Leaning to drivers side....

Whiskerbiscuit

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Idaho Falls, Idaho
Hooked up to my 5th wheel yesterday to make adjustments for a level setup and on level ground. Got the the trailer, kingpin, and hitch all adjusted perfectly. (Was using the passenger side of truck for measurements).

Towed the trailer back to storage and found I had the most annoying clunk going over any kind of bump so I turned and headed back to my shop. The very first thing I looked at were the overload springs which was sitting 2" off the overload spring bump stop. Go over to drivers side and it is 1/4" from hitting the bump stop. The drivers side overload spring was bouncing off the stop on every bump which is an absolute awful design IMO.

Obviously the truck is leaning so I whip out the tape measure. 6" of bed rail clearance with the 5th wheel on passenger side...and 7.75" on drivers side. Not cool at all. I have 1.75"-2" lean on the driver's side which I cannot tolerate while pulling a 5th wheel.

I disconnect and measure empty with 1/8 of a fuel tank and find out I have almost a full inch lean when empty as well. It's about another inch when under a load. Took it to the dealer and they said that's normal which I find absolutely crazy and just lazy on their part.

Has anybody experienced this before? It's my first Ford, been a Duramax guy. Also, should I remove the overload spring bump stops to eliminate the "clunks"? This kind of stuff bugs me, I like my trailer/truck setups perfect.
 
Hooked up to my 5th wheel yesterday to make adjustments for a level setup and on level ground. Got the the trailer, kingpin, and hitch all adjusted perfectly. (Was using the passenger side of truck for measurements).

Towed the trailer back to storage and found I had the most annoying clunk going over any kind of bump so I turned and headed back to my shop. The very first thing I looked at were the overload springs which was sitting 2" off the overload spring bump stop. Go over to drivers side and it is 1/4" from hitting the bump stop. The drivers side overload spring was bouncing off the stop on every bump which is an absolute awful design IMO.

Obviously the truck is leaning so I whip out the tape measure. 6" of bed rail clearance with the 5th wheel on passenger side...and 7.75" on drivers side. Not cool at all. I have 1.75"-2" lean on the driver's side which I cannot tolerate while pulling a 5th wheel.

I disconnect and measure empty with 1/8 of a fuel tank and find out I have almost a full inch lean when empty as well. It's about another inch when under a load. Took it to the dealer and they said that's normal which I find absolutely crazy and just lazy on their part.

Has anybody experienced this before? It's my first Ford, been a Duramax guy. Also, should I remove the overload spring bump stops to eliminate the "clunks"? This kind of stuff bugs me, I like my trailer/truck setups perfect.

I have never seen it to that extend, but have seen some differences from side to side, depending on the truck. I would make sure that the components are the same on each side, and that there wasn't a mix up on the assembly line. There are also air bag kits that are adjustable, independently side to side, for this very issue.
 
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Hooked up to my 5th wheel yesterday to make adjustments for a level setup and on level ground. Got the the trailer, kingpin, and hitch all adjusted perfectly. (Was using the passenger side of truck for measurements).

Towed the trailer back to storage and found I had the most annoying clunk going over any kind of bump so I turned and headed back to my shop. The very first thing I looked at were the overload springs which was sitting 2" off the overload spring bump stop. Go over to drivers side and it is 1/4" from hitting the bump stop. The drivers side overload spring was bouncing off the stop on every bump which is an absolute awful design IMO.

Obviously the truck is leaning so I whip out the tape measure. 6" of bed rail clearance with the 5th wheel on passenger side...and 7.75" on drivers side. Not cool at all. I have 1.75"-2" lean on the driver's side which I cannot tolerate while pulling a 5th wheel.

This might help out with the fat girl situation. Check out the video.

 
Yep... its called the super duty lean. Google it. Millions of discussions about it. Has something to do with the gas tank/ Def tank/ 4x4 transfer case on drivers side which causes it to lean that way. Not to mention if "you" are the sole occupant adding even more weight to the drivers side. My truck is lower by about 3/4 inch on drivers side but mine is gas so my gas tank is smaller and I have no Def tank. You will notice it it more right after you fill your tanks. Apparently Ford makes shims to go under drivers side leafs to adjust for it. You will see what I'm talking about when you google it.
 
This is the first I've heard of it. Wow, that's crazy! I don't think I'd be real happy with a 1.75"-2" difference. Keep us in the loop on what the dealer does for you.
 
Hey Whiskerbiscuit did u ou ever find a solution for the driver's side lean?

My truck has a visual lean as well and I've confirmed it with a tape measure. I'm about 1.75 lean on the driver's side with a full tank of gas and other wise empty truck
 
I'm at 3/4" lean, 7.3 gas almost full tank
 
Dealership says it's within spec...sure it is. I have bags on order I'll be installing to level out out the back from side to side. I'll have to shim the driver's front.
 
Dealership says it's within spec...sure it is. I have bags on order I'll be installing to level out out the back from side to side. I'll have to shim the driver's front.

If you are using your bags to level it will ride like shit unloaded, especially if you are going to put more psi on the driverside than the passenger side. I have bags and notice the ride quality difference with just a couple of pounds in them. I run zero PSI and leave the valve stems out so the air in the bag doesn't even compress. I have the airlift with internal bump stops so I can run at zero PSI. I also leave the bottom of the bags unbolted so I don't rip them apart when I off road allowing the suspension to drop fully.
 
If you are using your bags to level it will ride like shit unloaded, especially if you are going to put more psi on the driverside than the passenger side. I have bags and notice the ride quality difference with just a couple of pounds in them. I run zero PSI and leave the valve stems out so the air in the bag doesn't even compress. I have the airlift with internal bump stops so I can run at zero PSI. I also leave the bottom of the bags unbolted so I don't rip them apart when I off road allowing the suspension to drop fully.


Since the lean is more severe under a load I'll just be using the bags to level when pulling my 5th wheel. Unloaded I'll be running 5psi in my bags.
 
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