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Old 10-28-2015, 07:33 AM   #1
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Hitch too high?

Just made our 4th stop last night on our 1,000+ mile trip from IA to AL. Front stabilizer jacks motor is straining and sounds like it's about to go kaput when on extending mode to hitch up. Been getting worse with every stop. Taking much longer too. I have to raise my trailer pin a good foot to get it on the hitch in my truck. My dealer installed it high to clear my tool box and now I'm wondering if it's too much of a strain on the motor. But the motor sounds fine when I'm retracting. Will have it checked out when we get to our destination later today. Wondered if anyone else has run into this problem.

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Old 10-28-2015, 07:37 AM   #2
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does the truck and trailer look level when parked on a level parking lot or street?
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Old 10-28-2015, 10:37 AM   #3
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ne sounded strained since we got it in 07. Dealer said that is the way it is with electric motors the higher you go the more strain
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Old 10-28-2015, 10:40 AM   #4
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Originally Posted by DJindrich View Post
. My dealer installed it high to clear my tool box and now I'm wondering if it's too much of a strain on the motor. But the motor sounds fine when I'm retracting. Will have it checked out when we get to our destination later today. Wondered if anyone else has run into this problem.

DJ
You say -- dealer installed it high. Is your trailer sitting level, or nose high?
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Old 10-28-2015, 11:10 AM   #5
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The height of travel for the stabilizers have no effect on the motors. Whether it lifts your rv 2 inches or 12 inches it is a very very minimal amount of strain on the motor. The rv weights almost the same at different height levels.

My motor sounds like it strains a little ever since new. Did find out, that when connected to power, it does move slightly faster.
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Old 10-29-2015, 07:37 AM   #6
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Thanks for all your valuable input. This forum has saved my bacon more than once. The answer is yes, the trailer sits nose high when connected and sitting on the street. Didn't know if lifting the pin at least 12" was putting undue strain on the motor. Haven't read of anyone else having to do that. But the hitch in my 4WD sits a great deal higher than the pin on my trailer and I figured the dealer wouldn't have installed it that way if it wasn't workable.

I appreciate the comment about the power, too, since I've been using just my 12 volt. Will try keeping it plugged into the service pole until it's hitched the next time we move it on Sunday.

In the meantime, I'd have to say our Cruiser has done great on this 1,200 mile trip and we're grateful to be sitting here on the AL shoreline.

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Old 10-29-2015, 08:00 AM   #7
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Just because the dealer did something, doesn't necessarily mean that it's correct. Some times I think it is just an easy out for them, or the tech doesn't know any better.

How much clearance do you have between the truck and the camper when you are hooked up?
When I got the new truck it stood higher then the old one. That made the camper nose high. There was nothing I could do with either the hitch or the pin box to correct it. I don't like pulling a rig that is nose high. For one thing it transfers more weight to the back axle. (not good)
Mine wasn't to far off, but it bothered me enough that I went from 15" tires to 16". That was just enough to level it out.
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Old 10-29-2015, 08:13 AM   #8
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I have 5" clearance from trailer to the truck rails. Trailer has 15" tires and my truck has 18" (I believe) so I can see right there it's an issue.
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Old 10-29-2015, 08:22 AM   #9
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Yes, you are correct. I have 17" on the truck.
I don't understand why they are putting these big tires on the new trucks.
I have been looking at a new truck. One just like mine has went to 18" tires. Can't get it without them. So until something changes on that issue I will be driving what I have.

How much high in the nose is your rig? 5 in. clearance is the bare minimum.
You will have watch pretty carefully if you get into any situation where the ground is suddenly not level.
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Old 10-29-2015, 10:21 AM   #10
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do you have an extra hole in your trailer spring shackles that would allow you to raise the trailer up ? that would level you out. easier than changing tires.
as for truck tires , my old truck had 18" and new one has 20" but the overall height of the tire is the same , just more rim and less rubber.
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It was a rainy few days at Algonquin Prov park...tarps kept us dry.
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Old 10-29-2015, 12:21 PM   #11
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My dealer did warn me about uneven ground but so far it hasn't been a problem with the RV parks we've been in.

I don't know about the leaf springs, but that's another thing to look into. I know I'm not getting bigger tires because I just bought 5 new ones when we bought the cruiser in February of this year.

Thanks again for more food for thought.
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Old 10-29-2015, 09:05 PM   #12
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Mine sits slightly nose high as you can see in the picture in my signature below. When I tow, the temperature of the rear tires increases about 2-3 degrees higher than the front axle. The pressure of the rear tires also goes up about 1 psi above the front. I can't lower my hitch because I camp in a field at Virginia International Raceway 2 or 3 times a year, and the dirt road to the field has a lot of ruts causing the truck to lean one way and the trailer the other.


I left Talladega around midnight Sunday night. There was an electric sign routing traffic down a one lane road along a fence by the airport. I followed the sign's directions and about 300 yards down the road I came to a locked gate. The road was about 10' wide and had a fence along one side and a field on the other. I couldn't back down the road where I came from because there was a turn about 100 yards behind me, so I had to turn around in the field. When I went through the ditch from the field to get back on the road after turning around, the camper missed the bed rails by about half an inch. If my hitch was any lower, I wouldn't have been able to turn around.
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Old 10-30-2015, 01:59 PM   #13
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Yes, you are correct. I have 17" on the truck.
I don't understand why they are putting these big tires on the new trucks.
I have been looking at a new truck. One just like mine has went to 18" tires. Can't get it without them. So until something changes on that issue I will be driving what I have.

How much high in the nose is your rig? 5 in. clearance is the bare minimum.
You will have watch pretty carefully if you get into any situation where the ground is suddenly not level.
Lloyd, when the 18" tires need replacing, you can switch to 17" ones if you want, right? The only thing is that 17" tires might wear a bit faster.

We thought maybe with our new truck that our trailer might be riding high, so we pulled into some unused truck scales, figuring that was about as level as spot as we could find, and put a level to the truck rails and the inside of the trailer. All was level. I understand it is also hard on trailer tires to be pulling nose high.
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Old 10-30-2015, 03:37 PM   #14
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Lloyd, when the 18" tires need replacing, you can switch to 17" ones if you want, right? The only thing is that 17" tires might wear a bit faster.

We thought maybe with our new truck that our trailer might be riding high, so we pulled into some unused truck scales, figuring that was about as level as spot as we could find, and put a level to the truck rails and the inside of the trailer. All was level. I understand it is also hard on trailer tires to be pulling nose high.
It would require new rims as well.
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Old 10-30-2015, 04:01 PM   #15
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It would require new rims as well.
Yes, of course it would.
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Old 10-30-2015, 04:11 PM   #16
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Yes, of course it would.
Your wording was just a little vague so I mentioned the rims.
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Old 10-30-2015, 04:13 PM   #17
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Our daughter has two sets of rims, one of winter tires and one of summer tires. One set has 17" rims and the other set has 18" rims. That is how I know you can do that.
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Old 10-30-2015, 06:55 PM   #18
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Yes , but the 17 " and 18" would be the same size height wise after tires are on . That way the spedomerer stays the same. 17" has a smaller rim and more tire vs 18 with larger rim and less rubber.
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It was a rainy few days at Algonquin Prov park...tarps kept us dry.
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2015 White Chev Silverado 2500HD 4x4 (6.0 l gasser)
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Old 10-30-2015, 07:04 PM   #19
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Old 10-31-2015, 05:02 PM   #20
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My dealer did warn me about uneven ground but so far it hasn't been a problem with the RV parks we've been in.

I don't know about the leaf springs, but that's another thing to look into. I know I'm not getting bigger tires because I just bought 5 new ones when we bought the cruiser in February of this year.

Thanks again for more food for thought.
Unlevel campground won't do it but when you pull out of a gas station or parking lot where you are at an angle and the trailer tires drop on one side before the other tires you will catch the corner of the truck box on the underside of the trailer
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