One major difference between a cargo trailer and a manufactured camper is the ride height. Campers seem to sit high up off of their axles, making them look top heavy and downright dangerous to pull. Cargo trailers are made to sit low. This makes loading and unloading equipment or vehicles a breeze. I’m a huge fan of the low ride height and the look it gives to the trailer!
That is, until we traveled to an area with lots of hills and steep campsites. We live in eastern North Carolina, an area with no hills and lots of flat ground! When we were installing our waste and fresh tanks under our new build, I was a little worried about them hanging a few inches lower than the trailer frame. After a few local trips, it appeared that everything would be fine as long as we took our time getting in and out of each campground.
When we decided to venture further west from our home, we found out exactly why that extra height is needed! As most water front sites go, there is normally a grade change from the roadway to the campsite. Our site proved to us that we were too low on that trip. As we backed in, we scraped the outlet pipe of our dump tanks on the asphalt. We made it in, but it was a nasty sound and a terrible feeling to think that all that hard work could have been ripped out from under our build.
I immediately went online and began my research on how to lift our trailer. Facebook groups are a life saver in these situations. Several folks had added axle lifts and posted all the information needed. After figuring out what axles we had on our trailer, I ordered 2 7/8″ lifting blocks.
The install took about half a day and was fairly straightforward. I used our truck to pull the trailer’s front axle up on blocks high enough to get the back wheels off the ground. I unbolted the axeles and lowered them down with floor jacks. Once down, you simply insert the lifting blocks, bolt everything up and extend the trailer brake wires. Once the back blocks were installed, I repeated the steps for the front. After the install was complete, I backed off and admired my work.
I have to admit that I wasn’t as excited about the new look of the trailer, but after a few drama free trips, I can report back that it was well worth it. We’ve had the kit for quite a while now and we have had no issues! The peace of mind has been well worth the small price tag and half a day’s work.