Lift Kit, 2 1/2 inches or 5?

I am going to have the Car Show add lift to my TM this spring, and my question is: Has anyone had the 2.5 inch lift kit added and wished they added more? Or alternatively, has anyone tried 5 inches and wished they had less? Why did you like or not like the amount of lift you added?

The CS says that they regularly stack up the lift kits to gain extra lift, and that (because of the welding work) they charge less to do them both at once if I decide I want 5". I currently tow about 2" nose high, so a 2.5" lift wouldn't require any adjustment to the hitch, whereas a 5" lift would need a new draw bar with more rise. 5" would make the steps awkward, especially for the kids. My garage door is 9' so it can handle either.

Thanks,
Mark

[ShrimpBurrito]

I have the 2.5 inch lift kit, and I know my dog would not be able to get up the steps often if I had 5 inches. We go to some pretty remote places with crappy roads, and have not scraped yet. Or at least I don't think we have anyway.

Also, with the 5 inch lift, you are going to need an extra 2.5 inches every single time on each stabilizing jack. That's 1.5 2x4's worth of extra thickness under the jack compared to the 2.5" lift. I definitely noticed a difference going from zero lift to 2.5 inches. Although we don't do it regularly, it is not uncommon for us to get close to fully extending at least one or two of the stabilizers. It's pretty high.

I personally would not consider the 5", at least without getting larger jacks. I have thought about screwing a 2x4 to the jack pad.....

Dave

I added the 2 1/2 inch to my 3124KS and it has been more than enough. I have a steep transition from the public road to my driveway and the extra height took care of what had been some dragging.

Bill

[Bill]

Question is, why do you want a lift at all? And especially, why would you want 5 inches? That's a lot of lift. Have you had problems with the rear end dragging? (If so, why do you tow nose-high?) Have you had problems with the front end dragging (this won't be helped by a lift if you don't change the hitchball height, of course). Do you do a lot of off-road work?

I would be nervous about raising the center of gravity by nearly 5 inches, but I have to admit I'm not sure why. This is probably a place for Lars to chime in.

Bill

[ShrimpBurrito]

If you are having problems dragging in the back, getting a draw bar that lowers the ball will help with that.....our TM is parallel to the ground when towing.

Dave

[rpcoombs]

I think the lift kit protected me from having sewer pipe damage when I had a flat. The rim of the wheel (with lift kit installed) which blew was high enough to prevent such damage.

We have the 2 1/2 inch lift and think it's where it ought to be. Would not consider going any higher.

[commodor47]

Mark,

I see by your signature that you have a 2008 model. Didn't TM install axles with a 2.5 inch rise already built in? I believe the factory started using axles with a greater down angle around that time.

Dick

Firstly, thanks to everyone for the responses. Based on the answers I'm seeing, I'll be looking at the 2.5" lift kit.

To answer Bill's question (regarding why I want a lift at all), I have a couple of reasons. One is that I do tow just a bit nose-high which scrapes my rear stabilizer jacks occasionally (and every time when I go into the driveway). With the Expedition, using weight bearing hitches, I would need a draw bar that has a ball mount that is in the center of the receiver, which I cannot find. If I flip the draw bar then I'm nose low by more than I'm currently nose high, and I still have the problem. 2.5" will even it out. I've considered a WDH with an adjustable ball mount, but I've actually been talked out of it by several people who have looked at my setup. I'm planning on swinging by the local CAT scales this spring once I'm loaded up to convince myself that I'm not exceeding any spec's, but my ballpark estimations give me a little margin.

Another thing I've thought of is that I would like to be able to attach a cheap pair of chains onto the trailer if heaven forbid I ever get stuck on the wrong side of a pass in a late Spring or early Fall snowstorm. For instance, we were pondering going to Cheyenne Mtn State Park over the first week of April because my kids get the week off of school. That puts me on the wrong side of Monument Hill, which can still get slick that time of year if a freak snowstorm shows up. I have no intention of driving through snow or ice, but I can't guarantee that it won't happen out here. Yes I know chains or cables will rattle everything to death, forcing me to creep along at 20 mph, but I've seen too many trailers jack-knife in slick weather.

Without some lift I just don't see that I have the clearance in the wheel well for cables or chains. I know that there has been discussion that the newer models have the "factory lift", but that appears to just have to do with the way the Dexter axle is set up. The main thing I see is that there isn't enough clearance in the wheel well for chains or cables.

As for the idea of 5", I'm pretty much talked out of it.

[ShrimpBurrito]

My Robin WDH has an adjustable ball mount, and I have had zero problems with it over about 15,000 miles. On the last trip, which was arguably quite bumpy, it slipped with the first time about 1/4". It made virtually zero change in tongue height thought, and I had no concerns it would come off because of the nylock nuts on both bolts holding it in place. I'm just going to loosen it and put it back in place. I'm not sure what would make your Expedition different than our Sequoia in terms of why an adjustable ball mount would be ill-advised.

RE: chains. We were up in Sequoia National Park a few weeks ago, and camped at 2,000 feet where there was a light dusting of snow. We considered camping 45 minutes up the road, but at 7,000 feet, getting there required chains as roads were snow pack almost all the way from our campground and icy in spots. There was also a possibility we'd need chains just to get home, and in fact, a portion of Interstate 5 was closed the day we came back which forced us to take a 5-hour detour to get home. I had chains for our TV, and I considered getting them for the TM. Then I had a moment of reasoning.

First, as you mention, there is likely inadequate clearance for chains on the TM. But let's assume for a moment they would work. Here's my thought process:

- the chains will loosen everything attached on the TM. If you've read my earlier thread on bumpy roads, you already know my experience. It's unpleasant. You could end up with crap in your TM. But that's a relatively minor problem -- and let me just tell you how much fun I had cleaning up the toilet.

- road conditions can change at any moment, and conditions where you start may not be representative of conditions elsewhere. All it takes is a section of road under a shady tree that doesn't get alot of sun, and we saw several in Sequoia, and you could end up in the ditch quickly.

- but let's assume that doesn't happen, and you're very skillful towing a trailer in snow with chains. Great. Now you just have to watch out for all the other people who don't know what they're doing. Now granted we live in SoCal with lots of ignorant winter drivers. We saw lots of them in Sequoia. But we were driving near Mt. Hood east of Portland, OR one weekend on a typical winter snowshoeing trip a few years ago, and had chains on the rear wheels of our 4WD Jeep. No trailer. There was an accident up ahead, so we slowed down on a slanted curve and eventually stopped. As soon as we lost momentum, we slid (with chains, mind you) downhill into the snowbank. Seconds later, a car similarly situated in the opposite direction headed straight for us, and I was positive we were going to get hit. As we braced for impact, which seemed like hours, the incoming car stopped literally 6 inches from my wife's door. Scary. And these people know how to drive in snow, and everyone had chains. Everyone was prepared, skilled, observant, and driving slow. All the cards were stacked in our favor. Aside from not stopping, which was not possible due to the original accident, I'm not sure what else could have been done to prevent what ended up being a pileup.

Bottom line: IMHO, if conditions warrant chains and I am towing a trailer, we've decided to spend the night wherever we are. I intentionally did not buy chains for the TM so I would not be tempted. If I have to spend an extra night, 2 nights, 3 nights, whatever. I don't care. I'm not willing to risk my life or that of my family so I can get home to work and/or school. It simply is not worth it. We prepare mentally for that possibility (and take some extra food), and thus don't feel pressured to make it home if that situation arises. Instead of a white-knuckle and potentially disasterous or deadly drive home, we simply enjoy another day or two enjoying what we like doing best.

FWIW.

Dave