Need help with a truck/camper suspension upgrade

[rrliljedahl]

We put a custom camper (3500 pounds) on my truck after building a custom flatbed.




I am not planning upon removing the camper.

Factory leaf springs are now compressed with very little space between tire and flat bed.



Truck
GMC Sierra 3500 2007 Classic LBZ Duramax Diesel with 6 speed Allison Transmission.
Body is like 2006. There were 2 body styles in 2007. This is the older style.
Single rear wheel.
Tires size was increased from roughly a 32 inch to roughly 35 inch.
Truck was regeared from 3.73 to 4.52 to compensate for bigger tires
Rear Firestone Ride-Rite 4800 pound air bags were added and do lift the camper up when inflated.

Truck bed was removed with no changes to leaf suspension during the 3 point flat bed build



Rear pivot was welded in to support custom flatbed





2 points of horizontal attachment along front of camper camper.



On a CAT scale, camper/truck with a full 32 gallons of diesel and 50 gallons of fresh water weighed 12,100 pounds with factory GVWR 9900 pounds
Front tires are carrying 2500 pounds each (series E rated at 3850 pounds) with factory GAWR FF 4800 pounds
Rear tires are carrying 3400 pounds each (series E rated at 3850 pounds) with factory GAWR RR 6500 pounds
Axle is rated for 10,000 pounds.
Cognitio front steering upgrade has been performed.

What would you recommendable for additional suspension upgrade to get the sagging rear end of my truck back up so that it rides better when off pavement.

Thanks

Ronald Liljedahl
rrliljedahl@gmail.com
828-243-9420

 

[IdaSHO]

What is the max weight rating for the front end on that rig?

And is it a dually rear?

What bags, and what are they rated at?

At first glance, Id say you need to get some weight forward.
One big gamble with a custom built unit, as its easy to not do enough homework with regards to weight, and weight distribution.

And photos of the setup?

 

[chilliwak]

A good rule of thumb is to have the required leaf suspension to hold your max load. All the really good suspension guys that I talk to say that air bags are fine for the road, but when you get off road then you need the right leaf springs. Also, airbags tend to give you a soft, musshy like ride that really tells you nothing about how the vehicle is tracking down the road untill its too late and your truck is flipped.:Wow1: BDS has a large range of aftermarket suspension kits for most trucks. They can be purchased with extra lift or a more stock set up. They have an excellent non conditional garantee and are reasonably priced. I hope this helps. Cheers, Chilli..

 

[rrliljedahl]

I am having trouble posting pics. Server times out.

 

[FreedomTraveler]

Supersprings and Anti Sway Bar.

Ronald,

I had a 06 Silverado 3500 SRW with the LBZ DMax. I had a Bigfoot 10.6 and a Fleetwood 11X. Both were heavy truck campers.

After researching my options I went with SuperSprings added to the GM set and a Helwig anti sway bar.

The nice thing about extra leafs is that they are pretty much maint. free with no worry about checking air pressures, just check the bolts and rubber bushing once in a while. I noticed no effect on ride quality.

The anti sway bars are great if you have issues with cross winds but may effect handling if you are off road. Some brands offer a disconnect feature when you are going off road, or some guys just unbolt one side in the field.

Note: I have no connection with either company but I will point out that they are both made in the USA if that matters to you.

Good luck and safe travels,

 

[Jeep]

Nothing beats a spring upgrade, air bags are a cheap band aid. A rear sway bar as mentioned would definitely help too in terms of drivability.

 

[TwinStick]

I used these on our Power Wagon with excellent results. http://www.jegs.com/i/Hellwig/207/3...&CAGPSPN=pla&gclid=CJPqrcf5t8sCFdU7gQodvhQFhw

 

[rrliljedahl]

I finally have decent internet so I have edited my original post and added pics.

I am interested in recommendations as to leaf spring and shock upgrades.

 

[IdaSHO]

Thats a good looking camper!


Unfortunately it is entirely too heavy for that truck. Period.

Sorry to say, you need a different truck to safely haul that camper. The numbers dont lie.

The numbers you posted place you over the GAWR on both axles, and at more than 2000 lbs over your max GVWR.

You are also running those rear tires at nearly their limit.



My only suggestion is to find another truck.

With that camper you need at minimum a dually 1-ton.

 

[thethePete]

Kelderman makes an excellent air ride suspension that will hold the weight.

The poster above is correct, you're over weight for the truck. However that's not what you asked; their system will hold far more than that, I installed one in an 09 and plated the frame, although that truck is DRW and I plated the entire frame with 3/16 plate. He runs a slide-in and removes it, so he wanted the versatility of maintaining ride quality empty and loaded. That truck weighs 16k loaded and 9k of that is on the rear axle. If you plan to keep all the weight back there, you can get a custom leaf pack designed to carry the weight you have. Either way you are going to inevitably run into issues long-term with the chassis, in the form of creaks and groans in the interior, and likely with the eventual sagging of the frame.

 

[pappawheely]

Even with custom leaf springs to support the weight, you are still overloaded. I know many do but I would not want to go offroad 2k over gvw.

 

[Seabass]

That's a really nice camper and truck. You've clearly invested a lot of time and money. But, I'm going to agree with some of the posters.....you need to lighten up or truck up. I bowed the frame on a dodge once because I continually overloaded it. I didn't ruin it, but I hurt it. Is there any way you can get some weight off? As far as your original question .., I've had both custom rear springs and bags. I like springs a lot better. A good spring shop can put packs together for you that will carry the camper just fine. They are maintenance free and last forever if they are good springs. Air bags are nice for a little help. I currently have a set on my work truck. I like to be able to pump up if I'm really heavy- but they are squishy and loose feeling if they do too much of the work. So I've learned not to allow them to push up too hard. I only put them on because I had them laying around from a different truck. But your headed for trouble with that much weight all the time. It's not worth getting hurt over. I'm not saying your wasted here either....you might get along for a while putting a dually axel under it and running dual tires. That with built springs might give you the time you need to safely figure out what to do.

 

[rrliljedahl]

Camper weight was originally estimated at 1000 pounds less than the final product so yes I am overweight.

I am simply asking for help with suspension upgrade.

GM has a stock heavy duty leaf spring rated at 4000 pounds per side which would potentially handle the 7000 pounds I am carrying on the rear axle. Might that work?

Bilstein makes a 5100 series shock which would fit on this vehicle. Might that work?

Thanks!

 

[pappawheely]

The right springs will hold the weight but it doesn't change the strength of your frame. When things start twisting and moving, it will put a lot of stress on the whole truck. Where is your center of gravity? With an articulating bed and tall camper, I assume it's quite high off the ground. Not trying to rain on your parade but better safe than sorry, especially if you are off the pavement.

 

[greengreer]

Since you are not going to be taking the camper on and off frequently I would suggest a different leaf pack and possibly stouter torsion bars up front. As far as the truck, it will deal with the weight but almost all components will have a reduced lifespan.
My work truck has a gvw of 11k and sits at about 9.5-10k with nothing in the bed. Normal load is 2-3k in wood chips plus towing a 7k chipper. I also use this truck for firewood which means 2-3t in the bed. It has 190k miles and everything that isnt shot has been replaced. I also have an extremely high COG and a short 137" wheelbase and it's can be a bit unnerving in certain situations. This is a drw truck so I would imagine the "leverage effects" to be even more exacerbated on a srw.

Big sway bars, heavier springs and good shocks will be key in keeping the truck safe, but dont expect much to last long, especially if used on more than fire roads.
Saw you 828 number. Where in WNC are you? I'm in watauga co.