Anti-sway bars ??

martyn8677 wrote:


This is a logical approach, but here is MY dilemma. I am going to be driving to pick up the camper I eventually choose. It will be empty, so should be in the dry weight range of 3,500 lbs. This is right at my GVWR and falls within the specs of my current wheels and tires. Should I roll the dice and bring the camper home with NO mods (stock OEM shocks, no rear sway bar, no Stable Loads?)

Yes, you should go pick it up with no mods. It isn't rolling the dice, and you aren't going to burst in to flames and kill a school bus full of kids because you haven't modded your truck with all the latest and greatest. Go pick it up, drive it home, be sensible, and get a feel for what you like and don't like and then you'll have more information on how you want to proceed.
I did just that. Then I asked a lot of questions and received a lot of input that varied from wild suggestions (such as buy a new truck, buy a different camper, chop the rear of my bed off, buy whole new spring packs for the rear axle) to a suggestion of doing nothing. You have to sort through the feedback to figure out what is best for you. In the end I went with a big rear sway bar. Chances are that you will too. You'll be able to figure out whether you want some help with load carrying issues and which way to go.

Now having said that I will provide my opinion on a couple things.
I do agree that Rancho 9000s are very overrated. Those silly adjustable shocks aren't really all that adjustable and I suspect placebo plays a big part in it. I do like the Bilstein 5100s.
I ended up with the Big Wig rear sway bar and the Hellwig front swaybar too. Not really a huge difference in the front but the rear was night and day. They do not make my truck ride bad. But they sure do make it handle 200% better, empty or loaded!
I do not like airbags. Inflating and deflating them is a pain. You have to run a minimum air pressure at all times or you risk hurting the bags. If they go empty on you, it is possible you will be buying a replacement bag. When empty, they do make the ride harsh because there is always pressure in them.
I like the Stable Loads from Torklift.
I also like the Roadmaster Active Suspension. But I'm thinking of going the Timbren route lately.