Voltage 3705 leaf spring swap?

[Diesel Tech]

I have a 2019 Voltage 3705 and 2012 Ram Cummins 3500 Dually tow vehicle. I am thinking of swapping out the current 6 leaf springs on the camper with 8 leaf and was curious if anyone has done so and as to what the ride height change would be, I store it indoors and I have only about 3-4" of clearance with the current set up. Currently has the Blue Moreryde suspension (better one I guess). Local dealer says springs are not flat enough to be warranted replacement.

Heres my story,

When I picked up my new rig last year they didn't bother checking ride height and let me go on my merry way. After bringing it home I looked at it and how it was sitting (dry) and noticed the rear of the camper approx 12" from the asphalt. The license plate was the first thing I flipped as it was less than 6" from dragging! After filling it with water and loaded with toys, it still sat quite low in the rear compared to the front. I measured the clearance from bed rail to camper and it was approx 8 1/2", adjusted my hitch to the lowest setting and it was still around the 7-8" mark. Went out on our first outing and there was a low spot in the road where the camper dragged damaging the trim, bumper and light. Brought it back to the dealership and was told that the damage is my fault and no warranty coverage. I then decided to adjust the pin box 2" which reduced my clearance at the bed to about 5-6", perfect right? NOPE! The tail still is way to low for my comfort but decided there wasn't much I could do. Went out on the next outing and when I had to turn the rig around there was too much articulation and the truck bed corners scraped the underside of the camper! Needless to say, I am beyond frustrated! I need to raise the camper up but don't have much room to do so as I only have about 4" of clearance at my indoor storage facility. If anyone has done the 6 leaf to 8 leaf spring swap, how much height did it go up?

 

[erhardd]

I look at what you have going on and had the same issues, I have a 2019 3655, and like you the license plate was the first thing to get moved. I to am at about 6” between the box ant the underside of the trailer. And was low in the back, and like you I drug my rear bumper or whatever it’s called pulling it out. I guess if you never get off road probably not an issue. Any, what I did was get a kit from Lippert to extend the shackles, not ideal but the only easy solution, additionally I fabricated 3/8” flat bar into an angle and welded it to the frame, it sticks below the bumper about 1.5” and when it drags, it drags on my fabricated part. A lot of older units had a slider on them to prevent dragging the trailer. I’ll see if I can find the part # for the shackle kit

 

[Diesel Tech]

Thanks! I had thought about putting skids like you did or casters but neither of those negate the issue at hand. You would think that if they build a toy hauler, most likely we will drive on a gravel road at the very least! Kind of miss my old 34' bumper pull and then pulled my ATV trailer tandem. I never had clearance issues! As you can see in the photos, just a low spot in the parking lot of my work is a major concern!

 

[erhardd]

Here is what I bought or very similar, it raised the axle by 2”

https://store.lci1.com/correct-track-suspension-alignment-kit-tandem-axle-87220.html

 

[ATCguy]

Something less drastic that you may want to consider...

The Correct Track aftermarket system was designed by some company a few years back as a way to help with axle alignment. But what attracted me to the product were reports from people who installed it complaining that it raised the rear of their rigs about 2".

Since that's exactly what I wanted, I had it installed on my rig back in 2014 or so... and it did just exactly that.

LCI brought out the company that initially made it... and I'm not even sure they make it any longer. But there's bound to be some kits still out there available, and it's a relatively cheap & easy installation for the results you're looking for.

Obviously, you'd need to find a tangle-axle kit... but here's a link for a single-axle kit on etrailer.com to show you what the parts consist of, and an installation video.

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/RV-Ride-Control/LC87120.html

 

[wireslv]

I was in a similar situation with my Triton 3351 and a 2017 F350 and was too nose high. I also wasn't happy with how flat my stock springs were so I changed them from 6-leaf 3500lb springs to 7-leaf 4000lb replacements. At the same time I also added an Equa-Flex equalizer and installed 1-inch spacers between the springs and axle.

In total I picked up around height 2.5" at the wheels which got me very close to level towing.

I used spacers and new U-bolts from trailerblocks, they had larger ones but I wasn't comfortable going bigger.

 

[xhogboss]

Had the same issue with our 2015 V3605 and our 2014 Ram 3500 dually tow vehicle. I ended up raising our pin box into the trailer frame, and lowering the height of our fifth wheel - B&W Companion. Leveled the trailer out, but I lost some clearance between the trailer and the bed frame rails.

 

[leisuresolar@gmail.com]

bigger tires

When I got my toy hauler, the first thing I did was throw away the china bombs and go with 2" taller 14 ply Sailuns. Of course, my axles are far enough apart there is not a clearance problem. It lifted the rear of my trailer about 1".

 

[dmcvey]

I have a 3605 and bent my rear bumper on the first gas stop. Called the manufacture on any recommendations of lifting the trailer and was told my 2016 Dodge dually was to high. I spent a year trying to figure out the best way to get at least 4" of lift on the rear end. After having major suspension failure on one of my trips, I called Lippert back east and they sent out their mobile repair truck to perform the repairs on the suspension components and also address my problem with the rear of the trailer being to low. I went with the next heavier leaf spring stacks which also had an added leaf verses the original. Had the the leaf spring holders extended and gusset from hanger to Ibeam on both sides. This takes away the trailer flex on the holders. Had steel channel welded from side to side in front and behind the leaf springs to minimize body sway and reduce stress on the leaf springs. After all the repairs I gained 4" of height on the rear end.
1. Went to a taller Goodyear tire
2. Installed an equaflex system
3. Extended spring hangers
4. Heavier leaf stacks and added leaf.
These adjustments raised the rear of trailer 4". Trailer tows great and is level with my truck. I also installed a leveling kit on the truck.
Hope this helps.

 

[ATCguy]

Just something to keep in mind when you raise the rear of a toyhauler...

The higher you raise it... the STEEPER the angle you make for the ramp when loading & unloading your toys!

That nice, gentle 10-15 degree angle can quickly become 25-30 degrees if you aren’t careful... which makes getting a heavy motorcycle in & out of your rig kinda dicey. Or, if your toy has a low ground clearance, you could end up scraping as you cross the apex of the angle.

That can be alleviated some by raising the landing gear as you load & unload... but again, it’s just something to consider.

 

[dsol]

There are some threads that address the suspension in this forum. The factory installed China leafs are garbage. They are only six leaf and cheap steel that flatten out immediately. Someone mentioned they found a place in Fontana, CA that makes their own leafs from American steel called Triangle. He went with 8 leafs on his rig but the shop I went to told me 7 leafs were best in my situation. The rest of the suspension is not much better and our two axle trailers put a ton of weight on the suspension. Lots of shackle and hanger failures as well as broken leafs have been written about here. While two axle trailers are easier to maneuver and cheaper to maintain, I am guessing these trailers probably should have been spec’d as three axles assuming you max the cargo capacity like I do with a 4 seat RZR and a couple of off road motorcycles but Dutchmen likely saved money this way and also created a more appealing TH with only two axles and 4 tires. Tight turns are also much easier with two axles.

My 2017 4WD Ram is bone stock but I am told the 4WD sits like two inches higher than a 2WD. Not sure but makes sense.

I also replaced all my tires after one China bomb exploded on the freeway. The OEM tires are called Westlake which sounds American but they are made in China. They have an aspect ratio of 80. Oddly enough the factory spare is an 85 so I changed all of mine to 85 Endurance ST tires by Goodyear that are made in America. (Be careful as they also make a Marathon tire but that is Chinese too) They have a better speed rating at 80 psi cold and they are great. You can even go higher psi for greater load capacity too which is not necessary for me. I figure why punish the suspension and everything in the coach any more than necessary with harder tires because of less sidewall flex.

I also had the pin box put as high up in the trailer as possible and lowered my fifth wheel hitch as low as possible in the bed.

I now store my trailer with the hydraulic stabilizers down to keep the dead weight off the leaves. I called Lippert and asked about long term issues with leaving the stabilizers extended and they said no worries. Just to wipe dirt and dust from the cams before retracting and lube occasionally with a dry lube to avoid sticky dirt. A friend of mine says it is risky because of oxidation potential and he says the leaves will be fine but I live in a dry area so I prefer my way. So now I have much higher quality steel leafs with one more in the stack and the only time they have any real weight on them is when I am in tow.

I too flipped the license plate. I don’t know how I even made it home from the dealer with the plate intact but trust me I did eventually rip it off completely.

Also, I camp at a race track that has a great spot with a steep approach and I now carry four 6 or so foot 2x8’s that we stack 2-3 high to drive over as I back into the spot. They will crack if not stacked completely flat so you need to be careful.

I never measured before but I bet I gained 5 or so inches at the rear of the trailer after all of these tweaks. I don’t have issues with the ramp as my RZR has plenty of clearance and so do the bikes. I just drive up slowly in 4 low and no problems. A race car or a Harley would likely be a different issue but if that was the case I could raise and lower the landing gear as others have suggested.

I still take driveways at angles and am very careful about first time trips into gas stations. I also know that if I was really in a pinch I could always unhook in the street drive the truck in and fill up that way although I have never done it.

I travel with 5 gallons of diesel in a can in my truck bed when I tow to be extra safe too in case I want to gain another 40-60 miles of towing if I really don’t like a “last chance” gas station.

I think this is all part of the “fun” of towing a 40 foot fifth wheel toy hauler. In the end it provides our family with a great deal of fun but it is a process that is for sure!

 

[rodeoclown007]

Do you happen to have a part # for Triangle leaf springs. Been on the phone with Triangle, and Rush truck center and some other distributors trying to figure out what I need to order.

 

[dsol]

Just following up for the benefit of those seeing this thread. I do not have a part number and actually had the spring stacks put together at the shop. As a follow up to this one of my leafs sheared and we went with a stack of 10 with the top two leaves overlapping at the shackle to provide more support.

Anybody with a two axle TH such as mine should be checking out the suspension regularly as the stress/loads are likely way beyond what is safe for the OEM stuff and even replacement parts could fail. Be careful!