minimun clearance from camper to bed rails

[Campy]

With everything level I have around 5 to 6 inches, is that too little? I lowered my hitch one set of holes to gain overall height clearance.
(another thread about AC clearance)

[Javi]

6" minimum

[bsmith0404]

They say 6" minimum, but I have run 5" before. The biggest concern is body roll. If you boondock a lot and go over some uneven terrain that gets the trailer doing a lot of body roll one way while the TV may be rolling the other, you could get close or even contact. I never ran into a situation where I came close to contacting, but I was always in established camping areas with well maintained roads.

[Campy]

With everything finally adjusted the way I want I ended up with just a touch under 7 inches at the rear and a little more towards the front. Truck angle will alter these measurements anyway. I think I'm safe.........

[therink]

7" clearance should be good. Like mentioned above, you justhave to really watch it when oone side of trailer axles ddrop due to terrain, ditches, etc when backing into a site, pulling out of a gas station, etc especially when turning.

[PerryB]

I consider 6" to be the minimum safe distance. Five is not enough.

[bsmith0404]

I consider 6" to be the minimum safe distance. Five is not enough.

That is the rule of thumb, but in 2 years and many trips of towing with it I never made contact, but I was also very conscious of it. I think that was probably the key to my success. I probably could have had contact in some situations if I had gone through them faster, but being aware and taking it easy proved to be a successful approach. I could have raised the pin and gained more clearance, but didn't have a need. So for me 5 was enough, although I wouldn't recommend it as a rule.

[Rusty]

We just went from a 2004 Dodge 3500 to a 2014 3500, the 14 is about 3 inches taller then the 2004.

The 2014 has the fifth wheel prep and we had to purchase the "picture frame" bed adaptor.

The 2004 had about 11-12 inches clearance, the 2014 has probably 10 inches of clearance.

Sent from my SGH-I337M using Tapatalk

[cardinal96ss]

I am currently struggling to get the 6 " min, which I agree with BTW. Our 2006 36 ft Montana has a lot of overhang over the pickup, so pitch of the pickup and roll during turns is quite noticable. We now have a 2013 3500 Silverado 4x4 which has high bed sides. At dead level the clearance is about 2-2/4" so I can tow it higher, but am constrained by overall height of the unit. The previous owner installed a 13-1/2" tall 2nd A/C over the bedroom which makes the unit over 13 ft tall at dead level. I just installed a B&W Companion adjusted to reduce the amount of overhang. Completing the hookup today or tomorrow and then should have my final numbers.

[bsmith0404]

13'6" is the height that trailers are supposed to be under, so if you are just over 13' you have some room. I can't understand why you're only at 2.5", my truck sits the same height as yours (56" to top of the bedrail). I'm perfectly level with my Alpine, which has similar pin weight, and I have about 6.5" clearance. Something just doesn't seem right. If you have to tow nose high to get clearance then you do it. Check your trailer axles, if they are above the springs, you can gain some height on your 5er by placing them under the springs to get the unit level with the clearance you need.

Is your truck lifted? I've towed a lot of 5th wheels with my 3500 and have never had one that close.

[cardinal96ss]

Thanks for the info. I agree, this is puzzling. The axles are already located under the springs. I guess I could go with some spacers and new U-bolts but that's for another day. With the B&W Companion raised to it's full height, 18.5", I have achieve the 6" clearance. the 5-er is nose high by about 1/2 a bubble on a 4 ft level laying on the floor. I have a total height of 13' 2.5" so I guess that this combination is what I'll have to live with. It seems the refer was installed a bit off level so it is not looking too bad.

[bsmith0404]

Do you have any adjustment in the shackles on the springs? If not, you may be able to get different shackles and gain a little height as well.

[Larry1013]

here is the page from the Ford/Reese Elite hitch on how to take the measurements for determining height the hitch needs to be...hope it helps someone and makes it easier to visualize...

http://www.keystoneforums.com/attachments/photobucket/img_180941_0_638cb2d32a74cc9f2ca36de5520faec3.jpg (http://s564.photobucket.com/user/larry1013/media/hitch%20height.jpg.html)

[cardinal96ss]

Thanks all.
Thanks Bsmith0404. I have no room left on shackles. My rails are at 56" also, so it doesn't appear lifted and I purchased new. The truck lowers about 2-1/2" with king pin weight. I will try to get to some scales to check out axle weight distribution before we head out on a trip next week. Assuming things are good there, I'll assume my situation is just another thing in life I don't understand. :)