Suspension Advice

[jason78westy]

I'd like to use my four wheel camper as it is designed and get off the beaten path. Here is my dilemma : I have about 2 1/2-3 inches of sag in the rear with the camper loaded. I am barely touching the overload pad in the rear and have a couple inches on the front. My truck is a 2010 F250ccsb. It has the snow plow prep and camper package, Readylift SST on the front and 4" camper package blocks on the rear. I'm currently running 295x70x18 Nitto Trail Grapplers. Unloaded it sits close to level, maybe a 1/2" low in the rear. I also tow a boat but not off-road... What would you guys suggest? I want to be able to go off road, be leveled unloaded and loaded and still be able to fit in my garage (7ft door) when unloaded. I don't want to go with airbags due to the offroad issues. Should I go supersprings? Add a leaf and rearch my overloads? Any solutions I'm not thinking of? Thanks!

 

[DurangoSteve]

I'd like to use my four wheel camper as it is designed and get off the beaten path. Here is my dilemma : I have about 2 1/2-3 inches of sag in the rear with the camper loaded. I am barely touching the overload pad in the rear and have a couple inches on the front. My truck is a 2010 F250ccsb. It has the snow plow prep and camper package, Readylift SST on the front and 4" camper package blocks on the rear. I'm currently running 295x70x18 Nitto Trail Grapplers. Unloaded it sits close to level, maybe a 1/2" low in the rear. I also tow a boat but not off-road... What would you guys suggest? I want to be able to go off road, be leveled unloaded and loaded and still be able to fit in my garage (7ft door) when unloaded. I don't want to go with airbags due to the offroad issues. Should I go supersprings? Add a leaf and rearch my overloads? Any solutions I'm not thinking of? Thanks!

I have a 2003 Tundra with a 1999 Phoenix Coyote popup that weighs about 800 lbs. dry. We had Air-Lift airbags installed and I inflate 'em to 60 lbs. of pressure with the camper on. Works great offroad. Most 4WC owners use airbags without issues. Not sure what your worries are.

 

[jason78westy]

I have a 2003 Tundra with a 1999 Phoenix Coyote popup that weighs about 800 lbs. dry. We had Air-Lift airbags installed and I inflate 'em to 60 lbs. of pressure with the camper on. Works great offroad. Most 4WC owners use airbags without issues. Not sure what your worries are.

Thanks Steve, My issues with the airbags are articulation and travel. Will the airbags not limit my travel? What if my wheel is dropped off a ledge? Wouldn't that be similar to having my truck on a lift? I think most of the airbag manufacturers want you to air down to minimal pressure when the truck is going on a lift? I'm sorry I have so many questions or maybe misinformation. I'm trying to research as much as I can but I'm not real mechanical..

 

[DurangoSteve]

Thanks Steve, My issues with the airbags are articulation and travel. Will the airbags not limit my travel? What if my wheel is dropped off a ledge? Wouldn't that be similar to having my truck on a lift? I think most of the airbag manufacturers want you to air down to minimal pressure when the truck is going on a lift? I'm sorry I have so many questions or maybe misinformation. I'm trying to research as much as I can but I'm not real mechanical..

Hmm, I don't go on "serious" 4wd roads with the camper, so I don't know the answers to your questions. Perhaps more hardcore offroaders should weigh in here. All I know is that for our needs, the airbags work well. We drive "moderate" 4wd roads in Colorado and Utah no problem.

 

[Howard70]

No Problems With Airbags

While our truck is smaller than yours (2004 DC Tacoma), I'm not sure that would affect the potential issues with "airbags" so our experience might reflect what you could expect? We installed Firestone 'RideRite" air suspension before our 4,000 mile trip this summer because we wanted to have adjustable suspension in addition to the 8 pack Alcan springs we installed several years ago. The airbags worked great. No problem with articulation that I could identify, added air twice in a month to keep them at 20 lbs.

I thought about the drop-a-wheel-in-a-rut-and-over-extend-the-bag issue as well, but I decided to try them anyway once I realized that even if I ruined a bag I would still have the same driveability and be able to get where I was going. No problems with extension so far. The installation was easy, the product seems well made, and functions great. This was the quickest/well functioning/useful modification we've done to our truck.

Howard

 

[Northern Explorer]

I also run airbags. No problems off road so far. Three years and counting.

 

[davidshourd]

I had the same concerns as you with airbags. (not sure how lagit they are, but I see your concern). I went with Tmbren springs, little rubber thingies that mount between frame and axle to help prevent sag under weight. I had those for a while and made them so I could just undo a bolt to pull them off when out wheeling. then I upgraded to a leaf pack that could just handle the weight and some better shocks. yes I still sag, but only about 1.5" with my fully loaded FWC Eagle. but when off I sit about 1" high in the back. long story short: I would upgrade leafs and maybe shocks. call Alcan and see what they suggest, they can always make something custom. sounds like, if you are sitting lower in the rear with no load, you should get a little more lift to level out or maybe an inch higher. better articulation too. my 2 cents. good luck.

 

[Regcabguy]

I've got Carli LT airbags that allow 10" of articulation. The others out there definitely cut your articulation but do the job. The ultimate answer if the camper rarely comes off would be to call Deaver Springs and inquire about a replacement rear leafpack. That would eliminate the rear blocks and inevitable axle wrap.

 

[ujoint]

You can test & see how much real world travel you currently have. Then find the proper bag to do the trick.

 

[jason78westy]

Thanks Guys for all your input,

I may have conveyed that I was going to do some serious off roading with my questions of articulation and travel but that is probably not the case with camper, wife, and kid. I just don't want to be too restricted getting to a destination or doing some mountain passes anymore than being in a full size would limit me. I'm not expecting to do any rock-crawling anytime soon.

I've had several conversations with Sean at GO-Anywhere about my issues as he installed the FWC for me and has seen what I'm working with. His advice is to go with the AAL and re-arch the overload spring. I'd like to go with his advice because He and Diana have been awesome to work with through our entire experience from purchase to install and then some. The only problem is that there is only one spring shop in Des Moines and they want $525 for the job and that doesn't include alignment after, which I thought was a little expensive...I could get supersprings cheaper or go with the air bags for a little more. Those are what I percieve as my three options, at least locally. The "Hawk" will be on the truck about six months of the year so I don't want to affect the unloaded ride too much.

It sounds like airbags would work for me? Anyone have an opinion on the supersprings route?

Thanks Again,
Jason