Just got a 2011 F250 Diesel... I want to get a 5th wheel toy hauler in a few months to a year from now. I am kicking around the idea of lifting the new truck a couple of inches. Just wondering if it is going to cause any headaches when I go to install the 5th wheel setup....

Can I run a 5th wheel hitch with a lifted truck ?
Any problems that I will encounter ?
Any other thoughts or concerns ?

Thank you.

 

how much of a lift are we talking about? An inch or two may be ok, but you run the risk of your 5th wheel going up hill if too much.

You need to be concerned about the clearance factor of the bed and tailgate as well. So a if you did something like a 2 1/2 inch leveling in the front and a 1" in the rear I think you would be ok.

The king pin wt is gonna be pretty signifcant so that is gonna set the truck down a few inches in the rear.

I would suggest doing some measurements of the proposed toy hauler now and compare that to your truck ht.

According to the cert label on the door pillar, what is your axle ratings?

 

Adding a lift IS going to make it more difficult to find a 5er that you'll be able to tow. I added a leveling kit to my truck years ago that included adding blocks from a srw F350 to the rear to gain about an inch. I experimented with a Roadmaster Active Suspension kit to level out the truck when the 5er is hooked up, but it made the 5er too nose-high, placing too much weight on the rear axle of the 5er. So now I just pull the 5er with the rear of the truck squatting below the front. It's kind of frustrating because I'd love to add airbags or have kept the RAS kit, but with even the small amount of lift that I have it isn't possible. MOST 5ers are not intended to be towed by a truck with any sort of lift in the rear.

The simple fact of the matter is, these trucks come from the factory with a nose low rake to compensate for their ability to carry large loads in the rear. If you are going to use the truck as a tow vehicle I would highly reccomend against the lift.

This does not even bring into the discussion the fact that if you are going to add a lift, chances are you're going to add larger tires, which means you're low-end power is going to be less unless you re-gear the truck, your brakes are going to have to work harder to stop, etc, etc.

If I had known I was going to be pulling a 5er when I got my truck, I would NOT have put the leveling kit on.

My .02

 

You will most likely have to raise the ToyHauler to make every thing level and still have good clearance from the top of your bed rails to the bottom for the 5th. (6" min.). I have raised my 5th and a few other to make everything tow level, its no big deal. (longer U-bolts+blocks). It's funny to see how many people tow 5th wheels with their trucks squated and the 5th nose high.

 

I wasn't crazy about the idea of raising the cg of the 5th wheel, plus it is already 13'6" tall. Any taller and clearance becomes a real issue.

 

That is tall......raised 3" mine is only 12'-2"

 

Go as high as you want. Just remember, you might have to go under something some day

Check out this set-up

 

Thank you for the info !!
This is exactly the type of info I was looking for. I will keep it stock to avoid the headaches later with a 5th wheel.

Thank you again !!

 

I too have a 2011 F250. I installed a leveling/lift kit on it. Raised it 2.5" up front and 1 in the rear. I also added 35.5 inch tires which is about 1 inch higher than stock. I installed Timbren Suspension(add'l spacers were provided) to the rear which helps on the sag and overall control. Overall, I'm very happy with my setup. The only minor issue is that it is a bit "nose high" because the vehicle is now level without a load. I can live with that. There are no clearance issues when towing my 14k lb 40' Fifth Wheel. I don't have pics of the Truck and Trailer hooked up but I'll post some in my Gallery when I get some. My gallery does have a pic of my old lifted truck towing my current Fifth Wheel.

 

You just have to lift tehe 5th wheel.

Here is mine

 

My truck has a 4.5" lift and I lifted my 5th with larger tires and blocks. Here are the blocks a buddy of mine designed/built for me. It all works great.

 

I was unsure whether or not I liked the block idea, so I added 3"x6"x1/4" tubing to the bottom of the 5th wheel frame, and extended it to the rear of the camper to install a hd hitch for towing my camper.

I then reattached the shackles to the tubing. Pulls like a dream!

 

One of you please help me relax. I just got a used 2006 F250 4X4 with the FX4 package. It has the 20 inch tires along with the stiffer FX4 package so it sits up a little more than stock heavy duty 3/4 ton Ford & GM trucks. I want to hook to a fifth wheel, 28ft Keystone Outback Sydney to the truck. IS THIS TRUCK TO HIGH to hook a fifth wheel to it? The truck is straight factory, no additional lifts or add on's.
Thanks for any help and/advice you can give.

 

most like it will be fine. You can do some minor adjustments to the pin box btw.

 

Thanks; I was getting worried it would be too high!!!!