DIY Dexter Lift Installation

[Al and Missy]

Originally Posted by emelaich01

My wife and I installed a set of these on our '17, 25 FC and it took up about 5 hours on a Saturday afternoon.
We lifted one wheel off the ground by backing the adjacent one up on Legos then used a floor jack to lift, unbolt then lower the hanging axle.
Be sure and check the nuts and bolts supplied with your lift kit. Ours didn't thread very well at all, even using an air impact wrench. And, they're plated like grade 8 but clearly not; we purchased grade 8 hardware at the local Ace and installed all with blue threadlock.
...

I understood that the supplied bolts are single use locking hardware. That is why they were hard to thread. I think I read that somewhere on the Deter website or the installation instructions.

I "helped" a mobile trailer repair guy put mine on at my house (I was the "gofer"). The best investment I made in the process was an air over hydraulic jack I bought at HF. It beats jacking the trailer and axles up and down.

[GMFL]

I’m doing another one tomorrow! That’s 5 this month...

[Steamy1]

Originally Posted by GMFL

I’m doing another one tomorrow! That’s 5 this month...

Ronnie,
Two comments :
1. I think you should sell the bolts with the tabs, and;
2. Go on the road and do pre-scheduled installations . Sell your services , travel, deduct the trip.

Everyone wins!

[Ginophiles]

Success!

At least so far. The axles may fly off once we hit the road, or in a year we'll learn everything is horribly out of wack.

Convinced our good friend Steve to come help. He finally retired and wanted to come up to the shop for projects and "manly" stuff. I don't think this is what he had in mind. He wanted to play with a welder, watch a ball game and drink beer. This involved 2 old farts crawling around on the concrete for 7 hours.

Didn't weld tabs and couldn't find a 15/16" stubby, so I Just wrestled the wrench I had where it needed to go. The last 2 bolts on the last bracket, passenger front, was almost a deal breaker. In addition to the tank shroud and tight access in the frame rails, there's a damn petcock in the way! Fortunately as the frustration grew, my neighbor stoped by to see what was happening. As a custom race car builder, he made short work of the problem bolts.

Used the ramp trick that I saw other guys doing. Great idea.

It still looks like an Airstream, just not as "squatty".

Thanks for all the tips everyone.

[Al and Missy]

Nice Work!

[GMFL]

Originally Posted by Steamy1

Ronnie,
Two comments :
1. I think you should sell the bolts with the tabs, and;
2. Go on the road and do pre-scheduled installations . Sell your services , travel, deduct the trip.

Everyone wins!

Haha,
I write for the RV industry so I’ve already monetized my camping.
Also I’m installing 4 lifts a month now with people coming to me. Not sure how many more I want to do.

[DaveP]

Nice work, Genophiles!

[Jprtugs]

Hello again, I've tried to install a dexter 3" lift kit on my 30' 2013 classic. I did get much appreciated advice but still am a bit confused on how much and how to modify the belly pan to make room for the lift blocks on the rear axle. When I attempted to lower the pan, the sight of loose styrofoam got me concerned and, due to time constraints, I put everything back to original. Here I am again trying to get a plan in place before I get started. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

John

[DaveP]

Look particularly at pages 4 and 5 for the pan mods. Lots of good info. Good luck.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/new...te=1&p=2405769

[Ginophiles]

Originally Posted by Jprtugs

Hello again, I've tried to install a dexter 3" lift kit on my 30' 2013 classic. I did get much appreciated advice but still am a bit confused on how much and how to modify the belly pan to make room for the lift blocks on the rear axle. When I attempted to lower the pan, the sight of loose styrofoam got me concerned and, due to time constraints, I put everything back to original. Here I am again trying to get a plan in place before I get started. Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

John

The thread DaveP referenced has good info. Seems like AS moves the tanks around a lot. On ours, they were close, but didn't interfere with the axels, so no pan trimming needed. I decided to try the lift last weekend, knowing we were headed out tomorrow, but with the idea that if things got complicated, I'd just go back to stock and wait till I had more time work on whatever obstacles I might encounter. Built and fixed a lot of stuff over the years, and usually, 3 steps forward, 2 steps back still equals progress.

[Jprtugs]

Thanks everyone, the link Dave P attached didn't work right. I'll keep looking but sure appreciate everyone taking the time to help!

[DaveP]

Originally Posted by Jprtugs

Thanks everyone, the link Dave P attached didn't work right. I'll keep looking but sure appreciate everyone taking the time to help!

Try this one or go back to post #2 in this thread.

https://www.airforums.com/forums/f43...102393-10.html

[daleyocum]

This video from TMWE is pretty good as well showing the process, and why the tabbed bolts are so handy. I'll bet any welding shop would make them for you for not much money.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsdveR_gPIA

[billrector]

I was able to lift my 27’ FC without adding the tabs to the bolts. I would NOT recommend adding the tabs as you may ruin the structural integrity of the bolts by heating them. It is a pain, but it can be done without the tabs. Try grinding down your open end wrench as an example of what might help.

[GCinSC2]

Originally Posted by billrector

I was able to lift my 27’ FC without adding the tabs to the bolts. I would NOT recommend adding the tabs as you may ruin the structural integrity of the bolts by heating them. It is a pain, but it can be done without the tabs. Try grinding down your open end wrench as an example of what might help.

Also questions and solutions I also agree with. It just took some creative approaches.

My Dodge Ram DOES use tab arm nuts on some hardware in the rear shocks IIRC I’d have to check. But they were stamped and pressed on to the nut.

Those nuts in the original install and kit are flanged and self locking types.

Yup I ground wrenches to reach nuts too.

[GMFL]

I just posted this to the classifier all the DIYers who can’t modify the kit themselves.
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f53...ml#post2409688

[Ginophiles]

Originally Posted by GMFL

I just posted this to the classifier all the DIYers who can’t modify the kit themselves.
https://www.airforums.com/forums/f53...ml#post2409688

Now he tells us!!
Probably would have bought this, although on mine as mentioned, I could get a full size wrench in where needed, with a lot of swearing.

[pickupjason]

Originally Posted by emelaich01

My wife and I installed a set of these on our '17, 25 FC and it took up about 5 hours on a Saturday afternoon.
We lifted one wheel off the ground by backing the adjacent one up on Legos then used a floor jack to lift, unbolt then lower the hanging axle.
Be sure and check the nuts and bolts supplied with your lift kit. Ours didn't thread very well at all, even using an air impact wrench. And, they're plated like grade 8 but clearly not; we purchased grade 8 hardware at the local Ace and installed all with blue threadlock.
Lastly, my wife painted a red, nailpolish index stripe on each nut just to check for any looseness or rotation in future inspections.
It's a chore but absolutely 'do-able' in your driveway with a helper.

Hi,
I am looking into the “feasibility” in getting the 3” lift kit done by myself on my ‘17 25’ front bed and would really appreciate it you have any insights you could share in addition to the hardwares. Is there a need to relocate the gas line? How about the access to the bolts on the kit blocked by the pan??

I really appreciate your help in advance. Happy Holidays!

Jason