Airbags or Sumo Springs

[Xpd77]

I just got an AF 811 to put on my 2012 F350 SRW. Even without it being fully loaded with water and stuff, it causes the rear of my truck to sag about 4 to 5 inches. I already have lower stable loads installed and am wanting to add something else to keep it from sagging so much and improve the load handling. Any suggestions on what I should do?

I was thinking of Sumo Springs or Air Bags. Sumo seems simpler to install and use. Airbags seem more adjustable but possibly more expensive and labor intensive. Thoughts?

[Xpd77]

I still have not added anything to my truck but will probably be adding airbags in the near future.

XPD77

[Carb_Cleaner]

12V Cummins wrote:
upper stableloads and outboard airbags. thurrr you goo

What's this about "outboard" airbags?
Got an example?
I've pretty much scratched the Gummy-bear springs off the list. Tembrens are sounding a lot cheaper and easir than airbags. Adjustability sure sounds nice, though. I'm about ready to flip a coin.

[wintersun]

I would not go with air bags or Sumo Springs for the same reason, they do not last and the odds are that one will fail during a trip. Then whatcha going to do?

Sumo Springs have a two-year warranty which says it all. Air bags last longer but they do fail. They are also misused with trucks carrying campers.

If you need to add more hauling capacity the place to do it is at the leaf springs. Have a shop that specializes in 4WD offroad vehicles add a leaf to the two existing leaf packs, or add SuperSprings (took me one hour). With this approach you are beefing up the factory components and not changing the design of the suspension and how it works on the road.

If the truck is not level side to side then you can bite the bullet and install air bags so you can level the camper. But that is only the beginning as the air bags by themselves create new handling problems.

Sway is addressed at the tires (changing to ones with greater load capacity), the frame with anti-sway bars, and with new shocks that provide better dampening of the springs.

[run100]

Xpd77 wrote:
I was thinking of Sumo Springs or Air Bags. Sumo seems simpler to install and use. Airbags seem more adjustable but possibly more expensive and labor intensive. Thoughts?

What system did you end up adding to your truck?

[billtex]

Redsky wrote:
Neither. Sumo Springs have a 2-year warranty which is all you need to know. Air bags are great for dealing with trailers or when one side of a camper is a lot heavier than the other.

If the rear springs are not enough then you need to add more springs and the easiest way to do this is with SuperSprings. Installation is a breeze and there is nothing to adjust or wear out as with air bags and Sumo Springs.

Plan on new shocks as well like Rancho 9000 or Bilstein 5100 shocks.

Really?
When do the airbags wear out?
We have over 50k miles on ours...at what point should I start watching them?

How do you adjust these supersprings side2side?

[Redsky]

Neither. Sumo Springs have a 2-year warranty which is all you need to know. Air bags are great for dealing with trailers or when one side of a camper is a lot heavier than the other.

If the rear springs are not enough then you need to add more springs and the easiest way to do this is with SuperSprings. Installation is a breeze and there is nothing to adjust or wear out as with air bags and Sumo Springs.

Plan on new shocks as well like Rancho 9000 or Bilstein 5100 shocks.

[Grodyman]

Modify your overload springs, leave the main springs alone, simple, cheap, and most effective.

Gman

[usmcshepherd]

This is a common topic with many opinions...so I'll offer another....first I'd have a spring shop look at your rig. Take the truck to them with the camper loaded...they should suggest an upgrade of the leaf pack...theyight talk about a two or three stage upgrade...steel doesn't wear out!!! Another option to look at either before or after or in conjunction with the spring upgrade are Timbren's! Check out their website..any videos and is an easy DITY job!

[GeoBoy]

I would try the Maxloader springs. 4+ inches of sag is a lot.

[jason4598]

I wouldn't focus on how far down the suspension moves. I would think about how much travel is left, how does it handle, and where do the headlights point.

[Bedlam]

I run upper and lower stable loads on my 3/4t loaded with an AF 811. Giving me about 1" of sag. I do not air the bags over 10 PSI unless I am towing my trailer. My enclosed trailer tongue weight is usually over 600 lbs and I use a WDH to balance out the weight better. That's when I put in 40-60 PSI into the bags based on my trailer load. Interestingly, my little flat bed will have about the same tongue weight without a WDH and I air the bags similarly.

[billtex]

homefor2 wrote:
If you are thinking air bags, look at the PacBrake. I just installed them and the quality is impressive. It was not a difficult job at all. A lot of the assembly is done on the bench before you install them. My only complaint is my truck is very unstable (sideways roll) and I am not sure what I am going to change next.

Too much air...lower the psi...

B

[12V_Cummins]

upper stableloads and outboard airbags. thurrr you goo

[skipbee]

Beside restoring the truck to the proper ride height, air bags can level side to side which has been important. Because we deal with various weight conditions air bags are a more satisfactory solution for us. We have had 10 years and 100,000 miles of trouble free travel, with s simple manual air adjustment system (bike pump), not a dedicated air compressor.