rear end sag

[larryn]

I have an 09 1500 6l max tow. I will be able to tow my new 5er and stay within the specs, but it will be close.I am worried about rear end sag, what is a good way to relevel my truck if required.Airbags, booster springs, spring shocks, ect. ect.? Thanks for any &all replies.

[Mootpoint]

Rear end sagging with OEM equipment. Not enough TV in my estimation. If I have to add aftermarket items to "improve" the ride I would really start considering the safety aspect of the rest of the OEM equipment. Should I beef up the brakes? Larger capacity coolers needed? Tires and rims? Axles? Engine and transmission? Structural strength of the frame? I could go on.
JMHO

[goducks10]

Cummins12V98 wrote:
Why do people think they meed to maintain unloaded ride weight when towing??????????

I see this all the time, rear of truck is high with proper bed rail clearance but the 5er is way nose high. Its because these people for some reason "think" they need to tow at solo ride height.

If your truck sits "level" with the RV attached you are probably good to go. If it sits lower in the rear than the front you probably are overloaded and bags are just a band-aid.

So true. Trucks come with the rear 2-3" higher than the front for that reason alone. If it drops 2" it's still higher than the front.

[Cummins12V98]

Why do people think they meed to maintain unloaded ride weight when towing??????????

I see this all the time, rear of truck is high with proper bed rail clearance but the 5er is way nose high. Its because these people for some reason "think" they need to tow at solo ride height.

If your truck sits "level" with the RV attached you are probably good to go. If it sits lower in the rear than the front you probably are overloaded and bags are just a band-aid.

[SteveB]

Did they mess with your equipment?

[LindanMick]

75,000 miles on last 5th wheel with a 2010 Tundra. Was right under numbers. Did not need new brakes when I traded it in. We did put Firestone airbags on to level it up but it only took about 2 inches.

I did find adding more air would take care of chucking. I bought a 12 volt compact air compressor and put a very long cord on it to reach the rear of truck. I found a hole in each side of the tailgate area to put the valves. I think separate valves will keep the air in each bag for weight distribution. We got hit by very high winds in Montana once and the truck handled it well. E-Trailers is a good place to look.

Quick story about brakes:
We were in Wyoming and stopped for food/fuel. To eat we pulled over by some other campers, one had a few couples hanging out by it. We got back on the road and the passenger mirror add-on started falling off. My wife grabbed it and the drivers one started the same. We took the next exit to fix it and I noticed the trailer a little heavy. After stopping I looked at the brake controller and it was not working. We checked and the plug from the truck to trailer was unplugged just enough not to be out of the hole. Truck stopped the 9000 pound camper with no problems on a down hill exit ramp. It was a Tundra not a Chevy. Fellow campers are the greatest people.

[cummins2014]

rhagfo wrote:

Golden_HVAC wrote:
The best solution is a 3500 series truck with larger disk brakes, capable of stopping the whole truck and trailer rig in a slightly longer than normal distance in the event that the trailer brakes short out and fail completely!

It is not that unusual for a magnet to short out, and fail. It is not a "Once in a 20 year event", but more like sometime you might have a brake failure.

A driver of a new 1 ton diesel truck said he noticed that the truck was not slowing like normal while getting off the freeway. When he got home, he noticed that the lights where off on the trailer, and that the cord had come undone.

With a 1500 pickup, he might not have stopped getting off the freeway offramp, especially if it was a downhill ramp. Check with Autozone. Look up your brake pad size, and some 1 ton of the same year. There is a difference. . .

With my 1975 F-350, the rear brakes where 3" wide and 12" diameter, thus the need for larger diameter 16.5" rims. While the 1/2 ton had 1.5" wide brakes with 10" diameter drums on the back. This is about 1/3 of the brake surface area. You can wrap those with 15" car tires.

Sure air bags will level it, but not make the brakes work well if the trailer brakes ever fail.

Fred.

Well golden, we don't all need a one ton to tow with in limits. The fiver the OP is talking about is not huge, and having been around a while one would assume that he knows if he is within limits.

As for breaking, brake failure is not that common, and even newer 1/2 tons have enough brake to stop both the TV and 5er.

That said, I don't use my service breaks even on 6% and 7% down grades, I simply let the Pacbrake slow me.

But the commissioner of Weight, has spoken, we all need to trade in our 150/1500's, 250/2500's and get 350/3500's with DRW to tow safely!!

I keep expecting the Commissioner to come after me as i tow over my stated GVWR, but well within Axle and tire, as they were never adjusted for the Camper package factory installed on the truck.

Yup, poor guy wanted to get some advice on leveling the load, and the weight police come out in force. Oh well .

Air bags, timbrens etc they all work pick one if you want to level things a bit. Had air bags on my previous 1 ton, worked great.

[anaro]

I guess I'm a lax member of the weight police. I don't see an issue towing a 5er with a 1/2 ton if it is within spec. The OP stated its within spec so no weight police tickets written today.

[rhagfo]

Golden_HVAC wrote:
The best solution is a 3500 series truck with larger disk brakes, capable of stopping the whole truck and trailer rig in a slightly longer than normal distance in the event that the trailer brakes short out and fail completely!

It is not that unusual for a magnet to short out, and fail. It is not a "Once in a 20 year event", but more like sometime you might have a brake failure.

A driver of a new 1 ton diesel truck said he noticed that the truck was not slowing like normal while getting off the freeway. When he got home, he noticed that the lights where off on the trailer, and that the cord had come undone.

With a 1500 pickup, he might not have stopped getting off the freeway offramp, especially if it was a downhill ramp. Check with Autozone. Look up your brake pad size, and some 1 ton of the same year. There is a difference. . .

With my 1975 F-350, the rear brakes where 3" wide and 12" diameter, thus the need for larger diameter 16.5" rims. While the 1/2 ton had 1.5" wide brakes with 10" diameter drums on the back. This is about 1/3 of the brake surface area. You can wrap those with 15" car tires.

Sure air bags will level it, but not make the brakes work well if the trailer brakes ever fail.

Fred.

Well golden, we don't all need a one ton to tow with in limits. The fiver the OP is talking about is not huge, and having been around a while one would assume that he knows if he is within limits.

As for breaking, brake failure is not that common, and even newer 1/2 tons have enough brake to stop both the TV and 5er.

That said, I don't use my service breaks even on 6% and 7% down grades, I simply let the Pacbrake slow me.

But the commissioner of Weight, has spoken, we all need to trade in our 150/1500's, 250/2500's and get 350/3500's with DRW to tow safely!!

I keep expecting the Commissioner to come after me as i tow over my stated GVWR, but well within Axle and tire, as they were never adjusted for the Camper package factory installed on the truck.

[anaro]

Remember the weight of any springs or airbags will actually detract from yourvpayliad but will help level the rig out.

[sue_t]

The trailer brakes failed on our 25' fifth wheel, having overheated on a long, long, steep downhill. But we still had a long way downhill to go - 3 miles of 15% grade.

I held my breath and pressed into my imaginary passenger brake the rest of the way as we inched down with brakes smoking around the hairpin turns.

Was thankful the F-250, with tow package, was only a couple hundred pounds over its GVWR with that 7,000 lb. fifth wheel.

[milo]

Larry, FWIW ... I was worried about sag when we first got our little humongous 26sab but after we loaded it & truck & took our first trip that little sucker sits pertnear level and the 5er sits level behind it. Unloaded the rear of the truck is 3" higher & hitched up it drops the rear only 2 1/2". So for now no extra help needed on the suspension.

[Vulcaneer]

I would prefer Timbrens. Because when you are not loaded, the Timbrens do not increase the stiffness of your suspension. They only work when under a severe load...when you need them. Makes for a smoother ride when not loaded. And you don't need to mess with airing them up or down, as needed for the situation. JMHO

[larryn]

I am getting a 2015 jayco eagle ht 27.5rlts.I have not taken delivery yet so no pictures.

[C_Schomer]

Old biscuit... I couldn't agree more. I'd like to add... they can all be overloaded, too. I also agree, a 1/2T is marginal, especially the 96 I had, with barely adequate brakes for only the truck. NCH, It's easy to end up in the 1/2T mess. I bought one for light home projects, then later on, we bought a small 5er that I knew needed to be in the 1/2T limits but not realizing how anemic a 1/2T really is. It was my first P/U and I learned FAST... I traded for my first CTD in less than a year! Sorry if I sounded too harsh... I have empathy for the 1/2T guys and how things can snowball on them! Craig

[Golden_HVAC]

The best solution is a 3500 series truck with larger disk brakes, capable of stopping the whole truck and trailer rig in a slightly longer than normal distance in the event that the trailer brakes short out and fail completely!

It is not that unusual for a magnet to short out, and fail. It is not a "Once in a 20 year event", but more like sometime you might have a brake failure.

A driver of a new 1 ton diesel truck said he noticed that the truck was not slowing like normal while getting off the freeway. When he got home, he noticed that the lights where off on the trailer, and that the cord had come undone.

With a 1500 pickup, he might not have stopped getting off the freeway offramp, especially if it was a downhill ramp. Check with Autozone. Look up your brake pad size, and some 1 ton of the same year. There is a difference. . .

With my 1975 F-350, the rear brakes where 3" wide and 12" diameter, thus the need for larger diameter 16.5" rims. While the 1/2 ton had 1.5" wide brakes with 10" diameter drums on the back. This is about 1/3 of the brake surface area. You can wrap those with 15" car tires.

Sure air bags will level it, but not make the brakes work well if the trailer brakes ever fail.

Fred.