Thanks Rodney, I am likely going with the fancy smancy one. Tongue weight will affect the lowering of the tail more than your nice toy hauler on the fifth wheel, but do you know off hand how much your receiver drops with the addition of loading the fifth wheel ball? How much weight are you towing with that loaded with food and refreshing beverages and water?

 

I never really measured the drop but the rear springs are progressive rate. The first inch drops quick but then things firm up fast. The overloads are progressive too with one end making contact with the stops before the other. On my small trailers (enclosed aluminum 22' and 12x7' dump) tongue weights vary. According to my Weigh Safe scale, I've seen anywhere from 400# to close to 2000# on the tongue. (The 2000# was with a VERY green full load of split firewood.) Average is 500-1000. When the 5ver is hooked up, that's a different story. It's a toy hauler so garage weight (or lack thereof) affects pin weight. I go anywhere from 2450# to 2850# pin weight depending on the what if anything is in the garage. Same goes for total RV weight. She's around 16k completely empty. 17-18k ready to camp with no toys in the back. A hair over 20k with full gear, toys, and fresh tanks full. Alas, those days are coming to a close. The RV will be for sale this fall... On to the next adventure...

 

Thanks a lot, Rodney. That really helps, and I had totally forgotten about the progressive feature on the leaves. I doubt I will ever use a fifth wheel, but your comparison of the smaller AL trailers vs the heavy is exactly what I needed. I am inclined to spend the coin and go with the 8" and the gauge toy. I only want to spend this money once, and I tow infrequently right now, usually only occasional rentals.

It's a shame to have to give up such a pretty toy like yours. I need to build a garage, and I explicitly have chosen a twelve foot door to accommodate one like yours in my dreams. The 16 foot ceiling was needed for the lay of the land, and it did make it easier to justify the lifts for storage and repairs anyway.....

I am using expensive AMP research foot peds to get my arms over the tool box, but I wish there was a Ford dealer suspension kit that would maintain my warranty and yet lower those blocks at the rear in unison and level with modifying the front coils. My 04 F-250 Super sits 3.5 inches lower, and the difference is phenomenal in being able to use it as a work truck. It's another 93K miles before I will entertain an after market idea on something like that.

As I get older, a five inch drop would really be nice. Push mowers and snow blowers are sky bound with 8' ramps on this bed and tailgate; I am even looking at hitch mounted platform decks to move the snow blower safely.

Thanks again, I hope you still get to travel some. There is an awful lot of this country I dream of seeing someday.

 

Glad to help man! We aren't giving up RVing altogether most likely. We'll just take a couple years off then get back in the game with something smaller and a little simpler. An Airstream comes to mind (and comes up in conversation) frequently. We've drug this one all over but still have a lot left to explore and once you're used to the RV life, it's hard to go back to hotels/motels. I hear you on bed height too. Personally, I think truck height is all about looks at the cost of function. Truck beds were traditionally made to work. Now, to have decent load height for daily work use, you really need to tow a trailer. I think Ford is finally getting the message after continually making their trucks taller generation after generation. The 2020's are the first ones in a LONG time to be shorter than their predecessors.