Anti-sway bars ??

I had Rancho's on my previous set up and thought they worked well. I left the front set on 9 for the heavy Duramax engine, and turned the back ones up to 9 loaded and 3 unloaded. I have no experience with Bilstein's though. I don't want to do Airbags unless absolutely necessary. Hoping I can get by without them.

martyn8677 wrote:

ah64id wrote:

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?)

I would start with a rear anti-sway bar.

I thought you already had Stable Loads??

No sir, my 2011 Ford F350 I just purchased is stock. My plan is to upgrade to 19.5 wheels/tires to give me 4,500 lbs each wheel/tire. Then I was thinking Stable Loads, Hellwig, and Rancho 9000's. Would love to do one step at a time in case I don't need all, but if I have to drive a distance to pick up a camper, not sure I have that luxury.

Sorry I confused you with the OP.

Rancho 9000's are VERY over-rated, I have ran them on multiple rigs and now run non-adjustable Bilstein 5100's with better performance.

I would start with airbags and a anti-sway bar, go from there.

You will like the 19.5's, great setup!

ah64id wrote:

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?)

I would start with a rear anti-sway bar.

I thought you already had Stable Loads??

No sir, my 2011 Ford F350 I just purchased is stock. My plan is to upgrade to 19.5 wheels/tires to give me 4,500 lbs each wheel/tire. Then I was thinking Stable Loads, Hellwig, and Rancho 9000's. Would love to do one step at a time in case I don't need all, but if I have to drive a distance to pick up a camper, not sure I have that luxury.

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?)

I would start with a rear anti-sway bar.

I thought you already had Stable Loads??

Super_Dave wrote:

Mello Mike wrote:

martyn8677 wrote:
thanks Mike, do most of you all just put them on the rear? Or one on the front too?

You'll want a sway bar on both axles. My 2013 Ram 3500 had a front sway bar only. It handled fine without a TC on it, but with the TC on, the sway was pretty bad.

And this is why everyone should start out with less and only add as needed. My Dodge rides like a Cadillac with the camper on to the point that everytime I take a different buddy fishing, they comment on how smooth the ride is and how well the truck handles the camper. I've only added the bags and the extended bump stops. Everyones individual case is different. Just because Joe has a sway bar doesn't mean you must have to have a sway bar.

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?)

Mello Mike wrote:

martyn8677 wrote:
thanks Mike, do most of you all just put them on the rear? Or one on the front too?

You'll want a sway bar on both axles. My 2013 Ram 3500 had a front sway bar only. It handled fine without a TC on it, but with the TC on, the sway was pretty bad.

And this is why everyone should start out with less and only add as needed. My Dodge rides like a Cadillac with the camper on to the point that everytime I take a different buddy fishing, they comment on how smooth the ride is and how well the truck handles the camper. I've only added the bags and the extended bump stops. Everyones individual case is different. Just because Joe has a sway bar doesn't mean you must have to have a sway bar.

martyn8677 wrote:
thanks Mike, do most of you all just put them on the rear? Or one on the front too?

You'll want a sway bar on both axles. My 2013 Ram 3500 had a front sway bar only. It handled fine without a TC on it, but with the TC on, the sway was pretty bad.

ah64id wrote:

martyn8677 wrote:
I just bought a used 2011 Ford f350 and to my surprise, it does not have sway bars.

It will have a front one, unless it was removed ( I would be very surprised).

I have driven rigs with the front anti-sway bar removed or disconnected and don't recommend it unless it's an off-road application.

Just looked, and you are correct. I assumed since one wasn't on the rear, there wasn't one on the front. That's why I read this forum. Thanks.

I just ordered the Hellwig Bigwig rear for $227.49 off Ebay, shipping included, no sales tax.

wintersun wrote:

The downside to the anti-sway bar is that it can interfere with the motion of the suspension and make the ride harsher. With an empty bed and going down dirt or gravel road or washboard roads and the anti-sway bar is not at all a positive addition to the rear of a pickup truck. If I was going to drive my truck 90% of the time without a camper, and spend much time on bad roads with rough surfaces or potholes, I would not add an aftermarket anti-sway bar to it.


I do lots of driving empty and loaded on dirt/gravel roads and the rear anti-sway bar did nothing but improve the ride/handling.

ah64id:
Those comments do not appear to be from experience, as the opposite is what I, and many others, have experienced. They appear to be from internet folklore, as I have read them before but not from anyone's direct experience. You know, like Ford owns Cummings.


Well your experience is the total opposite of mine. I installed a big wig on my 2014 and the ride is stiffer and it makes sense. Your essentially installing a torsion bar between each side of the truck to stiffen and resist the movement of the suspension. I also can say that I did not see a huge improvement in how my truck performs with the camper on. I think the biggest improvement I made is with the installation of the lower stable loads.

Something else to consider. I took the sway bar off my 2012 completely and the ride was night and day better. I did notice some extra sway but it was minimal. The truck drove fantastic without it. The harshness was gone.

martyn8677 wrote:
I just bought a used 2011 Ford f350 and to my surprise, it does not have sway bars.

It will have a front one, unless it was removed ( I would be very surprised).

I have driven rigs with the front anti-sway bar removed or disconnected and don't recommend it unless it's an off-road application.