MikeMotorhead

I have a 05 CTD shortbed that I tow my racecar and camper with. Recently I installed a 6 in. lift kit and 37's. My hitch is adjustable. I had been towing before the lift with the hitch adjusted all the weay at the top as high as it would go and everything was level and fine. I adjusted the hitch all the way down after the kit was installed which gave me 4 inches lower. I though this would be close but now the rear of the truck squats a little and the trailer tilts backward a little. Does this sound right? The rear of the truck never squated before? Should I buy a hitch that adjusts lower? Would just 2 more inches or so make that much of a difference?
Thanks Mike

jumper

How does it tow with the camper and trailer on a fast downhill curvy road? Here are some potential issues that come to mind:

• Trailer brakes don't work as well when the trailer's not level. The front tires have less weight on them and will tend to lock up.
• The trailer is more prone to sway when nose high.
• 37s have flexier sidewalls than shorter tires. Can contribute to sway
• 6-inches of lift will make your truck more top-heavy and the whole package may roll and sway more
• Your spring-rate may well have decreased with the new leaf packs (the cause of the more squat and perhaps roll)
• The lever effect on the hitch of the large drop could cause the factory hitch to bend. You may want to upgrade the factory hitch, particularly if you go for a longer drop.

I wouldn't lift a truck that much if I towed much, and particularly if there was a truck-bed camper coming along as well. But that's me.

MikeMotorhead

I'm not having any handling problems! The truck seems to tow fine with both the camper and the trailer. I just need to know how to get it level again.
Thanks Mike

feets

You're not having handling problems now. Wait until something happens and you need to react quickly. You WILL have handling issues.

The lift was 6". The tires are 6" taller. The ball is now 9" higher than it was (lift plus 1/2 tire height). You dropped it 4" so now it's only 5" higher.
The truck is now taking a larger portion of the trailer weight due to the higher ball position.
The angle of the trailer and added tongue weight can cause evil things to happen on the road. Toss in the taller center of gravity of the lifted truck and you end up with a nasty situation waiting to happen.

Congratulations. You've turned your tow rig into a mall cruiser.
Ditch the lift or buy another truck.

Lary Ellis (Top)

At the very least you will need a longer adjustable hitch, trailers NEED to be level. Riding nose high or nose low cause all kinds of problems.

As an example I had a boat trailer that was eating tires on long trips, the trailer was a little nose high but I didn't think it was THAT much. I fixed it and quit blowing tires.....

The rear tires were carrying all the load and getting hot, thus blowing out.

tufamc

I have the same setup as you, 6" lift, 37" tires, I tow my 34' boat and 32' flatbed trailer with two jeeps on it! I have ZERO problems, tho there is 1 difference betwen your truck and mine, I have AIR BAGS, they are a must for any lifted truck, keeps the truck level, the most i've ever put in the bags is 25psi, otherwise there at 5psi. I would strongly advise you to get a pair! the brand I use is Air Lift....

Oh ya, I use a 6" drop hitch

feets

Using air bags does not take the tongue weight off the truck. If the trailer is still angled upwards you only fixed part of the problem.

Also be aware that unless you rotated the differential your driveline won't take the same amount of torque with the greater angle on the U joint.

MikeMotorhead

"Congratulations. You've turned your tow rig into a mall cruiser. "

"Ditch the lift or buy another truck.[/QUOTE]"
Thanks for the kind words FEETS but I have seen a lot of lifted trucks towing Campers and racecars with no problems the same as tufamc is currently doing. I was simply asking for a fix for the problem not a wise guy know it all response from someone who does not care for the looks of a lifted truck.


"Also be aware that unless you rotated the differential your driveline won't take the same amount of torque with the greater angle on the U joint."

Modern lift kits have appropriate motor/ transmission lowering kits to correct the angle of the driveshaft & u-joints!!!
Mikemotorhead
p.s. I never made fun of those size 14 sneakers of yours before!!!

mike1788

upgrade the stock hitch so you can run with a bigger drop reciever. i dont know as though i would trust the stock one with much more than 6" drop

swivel5309

hammer down! fix it later! u will fine the weak spots, with actul miles! go from there!

MikeMotorhead

"hammer down! fix it later! u will fine the weak spots, with actul miles! go from there"

I purchased a new adjustable shank from etrailer.com that adjusts from 3-8 inches of drop that is Rated at 10,000 lbs. Will let you know how it works out later in the week.
Mikemotorhead

AggieJustin

You may want to consider upgrading the receiver hitch as well. Even though the new shank is rated at 10K, you still have the original rating on the stock hitch. And with the extra drop, you're exerting additional lever forces on the hitch.

MikeMotorhead

UPDATE: I put on a set of AIRLIFT airbags as tufamc suggested with 30 lbs. in them with my new adjustable shank from etrailer. The truck/trailer now sits level and have been towing my 24 ft. cartrailer to the races with ZERO PROBLEMS. I did not upgrade the stock class 4 hitch but I am only towing 7500 lbs.
Thanks for those who offered suggestions rather than criticisim .
Mikemotorhead