What is the bed rail height of your tremor?

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I have ordered a 2022 Tremor and plan to haul a 41.5 foot Forest River Cardinal with it. I'm really hoping that by the time I hook the Cardinal up to the Tremor, it will ride level. Currently it is sitting level and the underside of the front end is 58 inches off the ground. I'm wondering what is the height of a Tremor's bed rails? I was planning to purchase an Anderson (high) Ultimate 5th wheel hitch with three choices of height adjustment.

My concern is that the Cardinal specifications say it is at the maximum height allowed by law at 13' 5". So I might not be able to raise the suspension to level it. The Cardinal has a dry weight of 14,000lbs. and a max of 16,000lbs. The back of the Cardinal sticks out at least ten feet past the rear axle, so if it does end up riding nose high, I'm going to be dragging the back end close to the pavement when I pull into gas stations that have uphill driveways. I climbed up on the roof of the trailer this morning and measured the height from the top of the front a/c unit and the top of the rear a/c unit to the ground. I got 12'10" for the height of the rear a/c, and 12' 11" for the height of the front a/c. I think the rod we were using with a tape measure attached to it was bending slightly and the ground below was not perfectly level. So the front seemed to be higher and was more likely 13' 3", plus or minus an inch. So it's possible I might be able to raise the trailer 2".

Can anyone tell me about how much their stock Tremor's squat under approximately 2700 pounds of pin weight? What is the height of your stock Tremor's bed rails? How much clearance do you have between the underside of the camper and your bed rails? What hitch are you using?

I plan to use the Tremor as a daily driver about 340 days each year and pull the camper about 25 days per year, so I'm willing to get close to the limits during the days we plan to tow the camper.

 

[FT_Guest3342]

Stock F350/Tremor

Height of bed rails above bed floor 21.1"
Height of bed floor above ground 38.3"

Ground to bed rail = 59.4"

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Stock F350/Tremor

Height of bed rails above bed floor 21.1"
Height of bed floor above ground 38.3"

Ground to bed rail = 59.4"

Thanks. So if a fifth wheel camper needs 6 inches of bed rail clearance, and the Tremor will squat 2"-4" under 2700 pounds of pin weight, the nose of the camper will be about 62.5" off the ground as measured from the bottom of the front-end of the camper. My Cardinal is 58" off the ground when sitting level. That seems to indicate it will ride nose high unless I raise the suspension close to 4".

 

[Jrod250]

I tow my grand design momentum with an Anderson ultimate (standard height) and its great. I have my coupler block turned backwards and have zero clearance issues. When the block was forward, my hitch could potentially contact the rail for my tonneau cover if making a tight off camber turn.

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I tow my grand design momentum with an Anderson ultimate (standard height) and its great. I have my coupler block turned backwards and have zero clearance issues. When the block was forward, my hitch could potentially contact the rail for my tonneau cover if making a tight off camber turn.

In the picture, it appears your Grand Design is riding nose high. Can you tell me the measurement between the bottom of the front of your camper and the ground, when it is hooked up to your Tremor? About how much bed rail clearance do you have? It looks like at least 6 inches. Do you know your tongue weight on the Tremor and have you measured how many inches it squats when towing your trailer?

 

[Jrod250]

It’s definitely not nose high. That’s just an illusion because of my driveway. I did know all the measurements initially, but I don’t recall off the top of my head. I want to say it squats about 2.5-inches and I believe I have about 8 inches of bed rail clearance with the ball in the center hole And my pin weight all loaded up is right around 3100lbs. I’ve towed it about 1200 miles this year and no issues at all

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

It’s definitely not nose high. That’s just an illusion because of my driveway. I did know all the measurements initially, but I don’t recall off the top of my head. I want to say it squats about 2.5-inches and I believe I have about 8 inches of bed rail clearance with the ball in the center hole And my pin weight all loaded up is right around 3100lbs. I’ve towed it about 1200 miles this year and no issues at all

Great. 8 inches is a lot of clearance. I'll be purchasing the "high" version of the Anderson Ultimate, so I will probably use the lower setting. I think my pin weight will be under 3000lbs.

It seems like I can relax a bit. I have been told I can't tow with a Tremor or a short bed, especially if it is a large heavy fifth wheel. I look forward to hearing my Tremor is being built.

 

[Jrod250]

Enjoy. Just keep in mind that with the raised Anderson, you’ll have to remove your ball if you have a tonneau cover. I researched a lot and even called Anderson and they told me the raised version was made specifically with the new Chevy/GMC trucks in mind because they have a deeper bed. Either way, you’ll enjoy the total package.

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

Enjoy. Just keep in mind that with the raised Anderson, you’ll have to remove your ball if you have a tonneau cover. I researched a lot and even called Anderson and they told me the raised version was made specifically with the new Chevy/GMC trucks in mind because they have a deeper bed. Either way, you’ll enjoy the total package.

I wish Anderson would be more specific about the need for the raised version. They don't even mention it was made for the Chevy / GMC trucks on their web site. Instead they say;

COMPATIBILITY FOR THE RAISED ULTIMATE 5TH WHEEL CONNECTION:​

This version of the Ultimate Connection is recommended with 2020 and newer truck models, to accommodate for a higher bed rail and tailgate clearance. Do not use on 2019 and older truck models.

I'll contact them to confirm I only need the regular Ultimate Hitch, model 3220.

 

[Jrod250]

I wish Anderson would be more specific about the need for the raised version. They don't even mention it was made for the Chevy / GMC trucks on their web site. Instead they say;

COMPATIBILITY FOR THE RAISED ULTIMATE 5TH WHEEL CONNECTION:​

This version of the Ultimate Connection is recommended with 2020 and newer truck models, to accommodate for a higher bed rail and tailgate clearance. Do not use on 2019 and older truck models.

I'll contact them to confirm I only need the regular Ultimate Hitch, model 3220.

I agree. I was in your shoes back in February. I was waiting for my tremor to arrive, I already had the hitch sitting in my basement in the box when I noticed the new raised version. I thought “shit!!! I got the wrong one”. I jumped on here and asked for measurements just like you are and realized I’d be good. I also called Anderson to confirm and the gentleman told me they are primarily for the new GM/chevys.

nerve racking isn’t it. Lol

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I agree. I was in your shoes back in February. I was waiting for my tremor to arrive, I already had the hitch sitting in my basement in the box when I noticed the new raised version. I thought “shit!!! I got the wrong one”. I jumped on here and asked for measurements just like you are and realized I’d be good. I also called Anderson to confirm and the gentleman told me they are primarily for the new GM/chevys.

nerve racking isn’t it. Lol

It certainly is. I've already been on the phone to Lippert this week to ask about adding a 2" receiver on the back of our Forest River Cardinal, if it is OK to lift the suspension to make it level with the new Tremor, and if they recommend the Anderson Ultimate hitch. The response is like something that went through their attorney. He said we do not advise anyone to alter their trailers. So no on welding a receiver on the back. They also stated they do not offer a 2" lift for our Cardinal. Finally, they do not advise using a hitch like Anderson that adds an attachment to the king pin and puts slightly different stresses on the welds surrounding it. So that was a disappointing conversation. Now I'm going to search the Ford web site to view what they offer in a roof rack that I can add my One-Up USA bike trays to. It is that or have them sticking up out of a front receiver and blocking my view.

Did you add a sway bar to the back of your Tremor? That's another concern of mine.

 

[Jrod250]

It certainly is. I've already been on the phone to Lippert this week to ask about adding a 2" receiver on the back of our Forest River Cardinal, if it is OK to lift the suspension to make it level with the new Tremor, and if they recommend the Anderson Ultimate hitch. The response is like something that went through their attorney. He said we do not advise anyone to alter their trailers. So no on welding a receiver on the back. They also stated they do not offer a 2" lift for our Cardinal. Finally, they do not advise using a hitch like Anderson that adds an attachment to the king pin and puts slightly different stresses on the welds surrounding it. So that was a disappointing conversation. Now I'm going to search the Ford web site to view what they offer in a roof rack that I can add my One-Up USA bike trays to. It is that or have them sticking up out of a front receiver and blocking my view.

Did you add a sway bar to the back of your Tremor? That's another concern of mine.

I did add the hellwig sway bar before I even towed so I can’t provide a before and after opinion. There is also some confusion on which hellwig to get. The tremors are the same height as PRE 2020 superdutys. In 2020 Ford lowered the rear 2 inches on standard superduty trucks

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I did add the hellwig sway bar before I even towed so I can’t provide a before and after opinion. There is also some confusion on which hellwig to get. The tremors are the same height as PRE 2020 superdutys. In 2020 Ford lowered the rear 2 inches on standard superduty trucks

So which Helwig sway bar did you purchase. I would like to add one to my Tremor. Here is what someone from another forum said is the correct model;

https://www.hellwigproducts.com/products/?partnumber=7845

 

[Wayfaring Stranger]

I spent an hour last night going over options for a roof rack on my Tremor in order to haul our three bikes. My current rack, a three tray One-Up USA rack that slides into a 2" receiver, is not compatible with various brands of roof racks. I'd need to buy three new bike trays to fit onto a crossbar and also purchase four towers from Yakima. The total cost could exceed $1200.

So, I'm back to mounting a 2" receiver on the back of our Forest River Cardinal, even though it does not have a rear bumper. It will likely require fabrication to weld a brace between the frame beams and then weld a 2" receiver onto that brace, followed by cutting through the rear facia of the trailer and trying to find a very large grommet to slide around the receiver to make the finished job look clean. Maybe I can find a trailer repair shop to do the work. And maybe I need to deal with the obstructing visibility of a front bumper mounted receiver and install one of those to attach our bike rack to. At least those are designed for F-350's and can be hidden behind the license plate when not in use.

 

[Jrod250]

In the picture, it appears your Grand Design is riding nose high. Can you tell me the measurement between the bottom of the front of your camper and the ground, when it is hooked up to your Tremor? About how much bed rail clearance do you have? It looks like at least 6 inches. Do you know your tongue weight on the Tremor and have you measured how many inches it squats when towing your trailer?

Here are my clearance measurements hooked up.
one from the ground to the bottom of the front cap and one from the cap to the top of the bed rail. The ball is on the middle hole and it’s the standard height Anderson’
The bed clearance is 9. It’s deceiving the way the photo shows. I forgot to measure the squat