Just bought a PMF RSK with SD v code leafs and adjustable track bar. Should be delivered by next month. I also purchased 2" receiver option welded on the front bar. The salesman/tech stated that the receiver is rated for approximately 2,000 lbs, but that seems sketchy any thoughts or testimonials on using this receiver? Looking to purchase a camping trailer and having the option to make fine tune adjustments when maneuvering the trailer from the front after backing it up on the side of my house.

Also any advice for this install? Thanks.

 

I have a PMF RSK. Very nice.

The hitch is just like you mentioned, for maneuvering trailers into place.

I think Ithink v codes but needed something with a bit more support. Ended up with custom arched X codes O think they are.

Install is easy, no impossible challenges.

 

Those rsk hitches look sketchy to me. You can move small things around but I wouldn’t trust it for a big trailer. My personal preference is a winch bumper with a hitch. I have used mine several times and I have no problem trusting it. I wouldn’t get crazy with it but it has been a lifesaver several times.

 

I did the same PMF RSK and SuperDuty springs. My observations:

I also am skeptical of PMF's crossbar to use as a front receiver. Look at the dimensions of the crossbar on a rear receiver... it's much larger than PMF's crossbar. If I did RSK again, I would order a bare crossbar, and weld in some reinforcing for two kinds of loads, and then rattle-can paint. One load is push-pull, like you are pushing or pulling a trailer on flat ground, or using the PMF receiver as a recovery point. The other load is up-down torque on the crossbar, think a fully-loaded cargo carrier bouncing over a heavy bump. High dynamic load, long lever arm, skimpy crossbar... you get the idea. I kind of got lucky with my set-up. Long before RSK, I had pushed my bumper forward about 2" to improve tire clearance, so I needed a 6" extension to the PMF receiver to get out from under the front bumper. I put one of the u-bolt style anti-rattle devices on the receiver extension, AND U-bolted the extension to the front bumper. The front bumper is a fairly beefy piece, and my bumper extensions are 1/4" plate steel, so tying the receiver to the front bumper should add quite a bit of strength.

The RSK front crossbar assembly mounts rather easily to a stock truck. My issue was my Banks intercooler... the tank ends blocked access to one of the three bolt locations on each side of the PMF crossbar and probably didn't have enough clearance for even a thin-headed elevator bolt in that location even if I could drill a hole and get a bolt through. I drilled another set of holes in frame and crossbar to accommodate a third bolt on each side, AND franken-welded the crossbar assembly to the frame horns. If I didn't have the intercooler, the crossbar assembly would have been easy bolt-on. But you will need to drill the frame even for a "stock" installation; so quality (ie pricey) drill bits strongly recommended.

My biggest install issue was getting the front of the frame high enough off the ground, and having jacks and jack stands of appropriate height to handle both frame (high) and axle (low). Jacking the front axle high enough to remove wheels isn't too much of a problem. But you need to get the frame high enough to let the springs go to full droop, plus about 2-1/4" to accommodate the RSK lift. More if you're going for more lift. Even with wheels off, that ends up with the frame higher off the ground than you think, even if the front axle is nearly on the ground. And once the suspension work is done, you need to get jacks under the axle and lift it enough to get the wheels back on. No problem if you're doing it on a lift, but on the ground with bottle jacks and jackstands, you need to do some planning. I had problems that the highest I could jack and hold the frame didn't let me get jacks under the axle to raise the axle and get the wheels back on, and I wiped off one of the bottom ball joint grease zerks on a jack or the ground. If doing the job on the ground with jacks and stands, figure on one or two tall bottle jacks, tall stands and lots of blocking for the frame, and one or two low-profile jacks to handle the axle.

Once you have the front receiver, it's almost ridiculously easy to push a trailer into a tight spot, even around curves. You will need more back-up space than first thought to reverse and get truck and trailer lined up to push in on a turn. You also need to give a bit of thought to drawbar drop to get your trailer on and off the ball.

My $0.02.

 

Thanks for the responses, arriving next month so I will diving into it at or near the Hollidays.

 

Harbor Freight 6 ton jack stands were too low for me
I had to make a 3 layer sandwich of 6 of 2x6x12 to gain enough height to do my spring bushings

Can always lower the rear tire pressure to gain some height

 

I have some 4x4 blocks that I keep around for these type of tasks, but I will have to get 2 more jack stands. The current ones I have are rated for only 2 tons and I only have 2 . But I can use those for the D60.

 

Consider custom wood blocking for the axle. Just high enough to get your lowest profile jack underneath, keep everything off the ground, and be able to get the spring u-bolt nuts and bottom plate off an back on. Driver's side is the worst to deal with, since what little room is between differential case and balljoint jaws is taken up by the spring bolts and mounting plate... and you need to get to those to swap the springs. It's been several years, but I vaguely recollect putting blocks under the balljoint jaws, with a counterbore to clear the grease fittings. If you do this, it may be a good idea after axle is on the primary blocks to add some side blocking so axle doesn't shift on the blocks and wipe out a grease fitting. Between slightly different spring profile and things shifting a bit during jacking, axle where it landed didn't quite bolt on to new springs. I recollect having to shift the axle a bit while it was on the ground to get it lined up for new springs, and I think that's where I wiped off a grease fitting.

I also recollect having to jack, block, and place stands in stages. Max out the jack(s), get on stands, retract jack, raise jack on blocks, max out jack, block and raise stands, retract jack, repeat. And I had multiple jacks fail. (multiple expletives deleted) unreliable consumer-grade hydraulics (more expletives).

The higher you sit the axle, the higher the frame has to be to get full droop on the springs, and the RSK "stock" arrangement is about 2-1/4" taller than stock height. I know that I'm squeamish about crawling under raised vehicles, but you're going to have a tall setup with lots of blocking and stands at full extension to do this job. Plus you'll be drilling the frame, persuading the front crossmember and other parts into alignment, and torquing bolts while it's in the air. Paranoid redundancy and stable blocking may not actually be paranoid...

 

Lol, yes I have dropped my 87 is on its rotors when the jack slipped off the frame. Very scary and thankfully I didn't have any limbs under the truck. I might ever borrow a second jack and like I said definitely purchase a second beefier set of stands. This will be no rush job for sure.

Those zirc fittings are removable on the ball joints if I'm not mistaken.

 

Got these from tooltopia on fleabay in 2021. They are now $180 more. They come in low, medium & high heights. Made for Sunex in CHINA!
Sunex 10 ton high stands

 

Ouch, expensive and it's from "CHINA". Those would help though

 

I think I used just about every jack and stand that I had. Even without jack failures, more jacks and stands help reduce jack-and-repeat cycles. And once you are at working height, extras can be used as safety backups. Probably modest-height bottle jack to get wheels off, low-profile floor jack for the axle when it's drooped, and tall bottle jack and lots of cribbing to get the frame up and droop the springs.

Be safe.

 

HF also has or had 10 ton jack stands. Now they're "12 ton" stamped metal. HF stands Also made in CHINA.
What is your safety worth?

 

Today after work I prepared for this upgrade. See below pics showing 2 sets of jacks/blocks and floor jack to adjust the axel during the build. Sufficient? Just don't want any surprises when I have everything apart. The frame is high enough to clear the leafs with full drop and another couple inches.

 

Looks like overkill to me. I like it.

as a note, 4x4 box cribbing is rated at 18k lbs and 6x6 is rated at 24k lbs so you should be well ahead of the curve. Just be careful of shifting loads. Take lots of pics along the way!