What Should Clearance Be From Bed Rails to Fifth Wheel

Updated 04/19/2019 | Published 04/18/2019

Question:

My 33 ft. Laredo tows 3 inches higher in front than rear. I have 7 inches bed rail clearance on my Chevy 3500HD which I want to maintain if possible. The truck could squat another 1 to 2 inches to tow completely level. The trailers 4400 lb tandem axles are carrying 3740 lbs front and 3960 rear according to the CAT scales. Should I be concerned with the 220 lbs difference affecting braking, wear,etc.or the 3 inch height difference? The trailer tires are 10 ply rated at 2830 lbs each.

asked by: Paul M

Helpful Expert Reply:

The 4,400 lb tandem axles you have are supporting a very similar weight and trying to get these to support exactly the same weight consistently would be pretty tedious and not particularly beneficial. The 220 lb difference is perfectly fine so I would concentrate on making sure you tow as level as possible, which is going to be the best thing for you to for even suspension wear.

If you take a look at the accompanying photo you can see that you need 5" to 6" for clearance from bed rails to overhang so as long as you have at least that clearance that's really the best option for your specific situation.

expert reply by: Kyle S