Has anyone lowered their 5th wheel?

[Cyncwby]

I have a clearance issue on my RV garage so I'm thinking of re-drilling the spring eye shackles 1" to lower the rig just enough. I do have ample room for tire clearance so I can't see in doing this that it would create a problem. I do all my own mechanical work and have all the heavy duty equipment, 8 ton jack, truck jack stands etc. so safety would not be comprimised. Has anyone done or had this done? thanks........

[JRTJH]

You might want to double check to be sure you can adjust your hitch/pinbox to keep the trailer level when hitched to your tow vehicle. If that looks good, lowering the trailer shouldn't be a problem. But, if you will end up "pin high" when hitched, you'll be shifting extra weight off the front axle and onto the rear axle.

[hankpage]

If it is only an inch and the door opening is the problem I would lower the air pressure in the tires enough to clear than air back up for storage. Not good to store or drive while under inflated but just to get it in and out should not be a problem. When I was driving for a living I had one stop that I could get into loaded with no problem but had to air down trailer and drive axles to get under a bridge on the way out. It was a pain but we got paid extra to do it. It may not be a permanent fix but might work for now. ;)

[Cyncwby]

The pin box/hitch is no problem, I have the Trailer Saver TS3 and it can be adjusted for ride height as well as my air bags.

[bsmith0404]

Just curious what the door opening on the storage building is like? Sliding door, hinged, or roll up? Most will have a double top plate and your RV would only be too high where the AC unit is. On many designs, an adjustment to the door framing would be easy and not compromise the strength of the building. I have raised a door by a foot in order to get an RV into a building, it was basically a weekend project.

[notanlines]

Along the same lines as BSmith is talking, I have posted this before, but we actually raised the structure protecting our 5th wheel 3 1/2 feet with a little
help from our steel supplier and some ingenuity. I'd be curious to know what your building looks like. I'm betting some of the others would also.....

[dcg9381]

Lowering the 5th wheel will change it's attitude when tracking with the truck.
IE - if you lower it, the nose of the 5th wheel will be angled up more and you'll have slightly more rear axle load. If it's only 1" probably not a big deal as long as your weight distribution is pretty good.

However, you'll also lose an inch of space between the tire and the deck of the trailer, which may or may not be a bigger problem.

Can you simply air the tires down temporarily for in/out or is that too inconvenient?

[Larry1013]

Might be easier to find some old tires and wheels that are smaller in height to use during storage?