cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

Need more suspension for 11' camper

idcrag
Explorer
Explorer
I have an 03 dodge 2500 4x4 and an 03 11' AlpenLite camper. It rocks alot more than my last 9 1/2' camper but is only 600lbs heavier. I have air bags but need more. Has anyone tried torque lift spring pads on a dodge? Any other ideas?
Thanks
IdahoCrag
Larry
12 REPLIES 12

JeffPritchard
Explorer
Explorer
A quick read of the responses on this topic have confirmed my recent experience with this. Reading it you can find a fair amount of what appears on the surface to be contradictory claims...but it isn't.

The only simple and fully accurate statement that can be made about the topic of truck suspension for a heavy TC is this: it's complicated.

It depends on the make of the truck, whether it is dually or not, what kind of springs and shocks you are starting with, tire type and inflation, personal preferences on sway vs. truck leveling vs. smoothness of ride, etc. etc etc.

My experience with this on three different trucks suggests the following:
1) no standard F-350 or 3500 truck is "ideal" for such a heavy load with out some sort of addition to the suspension
2) Only airbags or only springs to solve the above is not an ideal solution for most. You need a combination of the two with proper adjustment to arrive at something that most people find pleasing.
3) No matter what you do, the final solution is a personal compromise. It won't ever be "perfect". If you get it stiff enough with a combination of springs and bags to take out ALL of the sway, then it will ride rough. You have to find a personal "sweet spot", and perhaps change the airbag pressure depending on how much water you have on board and how windy it is or how winding the road is you're on that day.
4) If "sway" (or body roll) is what's bothering you, having dualies is an important part of the solution. Body roll is a combination of motion in the suspension and a redistribution of weight on tires on the two sides of the vehicle and how the tires respond to that change in weight. The additional width of a dually setup gives it a natural advantage over SRW when it comes to body roll.
Jeff Pritchard in Greensboro
2008 Lance 1191 - 2005 Ford F-350 4X4 Diesel (paid for)
Wilderness Photographer - Click here to see my wilderness images

billyray50
Explorer
Explorer
Most Dodge 2500s have bottom overload spring and stable loads on bottom overloads work but on Dodges one has to drill the holes for stable load install. I agree an 11 footer is to much.

Fuzzy_Bear
Explorer
Explorer
My first thought is that an 11' camper on a SRW 2500 is probably a bit too much. Next, my experience with 2003 Dogde 2500's are that they do not have overload springs that the 3500's have. There are no overload bumpstops either, so reducing sway with StableLoads or extended bumpstops is not an option. Probably the best solution would be adding more leafs to the existing spring pack. I did not find much improvement with a sway bar on my 2003 3500.

Doug
2008 Dodge 3500 DRW 4x4 6spd auto.

2007 Lance 1191

billyray50
Explorer
Explorer
Installed a Hellwig 1 ton sway bar and still got side to side sway with my 2006 dodge 2500 while using Air bags. most Dodges call for air bags to be installed between axle and truck bed which is not ideal setup.

Boatycall
Explorer
Explorer
I had to point out the obvious, but if it's swaying side-to-side, you need a sway bar. Stable Loads, add-a-leafs, timbrens -- all that stuff is to help with sag and payload, not directly sway-control.

My F350 dually came with factory front and rear sway bars. It was ok, but I upgraded the rear to a RoadMaster. What a difference. So much so I'll be upgrading the front soon.

I also saw an improvement, albeit less, with Rancho 9000 shocks. Setting the dampening knob to full on the rear and about 5 on the front helped noticeably. They stiffened the loaded ride feel, thereby virtually eliminated the porposing front-to-rear, and reduced even more the left-to-right sway.
'15 F450, 30k Superhitch, 48" Supertruss, 19.5's, Torklift Fast Guns
'12 Eagle Cap 1160, 800watts solar, Tristar MPPT, Magnum Hybrid 3k Inverter
'15 Wells Cargo 24' Race Trailer, 600 watts Solar, TriStar MPPT, Xantrex 2kw inverter
'17 Can Am X3 XDS Turbo

billyray50
Explorer
Explorer
Get rid of the airbags...Useless on 3rd generation Dodge 2500s. My truck has air lift 5000s plumbed separately and create more side to side sway.Stable loads for bottom overload and I added add a leafs to each rear pack.

SugarHillCTD
Explorer
Explorer
Airbags are great....if you like that side to side rocking motion.


There are several other ways to increase suspension without air. Supersprings, Timbrens, add-a-leaf, etc..


When we had airbags and the truck would rock side to side, all I could think of are those kids toys- you remember the big balls with a handle that kids would bounce around on. Like this:

John & Cathy
'12 Chevy 2500HD CC 4x4 sb
'16 Cougar 25RKS w/ Andersen rail mount
'13 Eagle Cap 850 (sold). B4 that a few other TCs and a TT

Joe417
Explorer
Explorer
I found that putting too much air in the air spring caused the rig to have more sway. I reduced pressure from 40 to 19 allowing the spring pack to just touch the helper spring. This made a great difference.

Haven't done it yet but I'm thinking of adding Stable-Loads for added measure.
Joe and Evelyn

mkirsch
Nomad II
Nomad II
"only" 600lbs heaver?

Where were you before with the old camper? You may have been right near the limit of what the airbags could handle, and the extra 600lbs was the straw that broke the camel's back, as it were.

Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.

wcjeep
Explorer
Explorer
Friend and I are both running the Torklift quick disconnect stable loads. They work awesome. I turned down my airbags from 80psi to 45psi. I'm also running a bolt on rear anti sway bar.

louiskathy
Explorer
Explorer
We added leaf springs.. or rather had additional leaf springs put on our truck. Did not really cost all that much to have it done. Maybe $250 and they did other work like added new/better shocks. Made a big difference - well worth it. This was done on a 1999 F350 in Elgin, IL
Kathy

jmtandem
Explorer II
Explorer II
I have an 03 dodge 2500 4x4 and an 03 11' AlpenLite camper. It rocks alot more than my last 9 1/2' camper but is only 600lbs heavier. I have air bags but need more. Has anyone tried torque lift spring pads on a dodge? Any other ideas?
Thanks
IdahoCrag


Carried with no sway or rocking issues a 4000 pound cabover on my sig truck. Air bags inflated to just touching the overload spring bumpers from Energy Suspension Systems. Handled well after that.
'05 Dodge Cummins 4x4 dually 3500 white quadcab auto long bed.