Axle Riser/Lift Kit

Our is a model year 2017 manufactured in 2016 and we have 14’s.

Originally posted by crankster78 Greetings: I've owned a 171 and now a 179 that I bought in 2015.  I have around 10,000 miles on this one and have had a lift kits under them from day one.  I have had 0 problems with the frame and have traveled down many a bumpy 2 lane road, plus gravel.  I often travel with a full tank of fresh water.  I just don't see how installing the factory lift kit would add stress to the frame.  I have seen some other makes of TT's that have a much lighter frame than the pods. Crankster78

Here’s how to visualize how the lift kit increases the frame load. Look at the trailer from the drivers side. When you hit a bump the torsion axle twists counterclockwise and tries to bend the frame counterclockwise, pushing the frame up behind the axle and down in front of the axle. Now suppose that bump is a curb which you hit head on. That pushes the wheel and axle backward so also twists the frame counterclockwise. Now suppose you have a really tall lift kit, say 4 feet tall, (just to make the point), and then hit that curb. The torque getting applied to the frame is now much larger because of the 4 foot longer lever arm, so the frame twists even more clockwise.   At some as the lift kit gets taller you will reach a point where the stress on the frame will bend it. It’s basically an example of Archimedes’ saying ‘give me a lever long enough and I can move the Earth”. Whether you will see that in real life depends on how you load the trailer and what you are unlucky enough to hit.

Originally posted by crankster78 Greetings: Why would Forest River sell lift kits if this was any sort of a problem?   Crankster78