2011/2012 GMC 2500HD 4X4 5th wheel towing issues

[danzilla1701]

Has anyone on here heard of any issues in regards to the heigth of the beds of the 11/12 gmc/chevy 2500HD 4x4. I had an RV dealer tell me the beds were too high to safely & correctly pull my 2005 Cougar 5th wheel camper. I know that the rear end is higher than my 2004 silerado 2500HD 4x4, but has anyone had any issues or had to make any modifications to their truck or camper?

[therink]

I've been reading on this. I have a 2012 3500 and haven't installed the hitch or towed yet. I don't plan to until spring. My old truck was an 08 2500. The 2012 is about 1" higher according to side by side measurement. I hope I don't have clearance issues.
Steve

[cumminsdad08]

i had an 07 new body style, and i did notice that the side rails seemed to be higher on it, then my previous 06. i had a utilitly topper on it, so i didn't have any kind of hitch in the bed.

[mhs4771]

Here's what I know, but it only pertains to a 3500 Dually. Had an 05 and traded for an 11, bed heights were exactly the same (backed to two trucks back to back), BUT yes the bed sides are approx 1 1/2" taller. Moved my hitch from the 05 into the 11 and didn't change anything. I did have almost 8" clearance between the 5er and the sides, now have about 6". So if you have good clearance now you should be ok, but if you're running at minimum clearance you'll have almost none with a new truck. Now again keep in mind this is with a Dually and 235-17 tires, SRW 3500s and 2500s can have 20 wheels so I don't know how much difference that might make. There are adjustment to most 5th wheel hitches and also adjustment on the pin box, so you might end up slightly nose high.

[f6bits]

There seems to be the option to flip the axles so they’re below the springs.

[Herap]

We have a 3500 SRW with standard 18" wheels and a PullRite hitch pulling a Montana. With the trailer riding level, we have 6 inches of clearance.

Ray

[earthcreeper]

I have a 2011 Chevy 2500HD Duramax, 6.5-foot bed. The bed is too high for a safe 5th wheel towing experience. With a hitch in my bed and a 5th wheel trailer on it I have best case 4.5" of clearance on sidewalls and tailgate. The hitch weight of approximately 2425 pounds dropped the bed nearly 2.5"...not enough. The trailer itself is nose high and the rear is about 5" lower than the front on a 35 footer. I was told about the possibility of reversing the shackles and moving the axle below the leaf springs on the coach but really, is that safe? It raises the center of gravity of the coach and the top clearance height, the front power jacks now need to be 4" longer, the rear stabilizer's as well, and the staircase may need another step. I was told by the dealer that the 11/12 Dually's are coming in lower and work fine. This is a problem for we 3/4 ton guys. What are the rest of you doing, switching to a travel trailer to tow?

Is there an industry standard of the king pin distance above the ground at level? I run 20's and have an 18" spare. I measured them both. The difference in height is immeasurable without standing them side by side. Can anything be done to the truck to lower the bed? Sorry, letting the air out of the tires is not going to work.

[X-Treme]

Wow! It's amazing how different each vehicle/trailer combination is. I have a 2011 Denali 3500 SRW, and had to raise the hitch to max height, lower the pin box to max "height", AND I put 2" lift blocks in the rear of the truck, and NOW the 40' trailer rides dead level. Still only have about 4-5 inches of clearance at bed sides tho, but I haven't run into any issues yet, and I've been in some pretty "rough" terrain.

[danzilla1701]

I just find out last week that Van Prouducts will be able to lower my rear end 2" by changing/placing shackles on my rear springs. That accompanied by hitch weight and pin weight should help the issue greatly. Naturually the parts aren't avaiable for another 30 days.