One ton truck Suspension modifications for camper

[1000arms]

... As I recall Nimbl is using the chassis-cab model of the F350 which has a very flexible frame. Do you know if they had stock springs originally before deciding to go with a custom pack? ...

"The Nimbl Evolution can be comfortably and safely mounted on almost any 1-ton pickup truck (Ford F350 or Chevy/RAM 3500). Service, loans, insurance, and licensing are all a breeze when your camper is based on a Personal instead of a Commercial vehicle." is from:

Evolution Truck Camper // Nimbl Vehicles

Expedition-ready habitat + flatbed. Tough, light, and open. Packed with power and water for all your big adventures. Check it out here!

nimblvehicles.com

Scroll down for F-350 pickup boxed frames:

https://www.ford.com/trucks/super-duty/features/durability/

Scroll down for F-350 chassis cab frames:

https://www.ford.com/commercial-trucks/chassis-cab/

 

[DiploStrat]

Leaf springs are inherently progressive... but they may be more progressive than stock. The aftermarket packs have a greater number of thinner leaves, which I think primarily makes them twist more readily (aiding articulation), and have longer travel capability. If you don't want articulation or more travel, I'm just skeptical that high $ custom pack is worth the money. When you put the heavy swaybar on to get on road stability, you negate the benefits.

As I recall Nimbl is using the chassis-cab model of the F350 which has a very flexible frame. Do you know if they had stock springs originally before deciding to go with a custom pack?

I ran across this review of Rancho 9000 shocks on a Power Wagon. It's a good intro into what varying the shock damping does to the ride and handling both on road and off.

The Lowdown: Rancho RS9000XL Shocks

One of Shock Surplus’ best-selling shock series warranted a full-ride test and review on our vehicle. We knew that heavy-duty customers, towing vehicles, and drivers that wanted some versatility in their ride would opt for the adjustable Rancho RS9000XL shocks. So what did we do? Got a...

www.shocksurplus.com

Been doing this for 50 years. You are welcome to your own opinions.

As I said, I am talking about a loaded expedition vehicle traveling in the real, mostly third, world. Not a jeep on a trail. The link you posted is for an empty pickup, not a Edited to correct: 6 - 12,000 lb. camper.

 

[rruff]

The OP has a 1 ton with a 3k lb load max. And that pickup in the link isn't exactly empty, being loaded for camping. Not that it matters; the effect of damping changes will be the same in any case.

What 6 ton plus vehicle are you driving in the 3rd world?

 

[Climber Rob]

Having been through a few ¾- and 1-ton rigs of varying weight, I will say that quality shocks should be number one on your list. Kings from Carli or Thuren is a good direction. It doesn't sound like you are over-loading your spring pack, but it's tough to say without driving your rig the way you drive in the conditions you travel in. If so, a new spring pack, or a leaf addition from Deaver or the like is certainly worthwhile.

Years ago, I chased this situation down from many angles while trying to avoid the King buy-in cost. It's worth it.

 

[DiploStrat]

The OP has a 1 ton with a 3k lb load max. And that pickup in the link isn't exactly empty, being loaded for camping. Not that it matters; the effect of damping changes will be the same in any case.

What 6 ton plus vehicle are you driving in the 3rd world?

Corrected the weights a bit, first was a Blazer (1/2-ton pickup) with over 50 USG of fuel, second was a 12,000 lb. Tiger, built on a one-ton Chevrolet pickup. My current truck is not on a US one ton, but it runs at about 18,000 lb. - which is another set of problems.

Parthian Shot: I went through all of this with Provan and my Malayan Tiger. Originally installed air bags, looked at Sumo, etc. In the end, the problem is that the Big Three spring their trucks to ride well unloaded. A camper is fully (over) loaded, all the time. This means that you are typically above the "knee" in suspension travel, the point where overload springs, air bags, etc., kick in. And this can result in uneven response. Nimbl have looked at all of these data on XPCampers, as well as the experiences of folks like the Howes. (Everybody knows everybody.) They would not install a whole new spring pack if air bags would do it. No one is going to spend extra money for nothing.

As always, YMMV.

 

[sam-aye-am]

I have a single rear wheel F350 short bed and a load of about 3k lbs wet with all the gear and people. My truck does okay but I would like to improve handling around corners and over high speed bumps, (potholes or uneven pavement). I was thinking of starting with bilstein 5100 shocks and a heavier rear sway bar. Does anyone have similar experience that can share what did or didn't work for them?

Here is my experience with a 2007 Ram 3500 and an Outfittermfg Apex 8:

I had factory overloads but the truck still sagged a bit. I first added air bags. No more squat but handling didn’t really improve. Then I tried Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks. Didn’t seem to help much. Then I tired a hellwig rear sway bar. Helped some with on road handling. Then I Toyo open country AT tires on in a slightly wider and slightly taller size but on OEM wheels. Decent handling improvement. Then I did torklift upper stable loads. A little bit better and needed less air in the bags. Then I added torklift lower stable loads. Not much different.

Then a spent about $1200 on custom valves Fox 2.0 remote reservoir shocks. WOW!!!! Difference in on and off road handling was like going from a loaded cement truck to a Miata. Well maybe not that extreme, but by far the most effective thing I did that I wish I did on day one. Ended up with another 80k mikes of driving truck with the camper on it, but only 10k or so with the fox shocks.

Moved on to a newer truck with a much heavier camper but still think those shock were the best thing I did for that rig.


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[rruff]

Then a spent about $1200 on custom valves Fox 2.0 remote reservoir shocks. WOW!!!! Difference in on and off road handling was like going from a loaded cement truck to a Miata. Well maybe not that extreme, but by far the most effective thing I did that I wish I did on day one. Ended up with another 80k mikes of driving truck with the camper on it, but only 10k or so with the fox shocks.

What happened to the Fox shocks?

I'm thinking of getting those for the rear, but something else for the front (which will see much less load increase). The Fox 2.0 struts require complete removal and spring compressed to adjust preload/height which makes that feature not worth much.

The issue I have with any of these expensive high pressure monotube shocks is that the seals are not designed to last, because low friction seals perform better (at least when new) and because you can rebuild them. Hard to do when you are living on the road, however.

 

[IdaSHO]

Ive had excellent luck with the Monomax KYBs

Certainly not a high dollar fancy shock, but for heavy pickups I have found that they are excellent.
And our local CarQuest stocks them, so warranty swaps are a snap.

In 100k+ between the old powerstroke and the newer Superduty, Ive only had to do that once.
Current truck has about 35k on its set.

 

[rruff]

Ive had excellent luck with the Monomax KYBs

I've been considering those. Pretty sure the Eibach lift coils will fit on the front struts, so I could level as well. Easy availability is important when you are on the road. Lifetime warranty?

 

[IdaSHO]

They are lifetime warrantied, last I checked.

 

[Nailhead]

I've been trying to figure a solution to a rear ride height issue on the 1-ton IH pictured at left, and have weighed the P & C of new springs, an airbag system, new springs with an airbag system, and airbags with a spring delete, and have pretty much decided on an airbag system with the present springs. I like the height adjustability of the bag system over springs alone, conceivably even being useful for leveling the camper in certain situations.

Got a lot of work to do on the design & fab, though.

 

[sam-aye-am]

What happened to the Fox shocks?

I'm thinking of getting those for the rear, but something else for the front (which will see much less load increase). The Fox 2.0 struts require complete removal and spring compressed to adjust preload/height which makes that feature not worth much.

The issue I have with any of these expensive high pressure monotube shocks is that the seals are not designed to last, because low friction seals perform better (at least when new) and because you can rebuild them. Hard to do when you are living on the road, however.

Nothing happened other than I found my dream rig at a price I could just barely afford at the time. So the 2007 with apex 8 was sold to help pay for the much nicer rig.

Newer rig is running Icon 2.5” remote reservoir shocks with something like 8 or 9 levels of compression damping. At almost 2k lbs heavier in total rig weight(12.6k now vs 10.6k average on old rig), it handles quite well though weight distribution is significantly better on newer rig. And I have no rear sway bar, stable loads, or any of that other crap. Previous owner had a leaf added to the rear springs and air bags installed. I find that it still needs 50 psi in the bags to run level…and I’ll eventually take it somewhere like Deaver or Sacramento springs to upgrade rear leafs further such that I don’t need more than 20 psi in the bags to sit level.


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[Porkchopexpress]

If I did one modification at a time, I would get better feedback on what was working. However, if I pay to have someone swap out suspension parts, I will probably save money to have several parts replaced at once. Based on the feedback here, I'm thinking custom rear springs for my specific load, new shocks, (Fox or Bilstein?) and thicker rear sway bar. I could probably replace the sway bar myself pretty easily so maybe I'll hold off until I see how the springs and shocks work out?
Either way, I'm not going to be home until March so I have time to plan.

 

[1000arms]

If I did one modification at a time, I would get better feedback on what was working. However, if I pay to have someone swap out suspension parts, I will probably save money to have several parts replaced at once. Based on the feedback here, I'm thinking custom rear springs for my specific load, new shocks, (Fox or Bilstein?) and thicker rear sway bar. I could probably replace the sway bar myself pretty easily so maybe I'll hold off until I see how the springs and shocks work out?
Either way, I'm not going to be home until March so I have time to plan.

You might want to read:

Featured Vehicle: Goose Gear's Overland F-350 - Expedition Portal

It wasn’t all that long ago that many people would have laughed at the idea of a full-size truck for overlanding. But these days, they’re all the rage, and it’s not hard to understand why. While many mid-size trucks are struggling with a lack of power and feeble payloads, their siblings offer an...

expeditionportal.com

 

[Porkchopexpress]

You might want to read:

Featured Vehicle: Goose Gear's Overland F-350 - Expedition Portal

It wasn’t all that long ago that many people would have laughed at the idea of a full-size truck for overlanding. But these days, they’re all the rage, and it’s not hard to understand why. While many mid-size trucks are struggling with a lack of power and feeble payloads, their siblings offer an...

expeditionportal.com

Thanks!
The Carli suspension systems definitely get great reviews. They might be designed for more off road performance than I need or want to pay for but I am researching their products.