Buying EC1160 - having weight anxiety ...

[BoilerEE]

I know, I know, not another "I'm intentionally overloading my truck - tell me it's OK!" thread, but yeah, that's where I'm going ... sorry!

OK, that being said, I'm getting ready to pull the trigger on an '07 Eagle Cap 1160, and I was all ready to accept that it was going to be heavy, but then I read Boatycall's weight thread saying his 1160 weighs like 7500# (!) Now, I know his rig is a bit different (batteries made of neutron star or something), and a newer model of 1160, but if this '07 is anywhere near that heavy even I'm going to be well past my comfort limit.

So, my rig is an '07.5 3500HD, D-max, dually, stock other than RS9000's, Firestone 'bags, and I just ordered the StabilLoads to add as well. Have TL tiedowns on it.

The GVWR of the truck is only 11,300, which I've exceeded in the past with minimal problems - I've been up and down the AlCan multiple times with the setup you seen in my sig which was just shy of 25k# GCVW. Before my previous adventures in overloading, I decided my personal limit was to stay under the wheel limit, which Accuride says is 2440/ea, so no more than 9760 on the rear, which is over GM's GRAWR of 8,200 but under the AAM1150's design load and under the tire limit (even though it's got the silly looking tiny 215/85/16s).

So I guess what I'm saying is, does anyone have experience with the same(ish) setup (like pre-'11 GM dually) or, ideally, a weight ticket for an older EC1160? Again, I was all ready to jump on this thing, but that "my EC1160 weighs 7500#s" is keeping me up at night.

BTW, the reason I don't just go try it out and drive over a scale before buying is that there aren't any big TC's up here in Alaska that I can find, so I'm doing this all long-distance down in Seattle and will probably have to make a decision with only my brother having put eyes-on it.

Thanks!

[BoilerEE]

Fastbrit wrote:
Just came back home with my new Chalet TS116FB and air bags were useless.Even at 100 psi they didnt lift the rear. Rear and front timbren did a very nice job and the truck handle fine crusing at 65mph.

Awesome! I love seeing impossibly-big looking TC's on trucks - I thought my old S&S 11DB looked big on my old '01 Dodge, but I think your Chalet takes the cake!

And I'm not surprised your airbags didn't do much - mine barely lifted the overloads off their perches with the EC on there.

[Sheriffdoug]

BoilerEE,
You,ll be amazed with the Super Springs 5000+ Commercial from Michigan Truck Spring. Do not raise camper too high, but sit firm.
I also have front Timbrins & Helliwig Big Wig Sway Bar.
Good Luck, Doug.

[BoilerEE]

deltabravo wrote:
I wouldn't feel comfortable with that much weight on that vintage of GM truck.

Even my AF 811 puts my 09 dually over the GVWR.

Yeah, it's significantly over, but probably 50% or more of the trucks on the road with TC's are over gross - the difference is we know it, right? I do eventually want to get a Ram 5500, but right now that just isn't in the budget, so I'm pretty comfortable with overloading the truck smartly since GM under-rates it pretty significantly. Braking performance is certainly reduced, but in tow/haul mode I haven't had trouble, all the way up to 24k GCVW - just have to drive conservatively. I know the rear axle is good to 11k or so, and the stock steel wheels are only good to 2440/each, so I personally stick to under 9760 on the rear and that is also under the tire max weight @ 80psi.

[billtex]

Fastbrit wrote:
Just came back home with my new Chalet TS116FB and air bags were useless.Even at 100 psi they didnt lift the rear.

Somethin' ain't right...
IIRC those bags are rated to lift 5000# each!
You sure about that?

BTW...nice rig...those Chalets sure are tall!

[jimh406]

Fastbrit wrote:
Just came back home with my new Chalet TS116FB and air bags were useless.Even at 100 psi they didnt lift the rear.

Nice pic, boy that makes your truck look small.

[Fastbrit]

Just came back home with my new Chalet TS116FB and air bags were useless.Even at 100 psi they didnt lift the rear. Rear and front timbren did a very nice job and the truck handle fine crusing at 65mph.


20140321_195635 par steevesdbs, sur Flickr

[deltabravo]

jimh425 wrote:
As far as the ditching air bags is concerned. If you are level, I suppose it doesn't matter, but if you aren't, considering adding extended bump stops. What generally happens is the air bags unload the overloads.

Ditto. I didn't like what the airbags did to my ride, so I bought Torklift Stabeloads. They do far more than airbags do for my setup.

[deltabravo]

I wouldn't feel comfortable with that much weight on that vintage of GM truck.

Even my AF 811 puts my 09 dually over the GVWR. I took this photo on the way home from the dealer when I took delivery of mine:



The rig:

[jimh406]

As far as the ditching air bags is concerned. If you are level, I suppose it doesn't matter, but if you aren't, considering adding extended bump stops. What generally happens is the air bags unload the overloads. Adding extended bump stops engages the overloads. You can buy Energy Suspension bump stops on Amazon for around $70, or make your own.

[billtex]

BoilerEE wrote:

billtex wrote:
boiler...how do you like your new EC?

Awesome so far! Love the floor plan - exactly what we needed for the 3 young kids. Quality seems a step above our previous S&S (which itself was well above average IMO). Only issues I can even complain a little about so far are the seals on the bottom of the slides are a joke - felt like A/C blowing in onto the floor @ +15F outside the first night, and the CG seems pretty far aft, but I think once I get the spacer situation better sorted it'll sit nicer in there. Overall though very happy with the purchase and happy to be back in the TC club!

Agree...we shopped several different brands last year when we upgraded.
Taking lots of notes/pics and making comparisons was a real eye opener.
The quality of EC and AF really stood out.
(Have never seen an SS here on the best coast...so can't comment on those-have heard only good though).
Welcome back to TC Ville.

Bill

[bighatnohorse]

BoilerEE wrote:

billtex wrote:
boiler...how do you like your new EC?

Awesome so far! . . .Only issues I can even complain a little about so far are the seals on the bottom of the slides are a joke - . .

There's a cure for that!
3tons did a brilliant mod and posted it on the EC owners forum.
Definitely worth a look at: Curing slide out drafts

[BoilerEE]

billtex wrote:
boiler...how do you like your new EC?

Awesome so far! Love the floor plan - exactly what we needed for the 3 young kids. Quality seems a step above our previous S&S (which itself was well above average IMO). Only issues I can even complain a little about so far are the seals on the bottom of the slides are a joke - felt like A/C blowing in onto the floor @ +15F outside the first night, and the CG seems pretty far aft, but I think once I get the spacer situation better sorted it'll sit nicer in there. Overall though very happy with the purchase and happy to be back in the TC club!

[billtex]

boiler...how do you like your new EC?

[BoilerEE]

So a quick update - after the first trip with the new rig I'm pretty happy, but I'm ordering the SuperSprings and I may even ditch the airbags completely. I don't have an onboard compressor, so after downloading and airing down when we stopped in Seward, none of the service stations' compressors were working in town, so I ended up running home with no air and essentially stock suspension. Surprisingly, it actually handled better than with air in the bags. I know you're probably suspecting too much air in the bags, but I had them with just enough air to make the upper overloads just barely come off the perches.
Anyway, I don't want to have to buy an onboard compressor, plus my bags are looking pretty ratty and starting to get dry rot cracks, so I think I'll try the SuperSpring route and see how it works.

[BoilerEE]

Just found an old loaded weight ticket from a similar setup to the pic in my sig (with a 27' v-nose trailer rather than the flat front one in the pic)

Steer axle: 4320
Drive axle: 9160
Trailer axle: 8640
Gross: 22120

Anyway, not directly applicable to the current question, but I do recall being quite satisfied with how the truck handled that load, so I suppose the 1160 alone should be fine. I will post the tare, dry, and wet weights as soon as I go down to pick it up! (won't be until mid-march)