The clearence between my bed rails and 5th wheel is about 4". My last trip out I hit causing damage to the right side rails as I was backing into a camp site. The trailer sits level, what are my options?

 

I am not familiar with the pullrite, although I have heard it is a very good one.
Is the height of your hitch adjustable?

 

I can't change the height of the hitch in the bed, however I can change the plate on the trailer.
If I do that, my trailer will sit high in the front.
At what angle, I don't know, but how far off parallel shouild/can I be?

 

You can remove the lift spacers on your springs (if you haven't already done so) This will drop the back of the truck a little.

You might be able to put bigger wheels on the trailer.

Some trailers have the springs below the Axel, you might be able to move them to the top. Of course that will raise the center of gravity.

 

The normal approach here is "flip" the axles. A good axle/brake shop can take care of that for you. That will give you about 4 to 5 inches to play with. You can then raise your hitch to make up the difference to bring the trailer to level again. You will probably have to adapt the brackets on the shocks for the increase - - they usually put on a different bracket. You need a minimum of 6" between that bed rail and the fiver.

Obviously, the above statement is made only if there are no shackle options available. Sounds like you only need about 2" to make up the difference. Some people will drop the rear of the truck, but then you have less clearance for dips and loads.

 

I had the same problem with clearance between bed rails and 5er when I installed my super glide. Had to drop the pin box down on the 5er to get the clearance I needed.

 

Had exactly the same problem a couple of months ago when we purchased a new Arctic Fox 25 footer. My solution was to raise the hitch one notch (Lil Rocker 16K slider is adjustable), then took the truck to a suspension shop and they cut 1" off the lift spacers (Our truck is a 2000 with one thick block...Understand the new ones use a number of small blocks). Bottom line: Everything is level now with 7 in of clearance. Every place I went advised against flipping the axles. Reasons were more wind resistance, less stability, requires another step to get in the RV, and the possibility of warranty loss unless done at the factory.

But know I'm struggling with what mods for the truck.....Within my $ limits.

 

You don't want to tow with the fiver not level. That puts extra weight on one axle, with bad results.

 

The Pullrite Super Glide is adjustable for height. What you have to do is get the longer pins that go into the bed. This will raise the overal hitch height by about 2 inches.
To be honest I think part of your problem is that you have too heavy a 5VR. Have you weighed you rig on a truck scale as you would normally have it loaded to camping????
I'll bet that your payload weight is about 500-1000# over.
The other question is why were you backing into a hole or up a plateau while turning???
Sounds like this was a place you should not have been in the first place.

I think yo need to upgrade to a Dually to caryy the 5VR you have in the first place, but that is just my ,01 worth of advice

 

my 32ft. camper hit my bed and tailgate. I adjusted my pin box all the way and my 5th. all the way- still not enough. I called the manufacturer direct (not the dealer) they told me to put both axels under the spings. do not flip them, they have a bow in them. all you need is new perches welded on the axels. if you lower the rear of the truck it won't sit level when loaded most likely.

 

Did you purchase your trailer and hitch at the same dealer? I would take the truck and trailer to the dealer where you purchased the trailer and ask them for assistance. Maybe they will give you a break on adjusting it to work properly. I have a 32' weekend warrior and I have about 6" of clearance. I have come close while manuevering in the sand but haven't hit yet.....yet!

 

I anticipated this problem while ordering a new 25.5' Sundowner 2 Hrose Gooseneck with living quarters. In the end, I had the manufacurer block the axles up 1". That with the tire size increase from 15" to 16", I was able to get the recommended 6" minimum clearance.

I wasn't interested in modifying the truck's rear suspension as it results in other problems such as rear end "sag" once weight is added to the pin, misadjusted headlights as a result, etc., etc.

There is no question that you can get some clearance by just raising the front of the trailer, but I wouldn't do it. the trailer should be level for safety reasons.