I just purchased my first FW last week. When hooking up, the rear of my truck squats around 4-5 inches. I have towed the FW on a short camping trip and the FW towed very nice, but the rear does sag quite a bit compared to my last TT set up. I bought some Timbrens and installed them earlier on this week. They absolutely ruined the way my truck drove unloaded so I didn't even try to tow with them. How many on here are running air bags? From the pics in the "Your Rig" section everyone seems to be pretty level in their towing. Do they ride rough when towing?

I do not need any suspension help. Mine only squats 1-1 1/2 inches, depending how heavy I am loaded. If you are dropping 4-5 inches, yes, I would add bags. If you ever towed at night, you would be blinding oncoming traffic.Jerry

Well bags may be in order, but that 5er should not squat your TV 4" to 5"! You must have ordered your TV with the Max Smooth Ride package rather than a tow or payload package. :SWeightsUnloaded Vehicle Weight 8,300Dry Hitch Weight 1,515Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (lbs) 9,950Cargo Carrying Capacity 1,650Even at GVWR, the pin should not exceed between 2,000# and 2,200#. Really should not cause that much squat.

Howdid the timbrens ruin your ride when they are just a overload stop not in use unless towing?:h

Maybe the truck doesn't sag that much, but it does sag. I have the front leveled a little bit so that makes it look a little worse than it is. There is still a 1.25 in rake.The Timbrens were installed without the spacer disc provided. Without the disc installed there was a 1.5 in space for suspension travel. When I would hit a bump or a bridge expansion it would feel like the truck was bottoming out on its frame. The truck is a 2006 with 120k mi. Could my leaf springs be worn out?

I would add the air bags --- they are good to have. See my signature line. Our trailer has a pin weight of 2975 lbs. I have the ride rite air bags and only keep 20 lbs of air in them. They keep the truck level and mainly keeps it from bottoming out when we hit a hard bump in the road.Enjoy the road. We do.bigdon68

Do I need airbags? | Good Sam Community

dedmiston
Moderator
Apr 06, 2016
How old are your shocks?
SabreCanuck
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
davisenvy wrote:
Maybe the truck doesn't sag that much, but it does sag. I have the front leveled a little bit so that makes it look a little worse than it is. There is still a 1.25 in rake.

The Timbrens were installed without the spacer disc provided. Without the disc installed there was a 1.5 in space for suspension travel. When I would hit a bump or a bridge expansion it would feel like the truck was bottoming out on its frame.
The truck is a 2006 with 120k mi. Could my leaf springs be worn out?

If the Timbrens make your ride harsh "when hitting bump" then replacing the worn out "soft" leaf springs will only make the ride worse all the time. The Timbrens and/or Air bag will only kick in and affect ride when there is a load on the truck. The leaf springs will affect ride ALL the time.

Not saying you shouldn't do it, just saying that if you do you will have harsher ride than now.
davisenvy
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
dedmiston wrote:
How old are your shocks?

Exactly what I was thinking. They're pretty old. I'm trying to decide on going back with OEM or Bilsteins. Maybe I'll order the airbags and shocks and just make a day of it. New shocks might fix the Timbren problem, but not my sag problem, right?
Remember, I am coming from a TT with weight bars. I am used to seeing my truck perfectly level when I tow.
djgodden
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
I had a similar concern and installed Load Lifter 5000 bags. World of difference.
Mile_High
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
I installed the airbags to get rid of that droop. I went to the airlift 5000 Ultimate that have the internal jounce bouncer, and run them about 80 psi, but I have a 4,300 lb pin weight.

If you want a sweet compressor system, that Air Lift Wireless One is awesome. It not only is wireless, but it continuously maintains pressure so you set it and forget it.
RustyJC
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
dedmiston wrote:
How old are your shocks?

Shocks don't support weight. They dampen motion. New shocks won't help with the sag problem unless they are air shocks, which aren't just shock absorbers as they become part of the spring system.

Rusty
eichacsj
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
davisenvy wrote:
dedmiston wrote:
How old are your shocks?

Exactly what I was thinking. They're pretty old. I'm trying to decide on going back with OEM or Bilsteins. Maybe I'll order the airbags and shocks and just make a day of it. New shocks might fix the Timbren problem, but not my sag problem, right?
Remember, I am coming from a TT with weight bars. I am used to seeing my truck perfectly level when I tow.

What? Shocks do nothing to hold up a vehicle unless they are spring assisted or air shocks. Shocks compress freely but extend regulated. So unless you have bounce shocks wouldn't do anything.
SolidAxleDurang
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
dedmiston wrote:
How old are your shocks?

Not sure how this question is relevant to thread about suspension sag under load.
kennethwooster
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
I've ram air bags on a couple of trucks. They do hold the load up, but they will also make the ride rougher when empty, even by letting bags down do about 20 lbs. There are times you must have them, but this usually means truck is overloaded. Best thing I did was trade for a DRW long bed, and problems solved.
RustyJC
Explorer
Apr 06, 2016
kennethwooster wrote:
I've ram air bags on a couple of trucks. They do hold the load up, but they will also make the ride rougher when empty, even by letting bags down do about 20 lbs.

Firestone allows a minimum pressure of 5 PSIG for its RideRite air bags when running empty. So inflated, the effect on unloaded ride is minimal.

Rusty

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