Most comfortable riding
Which truck is the most comfortable when loaded with a heavy camper?
Forum Discussion
billy1davis wrote:
So I met a camper whois hauling about the same load as me on a Ford 350 one ton swd 4wd and he has put 60k on it and it rides just fine is it possible Ford better.and his 4wd mine 2wd....more space for betteraction
.is
40 for sure on the trailer, 20 2K round bales. Makes the tires squat a bit.... Have no idea what the weight is on the hitch ball is, just needs about 60 in the bags to level the bed.... and it's just from the field to the barn, not out on the big road anyway. I'd never be able to stop it in an emergency situation.
Having said and done that, I also have a 2 5/16" ball welded on the top of my rear bale spear so I can use a tractor as a prime mover as well. I put 2 bales on the front spears to offset the rear weight and go down the dirt road at a blistering 20 mph.
It's farming and farmers all abuse weight limits and equipment capability.billy1davis wrote:
What air ride do you have and what is a 16 Ram
2016 Ram Laramie limited 3500 DRW. Factory air ride in the rear. Rides wonderfull loaded heavy or empty. Zero issues with my 5th wheel or my Host camper. No crazy sway or anything.
I have driven as fast as 78mph with the Host on but normally stay at 65 to 67. Faster with the 5th wheel, normally 67.
I have 22k on it now almost all with my old AF1150 or the new Host or the 5th wheel. I live in PA, this truck has gone to KY 3 times, Yellowstone and FL, NH in the last 14 months. All were with the TC, Yellowstone was 5th wheel. I love this set up. This truck is a keeper for sure.GpnAZ wrote:
1. You can't fit a sway bar on the trucks fitted with factory air. I contacted Helwig and they have no plans at this time to develop one. The sway is a bit better than our 2004 ram 3500 with the same camper, but it would be nice to further reduce it. I might design my own.
I have the Hellwig Big Wig sway bar on my 2017 Ram w/ factory air assist. I had a 2014 SRW 3500 Ram that I put a Torklift Super Truss on and the HellWig bolted right up to that. I took the Super Truss and HellWig sway bar from that truck and had it installed on my new 2017' Ram. My new Ram rides so much better empty or loaded then my 2014' Ram did after all the suspension mods I made to carry the AF811. I made no mods to the suspension of the 2017' Ram except for the sway bar, the factory air assist really works nice in my case.
That's great news. When I asked Helwig tech support this is what they said:
Hi Greg, We do not currently have a rear sway bar that fits the Ram 3500 with the factory air suspension. The problem is that the factory air brackets go on top of the axle and move the hard brake lines down to the back side of the axle where our bar normally attaches. Both the brake lines and tabs interfere with our current mounting system and don’t leave any room to mount an aftermarket sway bar without starting from scratch. That application is not currently being worked on.
Thanks,
Ben Knaus
Director of Engineering
Hellwig Products
559-734-7451 ext. 135
Would you be willing to take a couple pictures? If I read you right the original application for the swayer was for a 2004 Ram. Do you by any chance have that Hellwig part number?
Very encouraged that a sway bar situation has been worried out.work2much wrote:
Kayteg1 wrote:
I like the idea about air suspension Dodge offers for rear and reviews are good so far.
We have been pleased so far although...
1. You can't fit a sway bar on the trucks fitted with factory air. I contacted Helwig and they have no plans at this time to develop one. The sway is a bit better than our 2004 ram 3500 with the same camper, but it would be nice to further reduce it. I might design my own.
I have the Hellwig Big Wig sway bar on my 2017 Ram w/ factory air assist. I had a 2014 SRW 3500 Ram that I put a Torklift Super Truss on and the HellWig bolted right up to that. I took the Super Truss and HellWig sway bar from that truck and had it installed on my new 2017' Ram. My new Ram rides so much better empty or loaded then my 2014' Ram did after all the suspension mods I made to carry the AF811. I made no mods to the suspension of the 2017' Ram except for the sway bar, the factory air assist really works nice in my case.
2. The stock rear shocks seem to be shot after 15,000 miles. Passenger side showing a leak. In all fairness these are all miles with our camper on and a couple thousand of those on dirt roads in Alaska. Not a big deal, I was going to replace them anyway.
3. There is no way (that I am aware of) to inflate the bags individually. This became apparent with our AF1150 which is heavier on the slide side. In the old truck I would just add more air on that side.
The air bags look a lot like standard aftermarket units. If I were to do it over I would have ordered the truck with the standard heavier rear springs that would allow stable loads, sway bar and aftermarket airbags (if needed)- So I met a camper whois hauling about the same load as me on a Ford 350 one ton swd 4wd and he has put 60k on it and it rides just fine is it possible Ford better.and his 4wd mine 2wd....more space for betteraction
.is zb39 wrote:
My 16 Ram with factory air rides very smooth, empty or loaded quite heavy. The smoothest truck I have ever had.
That wasn't available in 1997...lol I do have air bags on the back but just to take the kick out. Even the Lance I sold never put the spring pack anywhere near the overload snubber.
My Palomino don't weight anything compared to the Lance but it does smooth the ride out, good enough for me (other than the climb to get in the cab)....- My Ram 5500 rides better with the Host Mammoth than Arctic Fox 811. Empty, it is very stiff but not what I would call jarring unless driving empty on bad roads.
- What air ride do you have and what is a 16 Ram
- My 16 Ram with factory air rides very smooth, empty or loaded quite heavy. The smoothest truck I have ever had.
- My truck rides like a lumberwagon with the camper off and like a Caddy with the camper on. Must be the big stack of leaves on each corner.
Way back when, when I bought it, I lifted it 4 over stock and now, being old, I'm sorry I did because it's a PITA to get into and out of, but I do have a good view and can look down into most every other vehicle (except big trucks) on the road.
If I got another truck (which I won't because I hate payment books and vehicles are a terrible investment anyway and just make finance companies wealthy), I'd get the longest wheelbase available and an 8 foot bed too. The longer the wheelbase is, the better the truck rides overall (on stock suspension).
Short wheelbase trucks ride choppy on uneven roads.
