I have a lance 861 (2006 at 3,417lbs wet) short bed camper. And a new (2016) Ford F250 xlt, Crew cab, 4x4, gas-6.2l, short bed truck. The truck has a plow package which I believe is an upgraded front (coil) spring package. It has rancho shocks, and Michelin LT275/70R18 E tires (3,640lbs). There is a front anti sway bar. Not in rear. 10,000 gvwr package. I am seeing a specified ford sheet that says 3,100 lbs payload package selector. and yet the door frame tire and loading info says combined weight not to exceed 2,794 lbs. The GVWR is 10,000 the front axle is 5,940 and the rear is 6,100. I am asking for some advice on upgrading the suspension. I have had firestone air bags before, and bilstien shocks, with factory helper springs (over loads) on a 99 f-250 crew 4x4 diesel. It worked well but I KNEW i was pushing the envelope. That truck empty was 7160, 7360 with just me + full fuel included, with camper on was 11,540. rear axle load was 7040 and I was 210 over my tire rating on the old truck.(3,450) The new truck has better tire loads and i see the shipping weight from kentucky plant was 6,613lbs. I am asking for any sound advice hopefully from someone with a comparable rig. Dually is out of the question and I will use this truck so please lets stay focused on the best way to prepare this truck for the intended task. I will certainly go with Torklift tie downs. I anticipate a rear anti sway bar and air bags. I am uncertain if I should go with replacement spring stacks, helper springs, or try as is?

Air bags, Helwig rear sway bar. 80 PSI in tires.Wasn't a Ford but Chevy 2500 Duramax diesel. Many satisfying miles with a Lance 820.

My 2005 F250 SC SB had the same 18" wheels but had the Camper Package with the rear overloads and stabilizer. By adding the upper and lower StableLoads, I could carry 7000 lbs on the rear axle without sag or sway. I suggest starting with SuperSprings or a heavier replacement spring pack before doing anything else. See how it rides and add a BigWig stabilizer bar and lower StableLoads if you need more support.If you want go heavier, that's when you need 19.5's and heavier dampened shocks.

So, I see the hellwig anti sway is about 247...The firestone air bags can be had for 335...hellwig helper springs are 331 for 3500 lbs and 300 for 2500 lbs. I have had firestone bags before. Are they performing the same duty as the helper springs? And which spring stack....the 2500 or the 3500? Seems the 3500 would elliminate the need for the air bags?

I'm trying to get my mind around this and order all that is needed in one shot from one vendor.

Redneck bling wrote:I'm trying to get my mind around this and order all that is needed in one shot from one vendor.I'd go to Amazon first - good prices and free shipping.Bill

Advice on matching Ford super duty f250 to Lance 861

Redneck_bling
Explorer
Oct 10, 2016
I very grateful for your responses. I am still waiting for my deliveries. I have a draw tite for the front bumper which lets me move the honda generator extra fuel and some heavy stuff forward. The hellwig anti sway is on its way. I am thinking AFTER test driving I may need the firestone air bags again. I valve them separate. I hope I don't miss the helper springs i had on my old 99 f-250 crew diesel. I used to add air to the bags until the helpers just started to see some lift, and it ran very well. I am becoming more convinced that the helpers maybe did not do much after all. Any thought on the "jounce" in the air bags? I'm thinking if I lost pressure in 1 bag that may make a big difference in my ability to limp home.
lonegunman
Explorer
Oct 10, 2016
DJ is on the right track. I have an AF 865 on a short box, crew cab F-250 with the 6.7 diesel. It has a 10,000 GVWR and the identical suspension of the F-350. Fully loaded it is about 11,500 lbs and it runs down the road absolutely trouble free. We put 6K miles on it this summer with zero issues.
JIMNLIN
Explorer III
Oct 09, 2016
bling.....just a thought here but those 18" LT tires are rated at 3640 lbs but Fords 18" wheels carry a 3590 lb rating per Fords fleet spec pages.
Yeah I know its only 50 lbs but maybe some of these Ford guys will know how well Fords OEM wheels stand up to max or close to max loads full time.
_DJ_1
Explorer II
Oct 09, 2016
I have the same truck but with a 6.7. Knocks the payload down to 2300. My TC is very heavy for a pop up. Guess that's why I've never been able to tear it up on Jeep trails!! Fully loaded my GVWR of 10.000 is 11,300. It handles like a sports car!! Well, almost!!

My only suspension mod was the 5000# Firestone airbags, plumbed separately and remote control compressor. After all these years of bad mouthing air bags (I had a set go bad about 10 years ago) I love these things!!

My TC is heavier on the driver's side so more air in the left bag = level. Plumbed separately reduces sway. Adjust from the cab for different loads other than the TC. Adjust on the fly for road conditions.

More than likely you also have the 10.5 Sterling RA (same as F 350) and rated for 9000#. It is reduced in the F 250 for suspension options.
Vinsil
Explorer
Oct 09, 2016
Redneck bling wrote:
I ordered the Hellwig rear anti sway bar and aluminum torklift tie downs. It was disappointing to learn that the rancho shocks are motorcraft actually. I may seek Bilstiens again depending how it rides. As far as the putting the camper in...NO I have not yet. Need the tie downs and anti sway 1st.
Interesting...I called Lance customer service, and Cory said all I would need is airbags. I asked him if he ever drove a camper around and he said no, but I'm in the business. I had a chuckle and that's why I am asking you good people for input. So next step is to install the items I ordered and then load and drive it a bit short distance and see. I had firestone air bags before and valved separate. I see some folks tie the two together for ease of adjustment. I can't see that being good for side to side sway. Any thoughts on that?

Grit dog gave you solid advice. Mine is....drive it and see how how you feel. I think a lot of folks "think" they need all the mods when sometimes....airbags gets it done. Or, you need more. Everyone is different including the guys that dump the srw and go to a drw setup.

Me...I tried it bone stock, drove 5 miles and turned around. NOPE! Added lower stableloads. It worked, not super great but vast improvements over stock. Added bags since I was towing and it wasn't level with a full load. Works really good! Added 19.5's and MAN....that was IT! But I bought a large boat so....adding a big wig sway bar and I'm done. Lots of money sure....but cheaper than a new truck. Point is, add mods to your comfort level.

Oh and my bags are separate and I put different amounts of air as the TC is heavier on the driver side, I like the adjustability.
Redneck_bling
Explorer
Oct 08, 2016
I ordered the Hellwig rear anti sway bar and aluminum torklift tie downs. It was disappointing to learn that the rancho shocks are motorcraft actually. I may seek Bilstiens again depending how it rides. As far as the putting the camper in...NO I have not yet. Need the tie downs and anti sway 1st.
Interesting...I called Lance customer service, and Cory said all I would need is airbags. I asked him if he ever drove a camper around and he said no, but I'm in the business. I had a chuckle and that's why I am asking you good people for input. So next step is to install the items I ordered and then load and drive it a bit short distance and see. I had firestone air bags before and valved separate. I see some folks tie the two together for ease of adjustment. I can't see that being good for side to side sway. Any thoughts on that?
Grit_dog
Navigator
Oct 06, 2016
Also, you asked this question without saying whether you have actually put the camper on the truck.
How much does it sag the rear end right now, loaded camper, no mods to the truck?
You can play around with it a little bit first and see.
Sway bar won't carry any weight so expect more body roll while testing, but before buying all the parts, maybe try the camper, no mods.
Then fashion up some temporary stable loads, wood wedges, hockey pucks, something you can hose clamp or bolt in there quick for a drive around the block.
After doing that you may have a better idea how much "help" you need.

Personal experience with setting up my "inferior" truck, lol. My camper loaded would use up most of the spring travel. Not bottomed out, but close. Drove it home 50 mi nose to the sky!
Ran on just bags for a while. They held up everything. Camper and trailer tongue weight no problem but was like being in a boat!
Added sway bar and lower stable loads and it handles night and day better. No, it's not F450 dually stable, but it's very predictable and much better manners. No issues with passing semis on 2 lanes, heavier crosswinds are very manegable, and can take most turns at the suggested speed limit without issue.
Grit_dog
Navigator
Oct 06, 2016
Redneck bling, IMO it depends on whether you have the 2+1 rear springs (std f250 springs), or 3+1 (250 camper pkg/350 springs).
Having had 2 different newer F250 work trucks, I like the ride but the rear springs are pretty soft for a HD truck with the std 2+1 setup.
IMO it boils down to if you want to maintain ride quality empty or if you just want to stiffen up the rear end permanently.
After hauling around a heavier camper than yours for a while, if I put it on the F250 I'd do a sway bar for sure, and lower stable loads. For load carrying help, would be airbags if I wanted temporary capacity only for the camper.
Permanent solution, I'd opt for helper springs just for the ease of install and cheaper cost. Lifetime, camper on it most of the time, I may bite the bullet and order new heavier springs.
OH48Lt
Explorer
Oct 06, 2016
I'd put the rear sway bar on and then check it to see if anything else was needed. With that 10K package and snow plow package on the F250, you've got the same suspension parts as the F350 except for the rear blocks (2" vs 4"). The camper package is just the rear sway bar.

I had a 2005 F250 with the 10K package, all I needed was Timbrens on the rear to handle the heavy loads. Not sure I'd go with those though in your case, would get air bags if I thought additional suspension was needed.
Bedlam
Moderator
Oct 06, 2016
Redneck bling wrote:
So, I see the hellwig anti sway is about 247...
The firestone air bags can be had for 335...
hellwig helper springs are 331 for 3500 lbs and 300 for 2500 lbs.
I have had firestone bags before. Are they performing the same duty as the helper springs? And which spring stack....the 2500 or the 3500? Seems the 3500 would elliminate the need for the air bags?

SDTruckSprings.com has the leaf packs you want. You shouldn't need bags if you get the right spring combination and preload set.