3500 + OEM air suspension + 5th wheel

[Nick]

When I hook my 5th wheel up I hit alt ride height . Message comes across in instrument panel saying lowering .That is what it does . when I unhook I turn it off and it goes back to empty height.

 

[The HOFF]

my 2020 3500 automatically levels truck as soon as it has weight on the hitch and you can actually here the compressor come on with out the need to push any buttons.

I think when you put a load on it wants to stay level as much as possible causing bags to fill with load. Alt height takes some pressure off bags so won’t risk popping if you hit a decent bump. Also I have found out in my case Alt height and lowering makes it look more level for trailer instead of nose high.


2019 RAM 3500 Longhorn Megacab
2019 OpenRange 3X427BHS

 

[The HOFF]

So do you engage 'alt trailer height' once hooked up to your 5er?

Yes.


2019 RAM 3500 Longhorn Megacab
2019 OpenRange 3X427BHS

 

[RVTRKN]

I keep mine in alt ride hight to maintain bed to 5ver clearance keeping the maximum distance for the bed rails and tail gate. I'm not used to worrying about it, my last truck was a flat bed and the 07 3500 C&C. With the factory air and springs combined, make a nicer ride than the 07 3500 C&C. I am disapointed in the overall system, you only have two levels and no in-between, and when empty, only normal hight.

 

[Nick]

When un hooked mine will not stay in alt ride ht . You try and it will say no load felt or something to that effect and stay in normal .

 

[RVTRKN]

Thats the negative to the expensive OE system, its only when loaded.

 

[Xflight29]

I love the system. I personally love how it keeps my trailer and load level with out any need to adjust.

 

[Huskerz1]

I am looking at getting the factory air ride suspension on a 3500 DRW. Please allow me to regurgitate and hypothesize what I've been able to comprehend from this thread. I have a 12k 38 ft 5th wheel.

Hooking up the 5th
1. In "normal" ride height I would back truck up and hitch up the 5th.
2. Truck squats but then auto levels after it senses the load.
3. Put truck in "Alt" ride height which lowers ride height about an inch for travel

Unhooking the 5th is where I'm a little confused with the system
1. Drop front legs of the 5th to take some pressure off the hitch and truck. I usually like to get a little gap before pulling out. I dunno if this system will let me.
2. Lower truck bed?
3. Pull out?

Is it that simple or am I all messed up in understanding this? I do understand turning off the system before hitching up. Is that necessary? Do people turn it off when unhitching?

Thanks

 

[Silverbeard]

I am looking at getting the factory air ride suspension on a 3500 DRW. Please allow me to regurgitate and hypothesize what I've been able to comprehend from this thread. I have a 12k 38 ft 5th wheel.

Hooking up the 5th
1. In "normal" ride height I would back truck up and hitch up the 5th.
2. Truck squats but then auto levels after it senses the load.
3. Put truck in "Alt" ride height which lowers ride height about an inch for travel

Unhooking the 5th is where I'm a little confused with the system
1. Drop front legs of the 5th to take some pressure off the hitch and truck. I usually like to get a little gap before pulling out. I dunno if this system will let me.
2. Lower truck bed?
3. Pull out?

Is it that simple or am I all messed up in understanding this? I do understand turning off the system before hitching up. Is that necessary? Do people turn it off when unhitching?

Thanks

I’ve haven’t used the Alt ride height yet, when hooked up to the fifth wheel, so I can’t address your question directly. But using the Auto air suspension in regular mode, to unhook, I just raise the 5th to take the load off the truck and pull out. As the load comes off the truck, the bed raises some, like it would without the Air suspension. I like the Auto Air Suspension. It seems to have a smoother ride than my last truck, which was a 2017 Ram 3500 srw, cc.

 

[farmallboy]

Only pulled a goose and utility trailer but I drop to alt height before hooking and then leave it till I'm unhooked and putting the truck in hibernation for the night. Works well.


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[RVTRKN]

I am looking at getting the factory air ride suspension on a 3500 DRW. Please allow me to regurgitate and hypothesize what I've been able to comprehend from this thread. I have a 12k 38 ft 5th wheel.

Hooking up the 5th
1. In "normal" ride height I would back truck up and hitch up the 5th.
2. Truck squats but then auto levels after it senses the load.
3. Put truck in "Alt" ride height which lowers ride height about an inch for travel

Unhooking the 5th is where I'm a little confused with the system
1. Drop front legs of the 5th to take some pressure off the hitch and truck. I usually like to get a little gap before pulling out. I dunno if this system will let me.
2. Lower truck bed?
3. Pull out?

Is it that simple or am I all messed up in understanding this? I do understand turning off the system before hitching up. Is that necessary? Do people turn it off when unhitching?

Thanks

I just unhooked my 5ver with the Alt height active, I forgot to put it into jack mode which disables the auto level. As soon as the pin weight lifted, I heard the air system inflate, lifting it to the normal height. It seems to me the system needs to be out of Alt height before you attempt to unhitch. So when hooking up I will be in jack mode and when unhitching, I'll take it out of alt height first then put it into Jack mode, before lifting weight off of thre pin weight.

 

[Huskerz1]

I just unhooked my 5ver with the Alt height active, I forgot to put it into jack mode which disables the auto level. As soon as the pin weight lifted, I heard the air system inflate, lifting it to the normal height. It seems to me the system needs to be out of Alt height before you attempt to unhitch. So when hooking up I will be in jack mode and when unhitching, I'll take it out of alt height first then put it into Jack mode, before lifting weight off of thre pin weight.

Sounds like a good plan.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I just unhooked my 5ver with the Alt height active, I forgot to put it into jack mode which disables the auto level. As soon as the pin weight lifted, I heard the air system inflate, lifting it to the normal height. It seems to me the system needs to be out of Alt height before you attempt to unhitch. So when hooking up I will be in jack mode and when unhitching, I'll take it out of alt height first then put it into Jack mode, before lifting weight off of thre pin weight.

Oddly enough, the Alt Height on my truck stay engaged when I took the load off and after I unhooked. It stuck through a key cycle (overnight). I drove it for a few blocks leaving the neighborhood the next day before actually realizing this. After turning it off, it rose to the usual 1" rake and then wouldn't let me re-engage it. It also cannot be changed when moving. When we left the lake (sig pic) I had forgotten to engage it and it wouldn't engage until I came to a complete stop.

 

[Foxspizza53]

Ok. I've got a 3500 with the OEM air leveling suspension. I also have a 5th wheel. Any tricks I should know so that when I hook up, the truck auto levels. I had the 1500 with air, and after I hooked up my travel trailer, the compressor kicked in and levelled it. Was a thing of beauty. I'm hoping same happens with the 5th wheel on my 3500. Please share experience. Thanks

Hook it up and go.

 

[RVTRKN]

I don't like the surprize of it pressurizing, raising the 5ver unexpected, while lowering 5ver onto the hitch, when not in alt mode. It can lift the 5ver front stands off the ground when it does that. So I now use the jack mode before hooking and unhooking the 5ver.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I don't like the surprize of it pressurizing, raising the 5ver unexpected, while lowering 5ver onto the hitch, when not in alt mode. It can lift the 5ver front stands off the ground when it does that. So I now use the jack mode before hooking and unhooking the 5ver.

The way I read it, Bed Lowering mode does basically the same thing so that's what I use. Whether it lowers the bed much is debatable, but it does "disable the air suspension" when activated. One of the buttons I put on the bottom row for quick access.

Trailer Decoupling/Unloading - The air suspension
system will continue to load level after the
vehicle has been turned off for 10 minutes
without compressor activation. This allows for
easy removal of a trailer and/or load from the
back of the truck by maintaining the ride height.
After 10 minutes you will need to turn the ignition
to the run position for the air suspension to
re-level due to addition/removal of load in the
vehicle. If the air suspension system is disabled
using the settings menu (Tire Jack Mode, Transport
Mode, Alignment Mode, or Bed Lowering
Mode) the system will remain disabled when
the vehicle is turned off. Reactivating the air
suspension can be accomplished via the
settings menu or driving the vehicle above
5 mph (8 km/h) for Tire Jack Mode, Alignment
Mode, Transport Mode and Bed Lowering
Mode.

NOTE:
 Most 3500 models will not lower to Alternate
Trailer Height (ATH) when unloaded.

 

[wiseguy]

Just being very cautious do t want it to happen again. Plus I’m towing a Beast.

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Looks like a short bed you’ve got there. Any concerns about clearance issues with your cab/trailer? I‘m weighing requirement for full size bed to tow a 5th wheel.
John

 

[Rich]

I am looking at getting the factory air ride suspension on a 3500 DRW. Please allow me to regurgitate and hypothesize what I've been able to comprehend from this thread. I have a 12k 38 ft 5th wheel.

Hooking up the 5th
1. In "normal" ride height I would back truck up and hitch up the 5th.
2. Truck squats but then auto levels after it senses the load.
3. Put truck in "Alt" ride height which lowers ride height about an inch for travel

Unhooking the 5th is where I'm a little confused with the system
1. Drop front legs of the 5th to take some pressure off the hitch and truck. I usually like to get a little gap before pulling out. I dunno if this system will let me.
2. Lower truck bed?
3. Pull out?

Is it that simple or am I all messed up in understanding this? I do understand turning off the system before hitching up. Is that necessary? Do people turn it off when unhitching?

Thanks

So what I had to learn to do is. When my wife goes into club house to check us in and me and the dogs are waiting out in the truck. I then take it OFF alt ride heighth. We then go find our spot and go through the regular routine and everything works fine. If I forget to take off alt ride heighth before unhooking, it will just keep adjusting as I'm lowering the legs and 7 out of 10 times ill end up pulling out of hitch head either to low or too high. To high don't upset me like to low does. I hate it when the hitch head points way up as pin slides down thus getting close to top of bed.

 

[Nick]

So what I had to learn to do is. When my wife goes into club house to check us in and me and the dogs are waiting out in the truck. I then take it OFF alt ride heighth. We then go find our spot and go through the regular routine and everything works fine. If I forget to take off alt ride heighth before unhooking, it will just keep adjusting as I'm lowering the legs and 7 out of 10 times ill end up pulling out of hitch head either to low or too high. To high don't upset me like to low does. I hate it when the hitch head points way up as pin slides down thus getting close to top of bed.

I have the factory air and just lower the legs once the weight comes off it will automatically go to normal height it’s only an inch . I just pull out no problem . It’s easy .

 

[The HOFF]

Looks like a short bed you’ve got there. Any concerns about clearance issues with your cab/trailer? I‘m weighing requirement for full size bed to tow a 5th wheel.
John

No clearance issues at all. I can do a complete 90 degree turn and everything.


2019 RAM 3500 Longhorn Megacab
2019 OpenRange 3X427BHS
2020 Jayco NorthPoint 382FL