5er hitch hitting Retrax rails

[KLR650goldwing]

Recently we had a Retrax retractable tonneau cover installed on our 2017 F350 DRW 6.7. The hitch on the trailer is now making contact with the rails on the Retrax. Looking down the trailer when it is hitched up to the truck it is easy to see that the trailer is high on the front. It is only an inch or so, but clearly more weight is riding on the rear tires of the trailer. The hitch only make contact by a fraction of an inch. Is the solution to raise the trailer? How difficult is that to accomplish? What are the pros and cons?

[Johnww]

Can you replace the blocks on the rear axle on your F350 DRW with lower blocks? This is a popular conversion on SRW models but I'm not sure if it applies to DRW. Do a search on the Ford Superduty forum many owners have reduced the rear end height by 1" to 1 1/2"

[powerscol]

Recently we had a Retrax retractable tonneau cover installed on our 2017 F350 DRW 6.7. The hitch on the trailer is now making contact with the rails on the Retrax. Looking down the trailer when it is hitched up to the truck it is easy to see that the trailer is high on the front. It is only an inch or so, but clearly more weight is riding on the rear tires of the trailer. The hitch only make contact by a fraction of an inch. Is the solution to raise the trailer? How difficult is that to accomplish? What are the pros and cons?

What portion of the king pin is contacting the rails? Is it the back end flange? If it is a fraction of an inch, there may be two solutions. One - grind the flange down to clear, and if you haven't checked, you may be able to shift the Retrax rails out a bit. Give Retrax a call as the might have a solution too.

Hope this helps

[BreakfastinAmerica]

Can you adjust the pin box? I was heavy to the rear axle and that adjustment equalized the axles and Helped level unit when hooked up.

[nuggett]

I have the same cover on my 2019 F350 4x4 SRW. I'm using a B&W companion slider and adjusted the 5th wheel to just clear the cover when closed.i have about 6" of clearance. I recently lowered the rear by installing shorter spring blocks,the truck now sits "almost level " when empty.With the toy hauler (351M) hooked up it sits level.I also use air bags but not to adjust the ride height but for ride quality.

[KLR650goldwing]

So today, I met with the service manager at the dealership where we bought the trailer. He says cutting off the back of the hitch ought to solve the problem. Next, I met with a welding shop guy who says cutting off the back of the hitch will NOT reduce the structural integrity of the hitch. And, the trailer is scheduled to have that work done soon. Thanks everyone for your help.

[KLR650goldwing]

The welder guy said raising the trailer is relatively simply and might help also. I measured our trailer and it sits 3 inches high in the front. So, my limited logic says that raising the trailer 3 inches would make it level. What do you all think of that idea? Our trailer is 13'6" high now so raising it would make it 13'9". Is that too high??? I'm also thinking about lowering the back of our truck to solve this problem. I know nothing about what would be required to do that and what the pros and cons would be. Do any of you have experience and or ideas out there for this one?

[BreakfastinAmerica]

13’6”. Sound like a number I hear a lot. Might be max height of many bridges and overpass???

[FT4NOW]

The welder guy said raising the trailer is relatively simply and might help also. I measured our trailer and it sits 3 inches high in the front. So, my limited logic says that raising the trailer 3 inches would make it level. What do you all think of that idea? Our trailer is 13'6" high now so raising it would make it 13'9". Is that too high??? I'm also thinking about lowering the back of our truck to solve this problem. I know nothing about what would be required to do that and what the pros and cons would be. Do any of you have experience and or ideas out there for this one?

I think it depends where you live. I looked on the AAA site and a lot of states have a max height of 13' 6". It will also limit you on certain underpasses, more so than being at 13' 6". Below is a sample of some of the different state laws.

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[Roll With The Changes]

I have the same problem with mine. (Bakflip cover on 2020 F350 DRW.)

Newer trucks seem to have higher bed rails, so the problem is getting more common. I looked at raising the hitch and the pin box to keep the same level, but the clearance problem is at the pin box mount (the part that is welded to the trailer frame.) I have clearance on level ground but on slopes and twists it will hit. I can't fix it for now, so I just have to be careful. The long term fix will be replacing the truck bed.

I know it doesn't help anybody here, but the solution would be to pin box farther forward and make the pinbox shorter. That way the entire pinion assembly would swing within the bed rails of modern trucks.