watch closely. Thankfully, where I live, everything's relatively flat, but if I end up heading any place with hills, I could have an issue. There are two ways to deal with this:

A) If you do have significantly more than 6", like, say 8", you might be able to go up a set of holes in the pinbox. With the trailer hooked up, put the legs down to support the trailer so the pin is just lightly resting on the hitch. Unbolt the pin from the box and brace it in place (or have somebody you don't like hold it). Using the landing gear on the trailer, lower it slightly till the pinbox is aligned with the next set of holes up. This next step is very important, verify you still have 6" or more of clearance! If so, rebolt the pinbox in the new holes and torque them to the manufacturer's specs.

B) If you don't have more than 6", don't try to raise to pin. Instead, you'll need to raise the trailer. There are a couple of ways to do this:

i) If your springs are below the axles, you can 'flip the axles' by putting them below the springs instead. Lots of information on the web on how to do this. It'll most likely require a welder.
ii) You can get something like Lippert's "Correct Track" system (https://store.lci1.com/correct-track...ect-track.html). This will raise the trailer 2" in the process of being installed. (This is the route I'm thinking of going with our fiver.)
iii) You can get a weld shop to install some blocks between the axles and the springs and essentially have a 'lift kit' done for the trailer.

All of these options will raise the height of the trailer, resulting in a higher center of gravity, so it's something you'll want to consider carefully before doing.