Truck ride with big toy hauler

06Fargo wrote:
We are towing a N39SV Carriage with 06 Dodge 3500 SRW 4x4 - with Firestone air bags and Rancho 9000 shocks. The air springs add reserve spring capacity to the rear, and allow the truck to be levelled up under load. The additional spring capacity will overcome the shock's damping ability until they are adjusted into the 7 to 9 range. If I tow with the rear shocks set at 1 like I have them when running around empty, the rear suspension will "double bounce" on shallow dips in the road surface (not desert wash dips) but the little ones. Setting the shocks up to 9 takes that away completely.

Update - I posted the above after a couple of 300 mile trips earlier this year. In another post I suggested the Rancho shocks were going away prematurely. We made another 300 mile run recently and on setting 9 the rear of the truck was like a trampoline. The Rancho's have been removed and Bilstein 4600's installed. The hobby horse effect still happens on the worst whoop-de-do's and bridge decks but is much more controlled.

The Rancho shocks have expired in about 12,000 miles, with about 7000 miles of towing/hauling.

I am looking at rear air suspensions.