To lift or not to lift?

[Otto Slater]

I am contemplating lifting my 2023 Classic RBT, and changing the wheels/tires to 16's. What are the pros and cons and general considerations of such? Which lift kit do I use on a 2023 classic? Should I leave it original? Please advise, thank you!

[Action]

There are reasons to do that, so why do you want to spend the money and effort to lift the trailer and get larger wheels and tires?

Action

[Trailride]

Originally Posted by Otto Slater

I am contemplating lifting my 2023 Classic RBT, and changing the wheels/tires to 16's. What are the pros and cons and general considerations of such? Which lift kit do I use on a 2023 classic? Should I leave it original? Please advise, thank you!

Your Classic should have 16” wheels. The factory informed me the they recommend a lift on anything over 28’.

[sfranklin]

Originally Posted by Trailride

Your Classic should have 16” wheels. The factory informed me the they recommend a lift on anything over 28’.

This seems very odd to me, not that I am doubting that statement, but if the factory is recommending it, why not just have the new trailers over 28' built with that at the time of manufacture? Seems to me they could easily have their frames designed with that lift in mind or at the very least install the lift kit as they start the build on 28' or larger.


I wonder why they recommend adding it to units over 28'.

[Tyler2you]

Originally Posted by sfranklin

This seems very odd to me, not that I am doubting that statement, but if the factory is recommending it, why not just have the new trailers over 28' built with that at the time of manufacture? Seems to me they could easily have their frames designed with that lift in mind or at the very least install the lift kit as they start the build on 28' or larger.


I wonder why they recommend adding it to units over 28'.

I'm guessing there may have been more to the conversation. Like, "we recommend lifting a trailer over 28 ft. if you have an inclined driveway, plan to travel on uneven/unimproved roads, or visit gas stations that have deep swales at the entrance".

[Bskinner]

Originally Posted by Action

There are reasons to do that, so why do you want to spend the money and effort to lift the trailer and get larger wheels and tires?



Action

2022 30 Classic RBQ……

Highly recommend the lift. I got it prior to delivery and have still dragged the back a couple of times. You don’t know how those gas station entrances are until it’s too late….and backing back out into a busy highway is very little fun. Get the lift….it’ll raise your spirits [emoji1][emoji1]

[jamieb1086]

Just got the lift installed on my 25' RBT FC. Going on the Alaska caravan this summer and hopefully the Viking Trail next year. I did it in anticipation of some rough conditions. Converted to 16" Michelin tires and Sendel wheels back in 2017 as my rig came with GY Marathons.



When I did my first tow when leaving Airstream Nuts & Bolts where Ronnie Dennis expertly installed my lift kit, the winds were gusting to 40 knots on a 2.5 hr trip. Couldn't notice one bit of difference towing. Awesome!

[smmckean]

Airstream was originally designed to be towed with a car (sedan/station wagon). Since our tow vehicles have become more on a truck frame, the hitch heights have also grown higher. The Lift Kit is part manufactured by Dexter which is specific for tandem axle Airstreams. It using the existing bolt holes. The purpose is to provide more rear end ground clearance; example entering small dips around service station & campground driveways etc. It raises the frame 3". I does not affect the towing or Center of Gravity. Absolutely it is a bonus. Have it done at the dealer or Jackson Center, this is not a DIY.
Definitely feel worth the expense.

[Taco Joe]

I did the lift to my 23FB due to driveway and gas station scaping issues. I also boondock. Lift was very helpful. It did add a small amount of amount of sway under certain conditions, but it was a very minor change.

[Airdog9]

Changed tires and wheels to Mich 16" and it provided enough additional clearance without a lift. Maybe try wheels and tires first and then do the lift if you think you still need it. Cheers

[Ephraim]

In the Southwest, it seems that most gas stations have more pronounced dips/humps at their entrance. Without the lift, we had an exceedingly difficult time finding stations where we didn't drag. Often, we could deal with it by approaching or leaving at an angle, but about half the time, that just wasn't possible. The lift kit fixed that for us. We still occasionally find gas stations that present difficulties, but more often those difficulties have to deal with the the arrangement of the pumps rather than the approaches.

[Ndcctrucks]

So, Otto, back to the original question: why are you considering a lift and larger tires?

Because you have issues dragging the rear at driveways?

Because you like how the trailer looks?

Because “everyone else does it”?

The reasons for a lift (or not) will help us form informed advice.

-Ken

[2015 25 FB]

I did both. 2018 classic 30. 245/75 16 Mich LT and the dexter lift. Never hit anymore and zero affect on towing. Dunno why they aren’t all like this other than the steps are really needed now and that could be a factor for some
Trailer is now level with the truck

[hikingcamera]

Originally Posted by smmckean

I does not affect the towing or Center of Gravity.

It absolutely does affect center of gravity. The center of gravity is higher. There's simply no way around it. Is the difference noticeable is another question. Ours was lifted day one, so I have no basis for comparison, but I would guess our truck is more likely to flip than our Airstream. It certainly feels stable in a variety of conditions on the road.

[oldenavy]

We lifted our 30' Flying Cloud. Made a big difference with driveways and inclined camping spots. Could not tell any difference when towing on the highway.

[LNBright]

Originally Posted by Otto Slater

I am contemplating lifting my 2023 Classic RBT, and changing the wheels/tires to 16's. What are the pros and cons and general considerations of such? Which lift kit do I use on a 2023 classic? Should I leave it original? Please advise, thank you!

A) Your Classic should already have 16" wheels. IF you had 15" wheels, going to 16" wheels, assuming the same tire profile, only gains you a 1/2" of extra clearance.

B ) Dexter is the axle manufacturer, use the Dexter 3" lift. My camper is only a single axle, and it'd been helpful for me with my shorter camper; if I had a Classic, knowing how much longer they are, I'd definitely want the lift.

C) Yes, it'll mean that the stabilizers need to stretch a little more to reach the ground: use some blocks under them if needed. Yes, it'll be a little bit higher of a step off the ground onto your first step, but still a comfortable step, not something awkward. Yes, the center-of-gravity will be a little higher, but these things are so stable, you shouldn't notice much if any difference towing.

Good luck,

[Life is a Highway]

We lifted ours day 5 after my wife watched following me to the storage unit and when I crossed the intersection that was humped up she said the rear bumper clearance had less than an inch if that. And I was going very slow. I had Ronnie Dennis install our lift kit and we kept the stock wheels and tires. It has performed well I’ve 17k mikes towed on it. The 16 inch will only gain us an inch. I may consider them when I need tire replacement.

A warning is that your fuel mpg will suffer. She’s up in the air turbulence and more air tumbles under the trailer. I lost 1-1.5 mpg instantly with a 6.7 Diesel 3/4 ton. You will also face shank hitch adjustments.

Originally Posted by Otto Slater

I am contemplating lifting my 2023 Classic RBT, and changing the wheels/tires to 16's. What are the pros and cons and general considerations of such? Which lift kit do I use on a 2023 classic? Should I leave it original? Please advise, thank you!

[Otto Slater]

It seems to me that if performance and safety or not significantly compromised, then I would err on the side of maximum ground clearance to avoid potentially costly and untimely repairs. My understanding is that the Dexter lift will lift it about 2 1/2 inches plus the half-inch going to 16 inch tires so it would be just about 3 inches additional clearance.With my Three-quarter ton at4 turbo diesel And blue ox hitch I suspect I would not have noticeable difference in towing. I actually would do the lift kit before I change the wheels because I may not change the wheels it only garners a half inch in the lift kit is much cheaper

[lemley]

I’ve had the same model trailer twice. 1988 29’ Excella. On the first I installed the lift kit with the new axles. If you can do axles then the lift kit only complicates things slightly. On the second I elected to forego the lift kit when installing new axles. Thus far I’ve not been tempted to reverse the decision.

Probably the biggest thing is the step. We’d probably been out a dozen times with the new rig before I realized that I was hardly ever using the extra step that i carried. And that thing was usually a pain as every campsite is different and adding a level and stable bottom step every time was a challenge. Also, as was mentioned, the stabilizers almost always need some blocks to reach the ground.

On the other hand I do have to be a bit more selective on ingress and egress to gas stations. And I had to buy a hitch shank with a larger drop, but that’s probably just more fodder for the “which came first, the Airstream or the tow vehicle?”/F250 vs SUV debates.

But for now I prefer life without the lift. (Does that make me an old curmudgeon?)

[s1000pre]

The other thing to look at is your hitch drop. My 30’ has stock 15”s, no lift. The front of my trailer is a 1/2” lower than my rear. We are on our second loop of the US, and have never scraped the rear. There have been a couple circumstances where I needed to exit gas stations slowly/diagonally across the apron to avoid scraping, though have never scraped.