Can You Pull a 5th Wheel With a Lifted Truck? (4 vs 6-Inch)
Trucks are not the same. They can be customized and people take that opportunity to make their truck function the way they want it to. But when it comes to towing a 5th wheel, those customization efforts may not have been a good idea. They just may get in the way of properly towing your 5th wheel.
Can you pull a 5th wheel with a lifted truck? It is possible to pull a 5th wheel with a lifted truck but the key is that you need to pull the trailer as close to level as possible.
That means you may have to make some adjustments in your truck bed to accommodate the 6 to 8-inch clearance most 5th wheels need for towing.
To learn more about this topic and if it is a good idea, just continue to read our article. It has the information you need to know about to make the right towing decisions for your rig. Take a few minutes to see if this is a good option for you or not.
Is it Bad to Tow With a Lifted Truck?
It is not the best idea to try. There are several reasons for saying this. While it is possible to tow with a lifted truck, you are going to run into some safety issues that may make it something you should avoid.
First, the lifted truck may create some trailer instability. When your trailer is not stable, then you may have some control issues to deal with as you travel. Second, the suspension needed for a lifted truck is not made for towing and your truck could sag a bit when you place the weight of the trailer on the bed.
Third, you may find that the braking system will be affected the most. You may not have issues but your body may be very tired of towing when you get done. There is a lot more work involved in this situation.
Finally, you may find that the lift kit installed in your truck may not be lowered far enough to make up for the clearance the 5th wheel trailer needs. Also, you may find that your truck parts are more stressed than normal because of the lift kit that was installed.
Do some research into this issue as you may find that you will get different opinions from different 5th wheel owners who have done this before you. All of their input should be valuable to you.
Can You Pull a Fifth Wheel With a 4-Inch Lift?
This is another possibility and some people say that they have no issues with this setup. However, while they may not have issues, they do complain about it quite a lot. The reason they complain is the adjustments that have to be made in order to tow a 5th wheel trailer.
One of the adjustments that had to be made was that the owner had to lower the hitch to the lowest setting possible. That was just to get the trailer to ride level. However, when he did that, he found that he had only 3 inches of clearance.
This is not good because a 5th wheel generally needs a minimum of 4 inches of clearance to work well. This lack of clearance is okay if you are traveling down smooth highway roads. But when it comes to backing up, and non-smooth roads you are going to have some trouble.
Another adjustment you have to make is to accept the damage that will be done to your truck’s bed walls and tailgate. If you want a perfect paint job, then using a lift truck to tow a 5th wheel is not a very good idea.
Then you may notice a difference in pulling power when you move from smaller tires to larger ones on your truck.
Can You Pull a Fifth Wheel With a 6-Inch Lift?
Some experts will be amazed if you can tow a 5th wheel trailer with a 6-inch lift. That amount of extra height takes away all the clearance you will need in order to tow a 5th wheel correctly. You may not need the clearance during the towing time but in the maneuvering time, you will need it.
The best thing to do would be to return the truck to its factory height. But if you are determined to tow with a 6-inch truck, then your only option would be to lift your trailer 6 inches. This is not exactly safe as you will experience more sway as the trailer becomes too heavy.
Another issue you will find is that if you add springs to your system to get that 6-inch lift, then the springs may be too soft to handle the heavy load. Lift springs are soft to ensure a smoother ride when you go off-road. This means once you add springs to your current system, they will not be rated for the trailer weight load.
Then if you have a 60-inch height from the ground to the top of your tailgate, you will have problems as well. The trailer will be nose high making it difficult to tow.
Towing Camper With 6-Inch Lift
This is a bit different scenario than towing a 5th wheel trailer. Most newer trucks are given the ability to tow 5,000 to 20,000 pounds approx. And depending on the make and model of your truck. However, a standard hitch is not going to work when you give your truck a 6-inch lift.
You will need a drop hitch in order to keep the trailer level and the good news is that most drop hitches are rated for up to 36,000 pounds. That will take a lot of stress off your mind when you hook up your camper. You have a lot of leeway when you use a drop hitch as they can go up to 16 inches in size.
The flexibility of these drop hitches gives you a lot o more room when you want to go higher in your lift. If you want 10-inch lifts, there is a drop hitch that will accommodate that extra height. The key is these hitches are not made for 5th wheel trailers so don’t even try it or think about it.
Lifted Truck With a Gooseneck Trailer
This is going to be about the same as trying to tow a 5th wheel trailer. There are going to be issues that you will not have thought of as most people are concentrating on customizing their truck and looking cool or wanting to go off-road.
In other words, they are trying to have their cake and eat it too. Yet, many people do this. They use their lifted truck to tow a gooseneck trailer. They want the best of both worlds and they are willing to make the adjustments to get it.
The issues will be clearance, sway, and stopping. The springs may not be rated for the weight of the trailer which will eventually end up providing you with a lot of stressed truck parts in the long run.
Then you have the opinion of those who feel that any person adding a lift kit to their current truck is ruining one of the main features of the truck. The tow weight capacity which in their minds is the most powerful feature the factory trucks have.
Also, these same people feel that if you need a tow truck buy a tow truck, and if you want an off-road truck, then buy one and tow it behind the trailer. But everyone has their own view of this situation. Let’s just say while others are doing this, it is not the best idea you can have or follow.
Lift Trucks and Traditional Truck Campers
There is a problem these days as many people use the word camper for trailers. They seem to have forgotten that there are still traditional truck campers on the market and their new use of that term causes some confusion.
In this situation, there should be no problem with putting your traditional truck camper on your lift truck. You can enjoy the extra height you get from the ground and still go over roads that most trailers cannot access.
But if you want to go off-roading without the camper, you will have to lift it off your truck at the campground and keep it secure and stationary. Then put it back on your truck when you are done.
Some Final Words
Lift trucks are not really tow vehicles. If you add springs you ruin the tow capacity rating and make life a lot more difficult for you. Then when you try towing a 5th wheel, you are asking for trouble due to all the adjustments that need to be made.
Sometimes it is best just to have a separate tow vehicle for towing and a lift truck for the fun activities.
