Question: too much camper - too little truck

[kenkorona]

Hi folks:
Totally new to campers and truck campers. I replaced my 2007 Tundra with a F350 SRW Shortbed 7.3gas. The camper I bought is an Eagle Cap 811 made by Adventurer.

I live in Maine and bought the camper in Phoenix. Drove there to pick it up and continue for 30 days of camping out west.

It was 7000 miles and 30 days of white knuckle ride. So I'm wondering if anyone else has this combination and if so what their experience is. Should I put on other mods to the suspension to improve the ride and if so what will give the most improvement.

The ride issues are 1) hitting a small dip in the road it bounces so much I'm concerned the camper will become airborne, 2) the tipping left and right especially when cornering feels like I'm going to end up on my side, and 3) the rear is very sagged from the weight so steering is not as responsive as I'd like and my headlights are tilted up so much all the oncoming traffic thinks my Highbeams are on. Having never driven this kind of thing before I'm wondering whether I'm just being wimpy about it all and I just need to get used to it.

My wife can sense the stress in me while I'm driving and she's already suggesting we need to get a smaller camper. Of course I'm wondering whether we need to get a bigger truck. But I'm really hoping that getting some mods to the truck suspension will make the ride tolerable. I'm OK with spending $ for the improvements but want to avoid doing so if it won't make enough improvement.

Any advice?
Ken

[JimK-NY]

Sounds like you have a plan. How much did your rig weigh and are you well within the tire/wheel load capacity and GVWR?

[kenkorona]

After reading the varying comments and suggestions, I ordered 2 products from Hellwig. One is their Big Wig sway bar. The other is their 3500lb helper spring kit.

I will be having a local garage do the install, but it might not be for a few weeks. When I get it back and test it out, I'll post the result. Maybe I'll need to get new shocks too.

BTW, my tires are E rated but I did not check into their weight rating. And they are inflated to 80lb on the rear and 60lb on the front.

Thank you all for you info and suggestions.

As a side note, something happened the other day that was interesting to keep in mind. I had the truck in for service which included tire rotation. They rotated the tires, but did not change the pressure, so I ended up with 80lb in the front and 60lb in the rear. The TPMS caught it right away and I got it fixed the next day.

[Grit_dog]

Since you refuse to acknowledge or try my suggestions, then all I can say is that any number of suspension aids will help.

[mkirsch]

kenkorona wrote:
So I measured how much the rear sags when I load the camper onto the truck. Measured at the centerline of the rea axle, it drops 4.5 inches. Is that something airbags or Sumo Springs can fix? Or is that a level that would require a more drastic mod?

TIA

You just want to LEVEL the truck, not bring it back to unloaded ride height.

[noteven]

Side to side momentum is a function of all the weight big campers carry up high. Fridges, air conditioners, storage, stuff in the storage, storage, more stuff, more stuff on the roof....

Pickup rear suspensions sag as a function of using long taper leaf springs to give some kind of ride empty.

Handling suffers because as sag occurs the steering castor angle rolls back toward 0.

Anything you can do to hold the truck at or near stock ride height when loaded will keep it handling and braking like it should.

Then start fine tuning for rock and roll control. Getting the truck to steer normally first will help a lot.

[wnjj]

I don't know if I would be concerned with a few inches of sag. It takes a couple just to even engage the overloads on our truck and if you have those you definitely want them in play. Otherwise airing up bags to lift off the overloads just trades one set of springs for another (which are usually further inboard as well).

If the headlights are an issue turn the adjusters a bit.

Our camper is getting loaded in the coming week. I'll take a measurement of sag if I remember but I'm fairly sure it's at least 4 inches as well. With a our truck it takes it from rear high to close to level.

[jimh406]

Air bags can definitely raise the rear 4.5 inches. Keep in mind most trucks have a rake (high in rear), so you might not want to go all of the way back to 4.5 inches.

Sumo springs, Timbrens, or Supersprings could also work.

[kenkorona]

So I measured how much the rear sags when I load the camper onto the truck. Measured at the centerline of the rea axle, it drops 4.5 inches. Is that something airbags or Sumo Springs can fix? Or is that a level that would require a more drastic mod?

TIA

[lonegunman]

Hey Ken, Dont buy a new truck just get better advice. The dually crowd here is always pitching the same ****. I arrived in 2015 and was told to promptly buy a dually and get 19.5 inch tires and a plethora of other useless ****. I haul my Arctic Fox 865 on my short box Ford and have for six years with few problems. Other than bad advice on shocks from here.

Does your truck have a rear sway bar, yes or no? A camper package F350 usually does. If not, Big wig sway bar is the thing.

Airbags from Firestone will stop the sagging. Keep the airlines separate or they will shift air from one side to the other and rock will get worse. I measure the height to my rear bumper and set the air bags for my truck to ride evenly across the back. I check the air every 4 or 5 days on the road and almost never have to add air. The dealer was a turd for not helping you set up the truck correctly and sending you off. Most salesmen are scumbags, sorry for that.

Factory shocks are not up to the task, use KYB or Bilstein shocks. I use KYB Monomax, they do stiffen up the ride considerably when you have no camper on the truck. Anything Rancho is garbage, especially 9000XL's.

I added Torklift Stableloads to my upper overload spring, they bring it in a lot earlier. Good for sagging, rocking and weight but when the camper is off the truck it rides like a truck.

Keep your tires at 80psi when fully loaded. It will still rock occasionally but you will enjoy the ride a lot more. I'm heading out on my annual two week TC adventure and I am going thru three mountain ranges and down the coast. I'm not worried in the least.

When loaded up for an extended trip my truck rides nice, sways a little in the wind but nothing like your experience. My headlights point correctly and everything works great. Just remember you are fully loaded, so those 35mph curve signs are real. Avoid potholes, curbage and serious bumps to save tire damage.

[mi_drew]

I agree with Grit dog.

[stevenal]

kenkorona wrote:

3) install either Sumo Springs or Timbrens to prevent as much rear sag as possible. One article I read claimed that adding airbags (and I assume that implies Sumo's and Timbrens) would only increase the tippiness. Any comment on that?

Due to their inboard location on my old SRW F350, I found Timbrens increased the sway. Upper Stable Loads and a pair of Roadmaster anti-sway bars got it back where it was acceptable.

[Grit_dog]

Geewiz has some good suggestions, although even if one is not familiar enough with vehicles and campers to determine or understand payloads and weights, the internet will tell you the “rated” payload, so will the sticker and that a loaded 811 Eagle Cap is 4400lbs including 500lbs of personal gear. It will also tell you that the c o g is fine for a shortbed Superduty.

OP needs to get his truck fixed up to haul that thing, and after 10,000 miles that he’s lived to tell the tale about, it will drive like a dream comparatively once it’s setup right.

[Grit_dog]

BurbMan wrote:
Airbags most of the time are installed with a tee in the line that connects both bags to the compressor. This will level the truck, but won't help body roll at all because as the truck leans it's just pushing sire from the one bag to the other.

IF you install airbags with separate air feeds so they can't push air from one to the other, it will provide some stability as well.

Really? Because every air bag kit I’ve purchased for a pickup came with 2 schrader valves and no tee.
Installing them linked together for hauling a truck camper is just ignorant, yet easily rectified if the installer had a cranial anal inversion while installing!

[Geewizard]

I sympathize with the OP but feel the need to ask the root questions:

-Did you research the weight of the desired TC?

-Did you research the capacity of the desired truck?


I spent 6 months gathering information on my truck/TC choices and it could be I'm kinda anal in that regard. I read a LOT of forums and did a LOT of Googling.

I also installed 10-ply tires, adjustable Rancho shocks, and airbags (with a T-connector by the way which works great....for my application). Those additions made a world of difference for me.

OP, you've gotten a lot of good ideas to help resolve your problem. I struggle with the idea that you should now buy a dually to put under your overweight TC.

[mkirsch]

kenkorona wrote:
4) I'm kinda thinking that the Sumo/airbags wont cut down on the rear sag enough. If that's the case would it be possible to install a complete new set of leaf springs that are stiffer? If that's reasonable, do you have any suggestions about brands or where to start looking?

Airbags most certainly will take out the sag, UNLESS you are so hopelessly overweight, but it sounds like you are in the 4000-4500lb range.