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Old 01-02-2012, 05:38 AM   #1
OhhWell
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Lifted Tow Vehicle Stability

I'm not looking to put a lift on my truck but I was curious if anyone tows with one? I see alot of trucks around here with over 5 inches of lift and a large drop tow bar installed. I'm not sure if it's for looks or if they actually tow anything substantial.

Then, a week ago I was driving down a small rural road with a 55mph speed limit and I see this F250 comming at me with a huge lift and huge mud boggin tires pulling a large 5th wheel of all things. The rear bumper of the trailer was inches from the ground and he could barely keep the thing on the road.

Is it always a bad idea to tow with a suspension lift or is there a "Right" way to do it?
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Old 01-02-2012, 09:56 AM   #2
JRTJH
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About the only way to tow a fifth wheel with a truck lifted that much would be to lift the trailer to match the truck. If that were done, the trailer CG would be significantly higher than factory engineers intended and would probably cause the trailer to be unstable in curves and lane changes, etc. Not to mention significantly taller which may pose problems with some underpasses and low hanging obstacles.
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Old 01-02-2012, 11:11 AM   #3
Johnnyfry
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High lift

You will also raise the VCG (center of gravity) and possibly create a stability problem. The truck will roll over sooner either going around a curve too fast or side hilling on a slope.

About the only positive is that bigger tires give greater ground clearance (which is limited by the height of the differential banjo housing above the ground). That, of course, does not help towing (unless you raise the trailer also).

The rig will probably ride like a Conastoga wagon so DW will NOT be pleased.

IMHO you don't want to do this.

John
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Old 01-03-2012, 09:05 AM   #4
campingcpl
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I used to have a full size Blazer that was lifted 3" and had 33" tires under it. I used to do a lot of off roading with it and needed the clearance. I pulled a 23' hybrid trailer that had a 3" lift kit on it to help make the trailer level without having to have a large drop hitch. I personally never had a problem towing the trailer or worried about the extra hight of the trailer causing any type of unstable conditions. The only thing that was a problem was if we had to set up on a site that was unlevel it could make the door and steps a little high. As for having a lifted truck and trying to pull a 5th wheel, if the trailer isn't lifted the same hight of the truck then I'm like other people in that it could cause some big problems with clearance or unlevel towing which can be more dangerous then lifting it. Not to mention more wear and tear on the trailer tires and suppension by adding additional weight to the rear tires and in turn taking weight off the pin. Ever try to get into a gas station that has an incline into the lot and the road you are turning off of has a large crown in it. Not fun hearing the dragging of the bumper, well imagine having a lifted truck with a trailer not sitting level. I've seen transport drivers that don't adjust their hitches for the different ball heights and drag the back of the trailer to the point of actually lifting the rear wheels of the trailer off the ground. That's another point to look under the trailer when doing an inspection to see if it has been bottomed out.
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Old 01-03-2012, 09:13 AM   #5
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Don't you love to see those folks with their trucks lifted so much you need a step ladder to get in. Then they connect a trailer to the ball hitch on the bumper and like already mentioned, the rear of the trailer just about dragging on the ground and that when it's on a level road.
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