I don't think they mean to weld on the springs. They normally weld longer shackle mounting plates onto the frame of the trailer or they beef up the frame with box tubing as said above. I'd come off of the frame with longer mounting plates before I flipped the axles.
I have the slide bar Reese 15K and I do notice a little slack in it but it does do the job and it's really easy to tell when it's locked.
Never heard of someone dropping a 5er with the slide bar but did have a camping buddy drop one with the jaws. Messed up his bed rails really bad.
Sounds like you're better informed than most which is a good thing.
That's why I carry insurance, just in case.....
I found out a long time ago that you can't prevent every problem and I don't try to.
Good luck and don't worry, you have a great set up. Now it's time to go out and enjoy it.
Not to make you nervous or anything like that......but, at 14K with 10 ply tires rated at 3500 each you are pushing it. My tires were rated for 3500 each and one bubbled.
Don't just look at the ply rating, look at the weight rating on the tire also, all tires are not created equal.
Looks great. Unless you go off road, you should be OK with the bed rail clearance. Just be carefull.
I agree about the tires.
What ply are the tires that's on there now?
I had a 10 ply bubble on the side wall this past week on a trip in Arkansas and they are less than 2 years old...
We bought our last 5er as a hold over and got a great deal. Just don't let the dealer know that you're in a hurry to buy or that you have to have that one.
They'll deal more if they believe that you are willing to walk away.
Welcome and thanks for your service and protection to our safety and security.
It seems as though some Kansas members could take care of your rig while your serving our grea country......LOL
I have the Mor Ryde suspension system and I had to order it through them because of the special plate that goes in between the springs. If you do a search, Dexter makes most of the wet bolt kits.
After getting the upgraded/modified plate, I could have made mine work with some metal lathe work...
Without hearing it, and just a guess, its' probably the springs, bolts & shackles.
The reason I say that is when you turn a 2 or 3 axle trailer and while looking at the tires and wheels, you can see a lot of torque on the suspension.
I just upgraded mine to a wet bolt (greasable) kit with...
I carry 6 - 2X8's that are cut and the ends beveled to where they will each fit between my 5er tires. When I back into a site, I determine what side I need to raise and how much by judging my level. I lay the 2 boards on the outside of the tires and pull forward just enough for the wife to slide...
Around 1500 miles, I changed out all the fluids.
A plus to a 5er is that in most states, you can tow doubles with a 5er, it's illegal to tow doubles with a TT from my understanding.
We looked at TH's and decided that most of the time on local trips, we don't bring anything with us. If we...