Truck Camper

[bcwillie11]

I'm new to the forum starting today. My situation is similar to VAredRAM's except that I have an '09 Ram 3500HD 4WD SRW pickup. I made an assumption that I'd be able to carry the AF990 w/o any issues as long as I added the Torq Lift superhitch and an airbag kit with compressor and controller capability. I picked up the AF990 after the airbag modification and found as I was driving home that my truck would begin rocking side to side with the condition worsening as I picked up speed past 30 - 35 mph and it is doing some very serious rocking to the point that I believe it to be really unsafe. I haven't hooked up my horse trailer with the camper yet as I have to get the extenders for the hitch. I will be adding a horse trailer and will carry with one horse a trailer weight trlr wt of 5700 lbs and if I carry a second horse, the trlr wt will go up to 6700 to 7000 lbs. Presently just trying to fix the rocking problem w/o a trailer attached. I was operating with the bags holding approx 90 psi with only the camper. I haven't experimented with changing air pressure to see if that would resolve the rocking issue. I read in one of the posts that adding HD springs may help. I would appreciate anymore insight and recommendations.

[805gregg]

You will be fine, every camper is in some kind of overweight category. Just get a Helwig, Big Wig sway bar, and Stable Load you will be fine, just make sure you have an air source and air ratchet so you can change back to stock in a short time. The only problem with the AF is the higher CG. I have a 2003 1071 lance 10.5' and my gvw is 11,800 and the truck doesn't know it's there, I find myself going 75 and have to cut back, but I have a Dodge, other trucks may not handle it.

[skipbee]

My experience,carrying a heavy TC on a SRW F-350, has been as follows. The addition of Rancho adjustable shocks reduced the sway. Air bags with each with its own air fill point brought the truck bed to the proper ride height and levels it from side to side. I too have found "less is best" as to air pressure, usually 50 psi on one side and 65 on the other, depending on the gear being carried. I have never felt the need for an on board built-in compressor. We have a portable 110 AC compressor for the tires, air mattress etc. which runs on the generator when needed. I also can adjust the air bags with a simple bicycle pump. By far the most important upgrade has been 19.5" wheels and tires. Ours are Load Rated "H" @ 5000 lbs capacity per and have served us well for 80,000 miles of extensive highway travel.

[Bedlam]

Towing a trailer with its own brakes makes little difference. When I tow my flat bed with over 2000 lbs and no brakes on the trailer is when I feel the difference in stopping distance. My enclosed trailer at 7000 lbs stops quicker due to its own braking system.

[campn4walleye]

We looked at the AF 990 when we had our '06 Dodge 3500 SRW. It (the truck)had a 2700 lb payload. The 990 is very heavy for an SRW. Doing all the calculations, we would have been over 1000 lbs above GVWR. You're in DRW territory.

Good luck with all the mods you're going to need. Though, some folks will say you'll be fine. Hope you don't have to stop too quickly...especially with horses in tow.

[bcwillie11]

To all: These are really helpful and informative for me. I appreciate your responses. Thanks, bc

[bcwillie11]

Hi billtex: you wrote...Hi bc...weclome to the forum.Tried to PM you...you have it locked out.
I'm still trying to figure out the nuances of the forum so I wasn't sure what you meant about the PM and being locked out. Thank you, bc

[AnEv942]

Joe417 wrote:
...The only thing I change when we take the camper out is to put the rear tire pressure down to 40#. I don't change the air bags. ...

You air down to 40# when loading the camper??

[Joe417]

bcwillie11,

We had the same experience with our AF990. I brought it home without air bags and it was rock solid but was sitting too low in the rear.

It scared us after I put air bags on it until I let the air out of the air bags just enough to let the helper springs touch. If that puts the rear lower than you want, add adjustable stable loads.

My rear axle weight with about 15 gallons of water, gas, and food is 6500#. Front is 3390#. That includes me, crewcab, gen, 2x group 29 batteries, AC, microwave, and rear awning. No wife!

You may want to put heavier tires. Ours are rated at 7500#.

I,m running Airlift 5000 air bags at 15# each side.

The only thing I change when we take the camper out is to put the rear tire pressure down to 40#. I don't change the air bags. From what I've read here on the forum, you can't do that if you install 19.5" tires.

Good luck with getting it set up,

[Butch50]

I know you don't want to hear it but I have to agree with brholt that you are over weight by quite a bit. The camper you have is going to be pushing 5,000# when loaded and then you are going to add some more with a trailer. 600# and probably much more because of the extended hitch for the trailer. I think you have a very overloaded 1 ton SRW truck. Your 990 weighs 3600# dry before you add any options. Do you have air or any other options on it. Now add in propane, water and batteries then any of your personal items along with food and you are going to be right near the 5,000#. Your truck is not rated for this much weight and then you are going to add more to the rear axle with the horse trailer. You need to hit the scales and check how much you are over the rating on your rear tires before you add anything else to your truck.

[billtex]

Hi bc...weclome to the forum.Tried to PM you...you have it locked out.

Stay within your axle/tire ratings and you will be fine. What you are proposing is already being done by MANY.
Just look through the picture thread and you'll see the real story.

You will need a trip to the scales to verify your loads, bring the trailer with you...maybe empty to start...
Then post your axle ratings and weights from the scale and we will help you figure it out.

You may need a WD hitch...like the Equalizer brand-to help distribute the load of the trailer.

Good luck,let me know if I can help- Bill

[Capt_Eddie]

When I picked up my Lance 855 on a Dodge DRW I had the same problem. My wife was terrified we were going to tip over. The problem was tire pressure. Air them up to 80 and no more problems.

[jimh406]

What Fuzzy Bear said.

I would also consider shocks and making sure you tires are inflated properly. Other things you can do is reduce the weight as much as you can by making sure you aren't carrying maximum water unless you really need it and making sure your black/grey tanks are empty.

As you can see from my signature, I also added 19.5s, extended bump stops, and Rancho Adjustables.

[brholt]

I'll just note that with your truck carrying an AF990 you are probably going to be significantly over the GVWR, and even threatening your rear axle rating, even before you start adding a horse trailer.

For comparison tanked up and loaded for camping with three of us in a DRW CC Gas 4x4 F350 carrying an AF1150 we weighted in at nearly 13,700 lbs.



Note the weight indicated on the drive axle! The AF1150 is only 450 or so lbs more in weight than the 990. Our truck weighs around 7,800 lbs. If yours is a gas regular cab it will weigh significantly less but if yours is a diesel CC it is likely to weight even more than our truck even though yours is a SRW.

In any case I suggest you stop by a scale and see where you stand.

[billtex]

Redsky wrote:
First thing to check is that there are separate filler lines for the two airbags and not a T connection. If they are using the same filler then when you put pressure on one bag in a turn it will push air into the bag on the other side.

With more load support you also need more in the way of shock dampening which is the primary function of what we in the USA refer to as shock absorbers. Rancho 9000 or Bilstein 5100 shocks are designed for a camper type of application.

Without the horse trailer component it would be better to use SuperSprings but they will not enable precise adjustment of the height of the camper to match that needed for the trailer. You would need to do that with a drop hitch if that will work with your trailer.

Search for posts regarding air bags as they do require some fine tuning to work properly.

Hey redsky...let's see a pic of your rig?
What is your deal...you joined 1 month ago and post in every section; Class A, TT, TC...
You have nothing in your profile.

We enjoy having new Folks on-board...but you are a mystery...

Man up...let's see your rig.