air bags or overload springs? - (big camper)

[NEEHAMA]

i have a 2001 f350 super duty one ton. i bought a large 9'10 camper. it's about 3000-3500 loaded.

drove it home, felt great on the smooth hwy etc. i plan on traveling down the logging roads etc.

some say i should use air bags. others recomend heavier overload springs.
i priced them out they are about the same $$.

any F350 owners out there with advice on this for me?

[irishbandit1]

Airbags all the way.They can be aired down to min. pressure when not in use.I am installing them on my Dakota.This will be the third truck I've had them on.A great product imo.Cheers 'Bandit.

[Mr. Dean]

That P/U should handle that load just fine, as is. My camper dry is 3500#'s, loaded up she's HEAVY! The truck is an 01 F350 on duals. I have made no mods and everything works A-Ok. The springs have never bottomed out.

I have known some that rely tooo much on an air suspension because of its 'masking' what is happening. People have tendency to 'firm up' and forget just how much weight their tagging - Something to be mindful of, if you should go this route.

IMO you should be more concerned about the tires you're running and that you're not over-loading them... But being who you are, I'll assume that this is a non-issue. :wink:

[NEEHAMA]

i wish i had a dulley when the campers on. the dulley handles the camper super nice (my hunting partner has this set up).

it did feel fine on the road no air bags needed. however i never did try bounching down the logging roads yet??

i also tow a 16' boat or flat deck (2) quad trlr.

[Mr. Dean]

i wish i had a dulley when the campers on. the dulley handles the camper super nice (my hunting partner has this set up).

it did feel fine on the road no air bags needed. however i never did try bounching down the logging roads yet??

i also tow a 16' boat or flat deck (2) quad trlr.
Other that a couple hundred pounds of tounge weight, the trailer does the work - Not an issue. With my camper, I also haul either an 18' FD tandem trailer through the bush or a 32' boat trailer down the hiway. Each trailer when loaded, weighs ~ 10,000 lbs. That's roughly 20,000 lbs combined gross weight.

If it feels good on pavement and corners ok, the bush shouldn't be a problem. Just don't try to be the 1st one in, it isn't a race. Slow down before the curve and throttle through it.... Work with the weight - It's what IS in control (thats why some run into problems, they forget). While bags SEEM to improve ride, its comfort only. They do zip for handling. Remember that its your center of gravity that dictates the stability of the vehicle. Dually's get the nod because of their wider 'footprint'.

Airbags won't give you the ride of a dually, only a dually will do that. A good salesman would've 'pushed' a dually, if he/she knew a large camper was in the make.


Now if you WANT airbags, thats totally different.
This then becomes "Cool Factor"... Just like more marker lights. :cool:

... Nothin wrong with that either, just don't expect them to be a magician. :wink:

[Mr. Dean]

Continued;

IMHO your $$$ would be better served @ purchasing a NICE spotter or a new rifle....

[Dirty]

Between Overloads and Airbags the nice thing about airbags is that you can adjust them. I had overloads in my old truck and they weren't very fun for driving around town. Made the ride very stiff when hitting bumps or speedbumps.

[Phil]

I too have an F350 with a full size camper that I just picked up a few weeks ago. I was out last weekend hauling the camper and a 21 ft flatdeck with no problem.

If your heart is set on extra springs or air bags I would choose the leaf springs. Nothing to maintain over time. I have added them to trucks in the past and they worked out well.

[NEEHAMA]

I was told the "add a leaf" was added to the stock overload so your day to day ride remains normal but when you sink the suspension with a camper only then do you start to use the new spring.

[Mr. Dean]

I was told the "add a leaf" was added to the stock overload so your day to day ride remains normal but when you sink the suspension with a camper only then do you start to use the new spring.

But that truck isn't working near its potential... Are you sure you need to 'fix' it.
Depending on the configuration, it's built and designed to carry 5000 lbs net, in the box. just look at the manufacturers max GVW then subtract the actual weight of the P/U. There's still room to spare for Bullwinkle.

[hutch]

i just put a set of air bags under my dads 08 ford dually. he's running a 10.5 foot camper with slide out and with the air bags in it can sit higher than stock. best of both worlds because you can deflate them to 10 psi when empty for a stock ride then air them up once the camper is on so your not having to jack the camper up even higher like overloads

[boxhitch]

I'd suggest a heavier anti-sway bar, if its available, with either setup.

[Jagermeister]

My '99 F350 was made for towing and is rated max for load capacity, regardless of whether it is single or duals. With single wheel, the side sway was uncomfortable with my Kodiak camper. A set of airbags rectified that and brought the headlights down to where they are supposed to be instead of trying to signal the ISS as it passed by.

[Comshel]

Go with airbags, I've had them on all my p/u's for work and recreation they're the only way to go but as someone pointed out earlier you can easily overload the truck since ride height doesn't change there isn't much visual clues. I bent the mounting brackets for my work truck climbing up Botanie.

[Fisher-Dude]

And, always remember, air bags and overload springs do not increase the GVRW of you truck. Nothing will, except for heavier axles. It's all dependent on axle size as to what the rating is.

Reducing sway, however, can be accomplished by all the expensive add-on goodies mentioned above. ;-)