Body lift kit needed?

[Shearwater]

My 2018 F150 has a box height of 55" at the tailgate, so I'm just an inch shy of the max recommendation for a standard height 5.0. Should I plan on getting the body lift kit or does the 56" recommendation include a factor of safety? Of course I would go with the 2 step option as well.

[davidmurphy02]

Plenty of owners have gone without the lift kit with that height bed rail and been fine. The extra clearance can come in handy and does not really affect towing. I got the lift kit with similar bed rail height because I needed extra clearance backing over a hump going down into our driveway. Without the lift kit I would have just over 6" clearance, with it I have 9" clearance and turned out to need almost every bit of it so I am very happy I got it.

They did not offer the double step when we got our trailer. Most of the time we are fine with the single step - on occasions when we are unlevel side to side and have to put blocks under the passenger side tires that step can be a bit much, if I was purchasing today with the lift kit I'd get the double step.

[azjack]

David, that is a steep drop off. Ours is more gradual but long, we also have RAM 2021 1500 with 6 1/2 bed and waiting for our 5th wheel. Initially we had 55 1/2 to bed rails, but when the box and hitch were installed and 200# of weight it came down to 53 1/2". I believe we'll be fine.
AZjack

[davidmurphy02]

Originally Posted by azjack

David, that is a steep drop off. Ours is more gradual but long, we also have RAM 2021 1500 with 6 1/2 bed and waiting for our 5th wheel. Initially we had 55 1/2 to bed rails, but when the box and hitch were installed and 200# of weight it came down to 53 1/2". I believe we'll be fine.
AZjack

I can't tell you how happy I was when we got the trailer home and slowly backed over that hump the first time and saw that there was just enough clearance

[Ooshkaboo]

I am on the list for the fifth wheel trailer I am looking into many aspects of the trailer hitch, mounting, installation(what a nightmare)
I would like to ask why wouldn’t everyone want the extra clearance. Seems as in anticipation of many different situations one will be in why not have the extra space rather to only then wish you did have it.

[Ooshkaboo]

Why not always get the lift kit?

[Brian B-P]

The extra height means a higher step to get in, less trailer stability, a higher roof meaning less clearance under objects (such as branches on residential streets and in campgrounds, and under any parking cover structure), and more aerodynamic drag when towing.

[Ooshkaboo]

I’m guessing if I determined later on that I needed it I can always just get a aftermarket lift kit?

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

I’m guessing if I determined later on that I needed it I can always just get a aftermarket lift kit?

Yes, Escape uses the kit from Dexter Axle, and you can buy that same kit from many suppliers. The installation is not complex, but it does take work, the trailer needs to be supported on a lift or stands, and the components are heavy.

[Centex]

Originally Posted by Ooshkaboo

I’m guessing if I determined later on that I needed it I can always just get a aftermarket lift kit?

Expanding slightly on the above from Brian B-P, this is the kit that fits our Escape 5.0 with tandem #10 Torflex axles, it's the Genuine Dexter brand Escape uses, note that there is NO special axle realignment required to install - just bolt it on and Bob's Yer Uncle

https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories...71-707-02.html

^This kit with your competent and safe installation procedure is all you need for both axles on an Escape 5.0 tandem axle model. No affiliation but in my experience etrailer is an excellent vendor to do business with.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

The extra height means a higher step to get in, less trailer stability, a higher roof meaning less clearance under objects (such as branches on residential streets and in campgrounds, and under any parking cover structure), and more aerodynamic drag when towing.

But in the real world, your examples don't really affect anything. It's 2 1/2" not 12" or more. I still drive through McDonalds to get my order when hooked up to the 5.0.

Every time I'm under the camper I appreciate that 2 1/2". I don't want to hit the sides of my pickup (55" height) either. I also have hit the Casita and Scamp in gully washes and that may or may not make a difference with my 5.0 with lift, but in the end, advice from Escape was to get the lift kit to give that extra clearance for my pickup box sides. I trusted Reace.

There are pro's and con's to each, but in the end it's up to the individual to decide.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Ooshkaboo]

Thx so much...I’m new at this but have learned to seek advice best you can before setting on a new path. Let me tell you the fifth wheel hitch world has much to be desired.
Every place I check into for installation, right product for the trailer or truck, I’ve been getting different and conflicting answers. Anderson even seems lost, they give me B n W company’s phone number for the fifth wheel hitch mounting needs and B n W goes into no way don’t buy Anderson, which I get them being a competitor but this is Anderson’s business plan....

Then there’s must have a slider, no way a Anderson or this one don’t get anything but a 8’ bed, its exhausting.
Oh and of course everyone is the all knowing one.
Mind you I’m in the rental business so I do speak the working on things lingo, it’s similar to how ridiculous the heating and cooling world is set up.
Best is I have a class A drivers license-two different worlds really, but I don’t tell them for I’ve noticed some people in the RV world are intimidated by that. Which it really only speaks to my driving abilities, again two completely different things.

Which brings me here, this place is making more sense than the companies or dealerships.
I accidentally-thinking it was the Reese company-on a shop in Clearwater Florida that was helpful, 18 hour drive but I may just do it.

[Ooshkaboo]

PS-the RV world is way more challenging than driving a tractor trailer. Is to me anyway...and I’ve only just begun.

[Brian B-P]

Much of the confusion results from some people assuming that all fifth-wheel trailers are at least eight feet wide and weigh at least six tons... things which are not true of Escapes. When anyone declares something about a fifth-wheel hitch setup is required or won't work, I think it's worth asking what they are assuming.

[sofmerc]

what class of RV is the 5.0? Newbie question

[Donna D.]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

what class of RV is the 5.0? Newbie question

"The main motorhome classes are class A, class B, and class C for motorized RVs and then fifth-wheel trailer, toy hauler, travel trailer and pop-up camper as far as towables go." https://rvshare.com/blog/rv-classes/

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by sofmerc

what class of RV is the 5.0? Newbie question

There is not really a scale of "classes" in which all recreational vehicles fit.

As Donna mentioned, there are classes of motorhome based on the construction of the chassis and body, but that only applies to motorhomes. There are weight classes for ratings of conventional towing equipment using a ball, but they are not normally applied to hitches mounted over the bed of a truck (as the 5.0 uses); on that scale, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 5500 pounds the Escape 5.0 (like the coming 23' model) is in the Class 4 (or Class IV) range., while all other Escapes are in the Class 3 (or Class III) range. There are descriptions of other types of RVs, such as the list of trailer types that Donna provided; they're not a systematic classification.

All Escapes are travel trailers; the 5.0 is a travel trailer with works with a fifth-wheel hitch.

So my question would be: Jack, what set of classes are you trying to fit the 5.0 into? Can you provide an example of another RV and its class, for context?

[AndNeitherDoI]

Originally Posted by Shearwater

My 2018 F150 has a box height of 55" at the tailgate, so I'm just an inch shy of the max recommendation for a standard height 5.0. Should I plan on getting the body lift kit or does the 56" recommendation include a factor of safety? Of course I would go with the 2 step option as well.

The main reason I am thankful we went with the lift kit - the extra 2" when hooking up the sewer hose to dump the tanks.

[marsman]

Originally Posted by davidmurphy02

Plenty of owners have gone without the lift kit with that height bed rail and been fine. The extra clearance can come in handy and does not really affect towing. I got the lift kit with similar bed rail height because I needed extra clearance backing over a hump going down into our driveway. Without the lift kit I would have just over 6" clearance, with it I have 9" clearance and turned out to need almost every bit of it so I am very happy I got it.

They did not offer the double step when we got our trailer. Most of the time we are fine with the single step - on occasions when we are unlevel side to side and have to put blocks under the passenger side tires that step can be a bit much, if I was purchasing today with the lift kit I'd get the double step.

Hello David, great post, I love the pictures! I wish I had bought a white pickup truck; I like the overall look of your rig and TV. Have a couple of questions:
1. How much space is there between the bottom of the fifth wheel and the top of the box? Looks like about 7" ? I'm curious because I don't have the lift kit and I think I have quite a bit less (I'll have to check the next time I'm hooked up? That bump in your driveway does not look that drastic to me and now I worry that if I'm ever on a dirt road with some undulations I may not have enough clearance, hmmm?
2. When they install the lift kit do they still install the same length of front legs? I ask because I have the Anderson Ultimate Hitch and last January when I went to hook up the rig, there had been about 3-4" of ice buildup on the ground in front of the trailer - turns out that I ended up having to pretty much fully extends the front legs to get the hitch ball under the trailer. Is it possible with the higher rear end to end up in a situation where you can't level the trailer properly or unhook??

[sofmerc]

Originally Posted by Brian B-P

There is not really a scale of "classes" in which all recreational vehicles fit.

As Donna mentioned, there are classes of motorhome based on the construction of the chassis and body, but that only applies to motorhomes. There are weight classes for ratings of conventional towing equipment using a ball, but they are not normally applied to hitches mounted over the bed of a truck (as the 5.0 uses); on that scale, with a gross vehicle weight rating of 5500 pounds the Escape 5.0 (like the coming 23' model) is in the Class 4 (or Class IV) range., while all other Escapes are in the Class 3 (or Class III) range. There are descriptions of other types of RVs, such as the list of trailer types that Donna provided; they're not a systematic classification.

All Escapes are travel trailers; the 5.0 is a travel trailer with works with a fifth-wheel hitch.

So my question would be: Jack, what set of classes are you trying to fit the 5.0 into? Can you provide an example of another RV and its class, for context?

Not trying to fit 5.0 in any class. I keep seeing rv's refered to by class and just wondered what class the different Escapes my be.