Beefed Up Half-Ton Suspension?

[trd]

I'm not up to date with truck suspensions, are there products out there to upgrade a half-ton truck suspension to really upgrade the payload? I would like to get a truck camper, but don't really want a 3/4 or 1-ton truck. Can you beef up the suspension to handle the load, but still maintain relative smooth driving?

 

[vartz04]

Yeah airbags. Either with an onboard Compressor/regulator or fill them up with your home/gas station Compressor.

If you don't care about ride though you can get add a leafs

Heather change your gvrw but it'll definitely sag less under a load

 

[trd]

Yeah airbags. Either with an onboard Compressor/regulator or fill them up with your home/gas station Compressor.

If you don't care about ride though you can get add a leafs

Heather change your gvrw but it'll definitely sag less under a load

Yeah i've started reading air bags and leaf springs. Other articles say you can't increase payload, only mask symptoms. Will a serious suspension overhaul on a 1500 be suitable for a 2500-3000lbs camper, or at that point is it completely not advisable? I really don't want the ride of a 2500 or 3500 without the camper, and I don't want to tow a trailer either.

 

[Darwin]

Even if you "beef up the suspension" it's still a half ton, and when overloaded will drive like crap, it's part of the deal. Always a trade off. I am overweight even with 'beefed up suspension' to handle it, and you can notice it, not bad on the freeway, but in Baja it becomes a problem, it's the reason I will be going with a 5500 truck.

What camper are you looking at? The published weights are always low, and don't inclue water or gear.

 

[trd]

Even if you "beef up the suspension" it's still a half ton, and when overloaded will drive like crap, it's part of the deal. Always a trade off. I am overweight even with 'beefed up suspension' to handle it, and you can notice it, not bad on the freeway, but in Baja it becomes a problem, it's the reason I will be going with a 5500 truck.

What camper are you looking at? The published weights are always low, and don't inclue water or gear.

Yeah my problem is:

- I have a wife, and an 8 week old baby. They will not go if there is no bathroom/toilet that is not a sardine can. So I need a large camper, like a Lance 865 or Host 9.5SB at a minimum
- The truck will also by my daily driver, so I don't really want the rough ride of a 3/4 or 1-ton, definitely will not do a DRW

I would love an expedition setup with a RTT and some gear, but the wife won't be tagging along if that's the case, and it NEARLY defeats the purpose for me.

 

[Theoretician]

Suspension isn't the only part of being to carry a load, so just changing the springs won't safely allow the truck to handle more load. Even if you could, I can't think of a suspension design that can both carry a camper and not feel like it could carry a camper when unloaded.

The F150 has a 3000lb payload option, which has a heavier frame, heavier rear axle, requires specific wheels, etc. That may be your best option outside of getting a cheaper old truck just for camper duty.

 

[trd]

Suspension isn't the only part of being to carry a load, so just changing the springs won't safely allow the truck to handle more load. Even if you could, I can't think of a suspension design that can both carry a camper and not feel like it could carry a camper when unloaded.

The F150 has a 3000lb payload option, which has a heavier frame, heavier rear axle, requires specific wheels, etc. That may be your best option outside of getting a cheaper old truck just for camper duty.

I did not know that. Looking at the AEV prospector trucks, I wonder how "smooth" the bilstein equipped 2500 would be?

 

[vartz04]

Also when's the last time you road in a 3/4 ton truck? They've come a long way

 

[Darwin]

You are looking at damn near 5,000 lbs loaded with that Host camper, and on a half ton? Sounds dangerous, stressful to drive. Are you sure your wife will want to ride in it? They could take a seperate car to the campsite as an option.

There is no amount of suspension work you can do that will enable a little half ton to carry that heavy of a camper safely.

The ram 2500 is a coil rear spring, so it's not going to be much different and if you are considering a 2500 might as well just jump into a 3500 one ton, even then you would probably be at the payload limits with the Host or lance.

 

[trd]

You are looking at damn near 5,000 lbs loaded with that Host camper, and on a half ton? Sounds dangerous, stressful to drive. Are you sure your wife will want to ride in it? They could take a seperate car to the campsite as an option.

There is no amount of suspension work you can do that will enable a little half ton to carry that heavy of a camper safely.

The ram 2500 is a coil rear spring, so it's not going to be much different and if you are considering a 2500 might as well just jump into a 3500 one ton, even then you would probably be at the payload limits with the Host or lance.

So who the heck are these campers made for? I did notice that the nice ones are pushing 4,000-5,000 dry. Are DRW the only trucks meant for these, aside from F-450+?

 

[Theoretician]

So who the heck are these campers made for? I did notice that the nice ones are pushing 4,000-5,000 dry. Are DRW the only trucks meant for these, aside from F-450+?

Basically yeah, medium duty trucks are the lightest that will carry a rated payload high enough for those big campers. A topped out f-350 could probably manage, but you're really looking at an f-450 or a fuso or equivalent if you want to carry a 5kip camper. If you to slide that into anything less is just begging for trouble, legal or physical.

 

[Hummelator]

I test drove a ram 3500 and then a 2500. The 2500 was actually quite comfortable. Yes, it was a bit stiffer of a ride but not much worse than a half ton. Even if driving empty all the time I would not hesitate to purchase a 3/4 ton.
Go test drive a few models from each brand. Might surprise you.

 

[Darwin]

Basically yeah, medium duty trucks are the lightest that will carry a rated payload high enough for those big campers. A topped out f-350 could probably manage, but you're really looking at an f-450 or a fuso or equivalent if you want to carry a 5kip camper. If you to slide that into anything less is just begging for trouble, legal or physical.

X2

 

[RoyJ]

So who the heck are these campers made for? I did notice that the nice ones are pushing 4,000-5,000 dry. Are DRW the only trucks meant for these, aside from F-450+?

Even most duallies would be overloaded with those campers, once ready to camp. Crew cab, 4x4, diesel, and you're basically left with 5500 lbs. An F450 can actually be LESS in payload.

If you really wants to safely carry a 5000+ camper, you'll need a regular cab, gasoline dually, preferably 2wd. Ford and Dodge duallies in that configuration gives you 7000+ payload.

As for beefing up a 1/2 ton, sure, but just don't exceed your rear axle rating. Your gears, bearings, and braking system are all sized according to your GAWR.

 

[trd]

thanks for all the advice. I guess it's back to the drawing board looking for other ways to create that unicorn.