Timbrens vs Stableloads

[billtex]

Hi all, hope everyone is have a good summer. I have not yet decided what mods I will do to the new F350 but am still favoring lower Stableloads to reduce sag. I like this approach as they enhance OE suspension and do not effect unladen ride.

I just got back from a week and my buddy I was camping with has timbrens on his F350. The way they are setup the Timbrens are in contact but his upper overload are not yet touching. This did not seem right to me?
Why take the OE suspension out of play?
Seems to me it makes more sense to enhance the OE suspension not over ride it?!

He seems pretty happy with his setup (2003?) which he has been running for many years. He is also not the type of Guy to obsess over these things...

Is this how timbrens are supposed to be setup?
Am I missing something?

Has anyone tired both Stableloads and Timbrens for comparison?

BTW; totally impressed with the new Ford gasser after our first trip. Very pleased with power and economy after 14 years in a diesel. The 6.2 and ten speed averaged > 11 mpg and had NO issues with power in the mountains of NH. These new gassers with ten speed trannys are impressive,

[ejfranz]

Timbrens should not be in contact when there is no load. I have Timbrens and KYB Monomax shocks on the rear. I went to the Timbrens about 8 years ago and would use them again. The only time the Timbrens jar the truck when unloaded is when you hit a speed bump too fast.

[billtex]

MORSNOW wrote:
I have both, if I was to chose which one was the most beneficial it would be the lower Stable Loads. They reduce sway and help level out my truck. I later added the Timbrens for additional support while towing.

Can you talk more about the difference with just the lower SL and then after adding the Timbrens?

Thanks.

[billtex]

JimK-NY wrote:
I have had two trucks.

The first was a 2010 Ram 2500. I added Rancho shocks and airbags. The airbags were a serious disappointment. They added lots of sway even at low psi. They leaked and after a couple of years one bag developed a tear and had to be replaced. I had to put the Rancho shocks on a high settings to reduce sway which then made the ride harsh. I gave up with the airbags, added Supersprings and was able to reduce the settings on the shocks. Supersprings also cured the sway issue.

My second truck is a 2018 Ram 3500. It handled the load marginally well except I could not drive at night without blinding oncoming drivers. I added Timbrens for a quick, low cost solution. The ride is still a bit mushy, but OK. If I decide on a further upgrade, I would not bother with the shocks, but I would consider Supersprings. They should help stiffen the suspension and reduce the rear sag even more. Supersprings fix the primary issue and considering what you get and the effect, they are very low cost. You can also save even more by installing them yourself. If not installation cost should be low. They merely bolt on with shackles. They can also be adjusted and they are progressive so they have relatively little effect on driving without the camper. I suppose you could achieve the same by having a spring shop add an extra leaf spring. The expense would be more and you would have to rely on the spring shop to select a suitable additional spring.

Thx. We had bags and supersprings on our previous (3/4 ton) truck. I won’t use bags again either. The SS are great for a 3/4 ton. I don’t need them for the 1 ton.

I can’t say if it was the bags or the SS on the last truck, but it rode like a cement mixer when unladen. Even with 2-3 psi in the bags. The ride was awful. The SS definitely helped with the load. I am hoping to retain the stock (plush) unladen ride this time around!

[JimK-NY]

I have had two trucks.

The first was a 2010 Ram 2500. I added Rancho shocks and airbags. The airbags were a serious disappointment. They added lots of sway even at low psi. They leaked and after a couple of years one bag developed a tear and had to be replaced. I had to put the Rancho shocks on a high settings to reduce sway which then made the ride harsh. I gave up with the airbags, added Supersprings and was able to reduce the settings on the shocks. Supersprings also cured the sway issue.

My second truck is a 2018 Ram 3500. It handled the load marginally well except I could not drive at night without blinding oncoming drivers. I added Timbrens for a quick, low cost solution. The ride is still a bit mushy, but OK. If I decide on a further upgrade, I would not bother with the shocks, but I would consider Supersprings. They should help stiffen the suspension and reduce the rear sag even more. Supersprings fix the primary issue and considering what you get and the effect, they are very low cost. You can also save even more by installing them yourself. If not installation cost should be low. They merely bolt on with shackles. They can also be adjusted and they are progressive so they have relatively little effect on driving without the camper. I suppose you could achieve the same by having a spring shop add an extra leaf spring. The expense would be more and you would have to rely on the spring shop to select a suitable additional spring.

[billtex]

Thanks all,

I am trying to keep suspension mods to the new SRW F350 much more straight forward than the last truck. I am hoping to pick the one mod that gets us there,

Cal-you are too funny!

Airbags will not be on the list this time...

Safe travels,

Bill

[cewillis]

I like this approach as they enhance OE suspension and do not effect unladen ride.

I think you answered your own question.

[MORSNOW]

I have both, if I was to chose which one was the most beneficial it would be the lower Stable Loads. They reduce sway and help level out my truck. I later added the Timbrens for additional support while towing.

[Grit_dog]

You figured it out. Timbrens or you need more capacity. Stable loads if you just need to get your whole suspension in play.

[otrfun]

We used Timbrens on our '16 Ram 3500 SRW (SRW has no upper overloads) for a short while. They work well to reduce sag, as long as you take the time to optimize the spacing between the Timbren and axle housing. Too much space reduces their effectiveness, too little space harshens the unloaded ride. Unfortunately, our camper is heavier on one side, so we replaced the Timbrens with airbags.

We found airbags good for sag (plus each side is independently adjustable); however, once they're inflated above 25-30 psi they tend to get "mushy" with reduced side-to-side stability with a 3-4k in-bed camper on-board. Decided to try a set of lower Torklift stable-loads (stainless steel versions). They helped with sag, plus they increased stability because they mount more outboard then the airbags. We've found airbags (at 15-20 psi) and lower stable-loads are a great combination--providing reduced sag and improved overall stability.

[towpro]

I had the lowers on my 2018 Ram dually and really liked them. They were nice how you turn them to take them out of play when not needed, and a pin to hold in correct position. Plus now they make stainless.

[Kayteg1]

Is it F350 dually?
I carried camper who scaled up to 6500 lb on my dually and no modification was required. > 12 mpg on the set btw.
Even when I pulled small boat behind.