Lowering 5th Wheel Height

I recently purchased a M1088 for mostly spotting trailers and occasionally transporting a lowboy trailer. Is there a way I can lower the suspension, change tires, or any other method I can use to lower the fifth wheel to a more traditional height of 47 to 48 inches?

Doesn't look that bad! Does the RGN lowboy you are using not reach the ground?

Wheels / tires would be a start if you really need to lower it.

Certainly not as bad as an M916! Fifth wheel height into the 60+" stratosphere and yes, it looks really silly but when that's all you can get your hands on - what'u gonna do.

The legs doe not reach the ground. I can use blocks or pads but I am concerned when the traditional 5th wheeled trucks come to hook up that we will have left legs extended too far. I am not even sure if the refuse trailers that are left by the refuse company legs extend as far as I need them. I do know the legs on the majority of the trailers we had while I served extended as far as we needed to drop and hook these trailers using these types of trucks.

If you "leave the legs extended too far", can't they be wound down either when you drop off or by the civi truck on pickup? It doesn't look like a big difference - certainly within what I would expect legs be able to adjust to.... but I guess so otherwise you wouldn't have raised the question.

My solution (M916A1) was to weld a clevis mount on the front of the trailer and use the tractors winch to pick up/drop off the civi lowboy (just like the M870 trailer which goes with the truck). Fortunately, I have rear ramps on my lowboy, so I don't need to use the RGN. I appreciate this won't work for you as you are switching out civi trailers that are not yours.

Maybe you could find a civi fifth wheel which looks shallower, remove/adjust the ramps and change the tires too. Though only changing the rears would mess with your 6x6 gearing.

What about smaller tires, like 365 radials instead of 395?

Does anyone know of a tire that I can switch to without a wheel change.

Tractor has ramps on the end of the chassis. the strategic factor is the platform or frame height at the end of the chassis. Unless the trailers are really heavy you can scoop them up on the ramps. Used the relay trailers between 915s and 818s. 915 would drop trailer which would be high enough to get the rear of the 818 under it and pick it up on the ramps. When you dropped a traikler with a 818 for a 915 to hook up to you cranked the landing legs down to about 4" from the ground and pulled out. Care had to be taken with the 818 to approach and leave the trailer in a straight line to avoid tweaking the landing legs. This exercise also took on a new dimension when done on snow or ice.

going out on a limb, but my m1088 looks like it has rubber blocks on springs that you could remove to lower back end 6" and sway bar has same length spacers on them too.
not sure about front end springs but for just hauling around a shop you could use hyd. lowering to load on plains to even it out. wouldn't use it on highway!!!

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fasttruck said:

Tractor has ramps on the end of the chassis. the strategic factor is the platform or frame height at the end of the chassis. Unless the trailers are really heavy you can scoop them up on the ramps. Used the relay trailers between 915s and 818s. 915 would drop trailer which would be high enough to get the rear of the 818 under it and pick it up on the ramps. When you dropped a traikler with a 818 for a 915 to hook up to you cranked the landing legs down to about 4" from the ground and pulled out. Care had to be taken with the 818 to approach and leave the trailer in a straight line to avoid tweaking the landing legs. This exercise also took on a new dimension when done on snow or ice.

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I'm with fasttruck, you should be able to use the ramps to set the trailer at a lower level. That's your easiest solution.

m16ty said:

I'm with fasttruck, you should be able to use the ramps to set the trailer at a lower level. That's your easiest solution.

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Be carful with the ramps. I have seen a lot of modern commercial trailers damaged from drivers using ramps.

The fifth wheel risers are available in multiple heights.

Derrickl112 said:

Why lower the truck when you can lift the trailer?

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Derrick - I was wondering what was going on with your setup. How much did you add to the trailer?

Globe trailers makes commercial spec lowboys with M916 height goosenecks for military and civilian end users. We also provide any color powder coating included in the price (including OD Green).

GlobeTrailers said:

Globe trailers makes commercial spec lowboys with M916 height goosenecks for military and civilian end users. We also provide any color powder coating included in the price (including OD Green).

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Fontaine, Talbert Manufacturing,ROGERS Trailers, Kalyn Siebert , all will build a trailer with commercial specs and the height of a M916 , all it takes is money.

Holy necro, Batman.