Can I "lift" a horse trailer

[oldgrizzlybear]

I just got a goose neck hitch installed in my F250 diesel 4x4. The bed is high and the gooseneck horse trailer isn't level. I can't lower the hitch anymore and still clear the top of the bed. Has anyone put lifts on a horse trailer or heard of it? I only need a couple of inches. By the way the trailer is old enough that it has leaf springs instead of the torsion axles.

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

So, you have shortened the adjustable hitch mast on the trailer as short as possible and is still not enough to level the trailer? I have heard of blocking the axles on the trailer, because my BIL did this with a 4-horse after he bought a Dodge Ram 3500 dually 4x4. It can be done, but the C of G of the trailer will be raised which will affect stability, plus whether the trailer is a step-up or ramp, will make it taller for the horse to get on or off. Not so bad if it is a stock trailer I guess, where the horses can unload by turning around and stepping off frontwards.

 

[oldgrizzlybear]

Do you know what was used to block the trailer and how it was done?

 

[Diamondpilot]

Read through this post. Especially the second page. It deals with just this problem. It will show and tell you the few ways of doing it. There is a right way and the wrong way which I see the Red Necks do down here from time to time to trailers I service.

http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/trailers-transportation/145452-5th-wheel-hitch-height.html

Chris

 

[Heywood Jannockitov]

Do you know what was used to block the trailer and how it was done?

OGB, It was done as in the photos provided by Chris' link showing the Dexter kit which consists of inserting spacer blocks between the axle and leaf spring. This was a stopgap measure for my BIL, as he bought a new trailer shortly after. I don't think he was particularly impressed with the results.

 

[Newblue]

I would recomend welding the new perches in the Dexter kit to the axle. The kit comes with perches that use a jack screw set up to make the old perches and new ones paralell then everything is held together with the u-bolts. I used the jack screws to make them paralell, clamped it with a c-clamp, then fully welded it.

 

[oldgrizzlybear]

Thanks for the help. I was wondering about the "axle flip" and the Dexter kit looks like the way to go. Don't know when I'll get to it as I have so many projects waiting already.

 

[BILL_K]

I had the same problem and it help to put 16inch wheels and tires on mine.
This had the added plus that I now had the same tires and wheels as my towing
truck. This is on a 36 ft horse trailer.
Billk

 

[Bill_C]

I used the Dexter kit also to "flip" the axles on my travel trailer. Went well. On mine, the brake wire was routed through the axle so be aware of that before you fire up the welder.

I later added the Dexter heavy-duty spring bushing kit, this would be the ideal time to do it while the axles are out. The "stock" spring bushings are thin plastic, halfways worn through even with only light use. The replacement heavy-duty kit uses bronze bushings and shackle bolts with grease fittings.

 

[Reg]

Old thread, too late to affect the O/P's decision, but it may help others.

I don't believe it is "necessary" to lift the trailer and in any case doing so would make it less stable.
REMEMBER horse and livestock trailers haul live weight, i.e. the mass moves around.

I would;
a) set it up to clear the truck, accept that it has an "up hill" attitude.
b) get it weighed axle by axle, if the tires are within their load range WHEN THE TRAILER IS LOADED leave it at that.
You may be surprised at just how close the axle loads are to each other.

This is based largely on the assumption that tandem axle equalizers (noun) DO in fact equalize (verb) the load bearing to the axles.
Torsion spring axles also equalize quite well.

As to how it looks; don't worry about THAT
As to how it affects the horses; Assuming you accelerate gently braking forces are likely to be worse than accelerating forces, so a slight up hill is in their favor.
Also, getting pitched forward from braking is harder on them than getting the push from behind - again a slight uphill relieves this.