Ground Clearance

[pdemarest]

Does anyone know what the ground clearance is for a 2003 Chinook Premier?

[Blue~Go]

I don't know, and I'd guess it's a little bit different for every Chinook (which is not to say that a general idea is a bad thing). I say that because I see some that are a bit lower in the rear, whereas, for example, mine (and some others I see) have the "perky" rear. Also I think the electric step hangs down and aft a bit more than the manual one.

In case it's useful input, I boondock down a number of rocky, not-highway roads, and what generally limits me is not ground clearance, per se, but rather departure angle (in other words, its not that I would bottom out with the main part of the rig, but rather would catch the tail on the way out of a rut or dip). The departure angle on the Chinook is not great (could be worse, but just saying).

Or a trail will be too narrow (unless I want to drag branches or thorns down the side) or too low (unless I want to drag rails or etc. off the roof.

I still get into a number of good places, don't get me wrong. It's just that the "basic" ground clearance isn't typically what keeps me out of others. It's departure angle, width, or height.

Although of course if you get enough ground clearance, departure angle won't matter as much, since it will also be greater. But width and height will still be there. That may not matter in some places though.

Or you may be asking for a completely different reason! Next time I'm on level ground I'll have to measure just to know the figure.

[kdarling]

As BG commented, there is more than one kind of ground clearance.

You have to be more specific as to why you're asking.

Thanks!

[pdemarest]

Hi all - Glad to hear that the rig is high enough not to hang up in the middle. The departure angle is a problem and I have power steps that make it worse. I'm thinking of getting rid of them and replacing them with something that would flip up out of the way to lessen the chances of dragging the tail and also looking at moving my spare to the front to get some of the weight off in back. I do have air bags in the back but whatever extra clearance they might provide by pumping them up could be offset by making the ride rougher, particularly when going off-road. We have a trip coming up in late February and I'll get a chance to do some non-paved roads. I just put 6 new tires on so going to a larger wheel/tire combo is off the table for now. Anyone ever do a lift on their rig? How did that work out?

[Willywalderbeast]

My Chinook is at Weldtec Designs out in San Deigo right now getting a 6" lift installed. Once I get it back I'll be putting 255/85s (33x10.5) on her. I'm having Jeremy make the back slightly higher then the front to hopefully help with the departure angle. I'll also be reworking my black and grey tank dumps when I get it back to try and tuck them up higher out of the way. I'll keep you posted how it comes out!

[dougm]

Seriously? Your going to add 6 inches of lift on an already to tell vehicle? To each his own i guess, i would think lifting a chinook 6 inches would create a nightmare scenario when it comes to traveling. You could be flying down an old hiway or city street and find that you cant get under an overpass. Will it even fit in most shop doors with that much lift? Mines just a 2wd and i cant just pull into any carwash or jiffy lube because it needs to have extra tall entrance doors to clear everything on the roof of my chinook.

[Willywalderbeast]

Seriously? Your going to add 6 inches of lift on an already to tell vehicle? To each his own i guess, i would think lifting a chinook 6 inches would create a nightmare scenario when it comes to traveling. You could be flying down an old hiway or city street and find that you cant get under an overpass. Will it even fit in most shop doors with that much lift? Mines just a 2wd and i cant just pull into any carwash or jiffy lube because it needs to have extra tall entrance doors to clear everything on the roof of my chinook.

Yes, seriously. Large (6"+) lifts on a number of different types of RVs have been done many times before. I'm a pretty observant driver and don't tend to be "flying" down city streets much. Our rigs with the factory roof top AC are 9'11", so close to 10ft that I wouldn't risk trying to go under a 10ft underpass as many factors could put you over the 10" height (slightly larger then stock tires, over pressure in the tires, bump in the road, etc.) So to worry about going over the 10" mark doesn't bother me. I've traveled a good amount now in my Chinook (two cross country trips, up and down the east coast, and all over New England) and tend to always take backroads and I have yet to run into a issue with the RV height. From what I've seen is height seems to become a problem when you start getting over 11'3".

Also I'm going to be installing a new low profile roof AC which should compensate for some of the height I'm adding, roughly 5". So in reality my overall height is only going to be a few inches taller then it is currently but i will have ALOT more ground clearance and a much better departure angle. To me the the added height is a small price to pay for the piece of mind ill have when I come upon a dirt road or a trail knowing I won't get high centered if its washed out or has some ruts. And if i still get stuck well then thats what the front winch is for haha

Im not to worried about shops that don't have 10ft plus doors as I work on most of my mechanical issues myself. Im also building a new house this summer and have already taken into account for an RV bay in my new garage.

[pdemarest]

Hey Willywalderbeast - I'd love to see how that lift turns out and what the effect is on handling. I'm really curious about your plan to relocate those holding tanks. I wish there was an aftermarket system like the one in Range Rovers where you can raise or lower the vehicle as needed. I have a 2004 Navigator that has air bags all around and it does increase ground clearance at low speeds but it doesn't allow for any driver control over height. Good luck and post pictures please.

Paul

[Willywalderbeast]

Hey Willywalderbeast - I'd love to see how that lift turns out and what the effect is on handling. I'm really curious about your plan to relocate those holding tanks. I wish there was an aftermarket system like the one in Range Rovers where you can raise or lower the vehicle as needed. I have a 2004 Navigator that has air bags all around and it does increase ground clearance at low speeds but it doesn't allow for any driver control over height. Good luck and post pictures please.

Paul

Paul

It should ride and handle better then stock. There are a lot of E350 EB vans with this kit on them and they say the ride is a night and day difference. My Chinook weighed in at 10,200(stock E350 EB is about 9,300), 7,400 being on the rear axle. With the correct spring rate coil springs up front and the custom made leaf packs in the rear, along with custom valved fox shocks all around should be far superior to the stock Chinook suspension. Their kits also have custom extended tube radius arms that have caster built into the radius arms to optimize on and off road stability.

Im picking it up Feb 17th and driving it back across county so by the time I get home (4,000+ miles) I should have a good idea on how it performs and will have a nice in depth review and thoughts on the kit.

As for an on the go air ride kit, it is possible although probably expensive. I've installed air ride kits on many of my cars, it was with the intent to be able to have my car on the ground when parked(for looks) and then be able to raise it up to be able to drive. You would need on board air and a heavy duty double bellow airbag on top of your rear spring. In the front you would probably remove the coil spring and just run a bag over coil setup.

One of my old cars that I built a custom airride suspension for...

[dougm]

Air suspension on my Chinook