Just Suspension Recommendations - No Legal Weight Advice

I installed Air Lift air bags on 2 previous Chevy trucks. Never any problems with either set. One on a 3/4 ton and the next on a 1 ton. Since I have over 20 years experience with trucks, trailers and construction equipment and not wanting to offend you with legal info, which I appreciate your attitude about that, the next thing I would be looking for is your rear axle load capacity. You can add all of the leaf springs, sway controls and what not to that truck but if the axle is over loaded you will start having bearing issues, ring and pinion issues, frame issues etc.

I'm just saying!

Good luck

A picture is worth a thousand words. This is with Supersprings and my AF 1140 fully loaded and wet. I actually would like the rear to drop down a little more but the SS's wont allow that to happen. The ride is very stable.

The camper package gives you higher rated front springs (not sure about pre-2005), front and rear anti-sway bars and rear upper overload springs.

If you look at the rear overload springs, they do not engage until you get 3" or more of suspension compression in your leaf pack. The first thing you want to do is to get that upper overload working sooner. You can do this using taller spring pads (like Torklift's upper StableLoads) or putting a taller block between the main spring pack and upper overload so it contacts the the OEM sooner.

If you need more spring capacity, you can have the flat lower overload springs engage sooner by putting in wedges (like Torklift's lower StableLoads) between the the lower overload springs and the spring packs.

The two above modifications will use your OEM springs to their full capacity. Using this setup, it handles my heavy Arctic Fox without additional help. If you need more capacity, you can add air bags, add additional springs or replace your spring pack. I use pressure in my air bags when I tow and like the ability of being able to adjust them based on how much weight I hang off the receiver.

Remember that your current axle rating on the sticker is probably limited to your current tires and rims (the Sterling 10.5" is rated at 9750 lbs). If you plan to load rear axle more than 7500 lbs, you will need to upgrade rims and tires since that is the limit of anything the OEM provides. I was able to distribute weight to keep it under OEM maximum ratings, but it was too close for me to feel comfortable doing trips as far 5000 miles plus it was too much too work to make sure I was properly loading my TC and trailer properly to avoid going over ratings each time I changed what I wanted to carry. I went to 19.5" wheels which allowed to me to get the full 7350 lb capacity out of the front Dana 60 and 9000 lbs out of the Sterling (limited due to rim capacity).

Since the late sixties, I have tried many methods to keep the rear up or bring it back up close to stock. My conclusion and belief is only Air Bags will do the job. I have installed Air Bags on several of my trucks, and never have been disappointed with the result.


1) adding another leaf;
If you never unload your TC, like a Class A or Class C, adding a leaf or more will raise the rear. It is fixed and not adjustable. It will do the same on a truck with a TC, but you will have a much stiffer ride when you do not have the TC loaded. I think this should be obvious.

2) SuperSprings;
My understanding is they work on the same principal as Overload springs. I have no personal experience with the SuperSprings. I am comfortable with the thought they are progressive, meaning they have a fixed position, and as they are loaded they will squat but not as much as stock springs. Every overload spring device I have ever used or seen, has to squat until it takes the load. Regardless of method used to add a spacer or something related, it will squat. I agree it will squat less than without the spacer. I have yet to see a spring setup that allows you to load the truck, then bring it back to its original height. How anyone can argue against this really stumps me.

3) Timbrens or;
I have coil springs on the front of my truck. I installed Timbrens on the front of my truck. They look and act like bump stops, and actually replaced my bump stops. They are progressive in how they work. Typically, they are not engaged. When they are engaged, they become stiffer as they are compressed. My truck is 2WD, with less tire clearance in the wheel well. I installed 245x19.5 tires/wheels. On uneven ground under certain circumstances, I would have a tire rub the wheel well flange. Unless the Timbrens you are referring to are different than mine, they will allow the rear of your truck to squat, but not as much as stock.

4) Airbags;
I am sold on Air Bags for keeping the rear up. They also allow you to easily soften or stiffen the ride. You can use them to level you truck when camped. If inflated properly, they will not effect the empty truck. The only issue I have ever seen with air bags is improper install, or not used correctly.

My Air Bags have an In-cab controller. This allows me to adjust the air while in the truck, on the road or at a stop. Before the In-cab controller, I plumbed the bags separately to the inside of the truck, and used a small compressor while seated out of the elements. I don't care if it is raining, wind blowing or exceptionally hot outside. I do not have to get wet or muddy changing location of any adjustment device. I installed them used in 2005, and have never had a problem with them.

Wayne

I keep the camper on my truck . After 10 years of use I felt my springs might be getting a little tired.

I was going to buy Supersprings but the shop said they have removed as many as they have installed. He told me "some people say they make noise". I believed the mechanic because I have read that in the past. However, lots of people use them with no problems. So, I didn't know what to do .

Only because the dealer cost for me was about the same, I went with the 2 added leafs. Normally I think the supersprings would be the cheaper option by approx. $200 .

I added 2 leafs to my 2500 spring pack . It now sits on the high side of level with the 3900# camper .
I kept the lower stableloads in place as well as the Helwig sway.
I like this set up because I got away from the air bags, they are not needed anymore.
The original spring pack with air bags worked but I now feel better riding on steel than air, in case I would have an 'air bag leaking issue' in the middle of nowhere .

I never felt that if the truck came down to around level with the camper that I had a problem. I just drove it. Three inches might be right around level with an F250, I don't know your truck. Likewise, if it was off the bump stops that meant the springs still had room to work. Much of what direction to take to modify your truck depends on what you do with it besides carry a camper. If it's dedicated to the camper, I would go with added spring leaves. If it's a daily driver empty, I might go with air bags. I would definitely consider front and rear anti-sway bars - just adding a rear bar can make it oversteer too much in wet or slippery conditions and actually be quite unsafe unloaded.

It would help to know how heavy your camper is.

Brian

I have Timbrens on the rear axle.

They work very well to support the load and with the BigWig swaybar keep side to side motion under control.

But hit a larger bump/hole in the road and as travel is taken up, the Timbrens become VERY progressive. Too progressive IMHO.

I am going back to airbags next spring.

I have had air bags in the past and now have Timbrens (not for our TT but for hauling loads in the bed) and I like the Timbrens because there is no adjustment needed. They did come with a 1" spacer to move them into position so that they are always engaged if you are always carrying a load like a TC or a utility body.

The only downside is that as noted above, the axle hits the Timbrens before the overload springs and causes somewhat harsh transitions to the overload springs when carrying a load that is not quite heavy enough to sit on them all the time. I do like the improved handling though. Even with 2000 - 3000 lbs in the bed there is little body roll in corners and the steering stays crisp since the truck is not squatting and allowing weight to be transferred to the rear.

Airbags are nice because they provide the same benefit but are adjustable although they can leak and require you to set them to the desire pressure for the current load to get optimal results.

My personal experience with TCs is limited but for many many years I have been hauling loads and gooseneck trailers. So my personal experience on products that help with load carrying is:

I do not like helper springs or additional springs if you will ever drive unloaded. It will have a horrid ride. It will be great when loaded though.

I have tried the Hellwig helper springs and Roadmaster RAS helper springs. Both were removed and reluctantly given away. I say reluctantly because I think they rode so bad I didn't want to anyone else to go through that.

I wish I'd have found Torklift's Load Stabilizers sooner. They help engage that lower overload spring sooner so it doesn't squat so far before it starts helping. It's such an obvious idea and it works.

I've never used Timbrens. I probably never will.

After using two different brands of airbags, I finally found some I like. Air Lift bags with the internal jounce bumper. You can run these things with no air pressure when unloaded. Perfect for me.

Since I have a 2001 F250 Superduty, with the 7.3l/6speed combo, the best things you can do is:

1) replace the rear sway bar with either the roadmaster or bigwig.
2) get new shocks; preference is a HD type shock; I have Bilstein HD's on mine (due for replacement in the next year or so.)
3) get air bags; I have the firestone rideright, if I remember correctly..
4) get a set of stable loads.
5) consider upgrading to 19.5 tires and rims.

All 5 items makes a HUGE world of difference in handling. Order I've posted in means nothing; do what you want/can afford in any order.