Auto level suspension to carry slide in truck camper

[dward]

If you were planning to get a 3500 (srw or DRW) to carry a heavy slide in camper, is the $1595 for the factory auto level suspension worth it?
Is the factory system capable for the task or would one be better off to take the money and invest in after market suspension mods such as Torklift Stable loads, Airbags etc?
Camper weight would be 4500-6000 lbs plus additional hitch weight if towing.
Im aware of srw vs DRW with a TC so just interested in the suspension system.

 

[mjlexus]

I have a Host truck camper 3400 dry weight I have a 2018 3500 pickup (14000# gvw) ordered without the air suspension as I wanted to be able to adjust load. I will be installing aftermarket air bags. I personally would not put that heavy camper on SRW truck.

 

[irdew]

I have a 2015 3500 DRW with air leveling. I’ve pulled a 37’ fifth wheel 25k miles and love the air leveling. But just swapped to a truckcamper and it carry’s the full load just fine,
but I wish I had a sway bar to help with sway. There are no after market parts for the air leveling trucks, nothing. So don’t overload your truck and expect to buy devices to overcome the ill handling. And if you manufactor sway bars make one for my truck I will be your first customer.

 

[Cummins12V98]

Does this answer your question??? RAW is 9,750# in pic. Handles the load great. Can't specifically comment on camper but I would not hesitate on adding a 6K camper.

 

[dward]

Thanks for the reply’s.
So you can’t add a sway bar with the auto level suspension? A Hellwig Big Wig sway bar makes a big difference with a TC.
Also, I know a 5-6k lb TC is WAY to much for a SRW. That’s pushing it on a dually.
SRW camper would be in the 3-4K lb range.

 

[tractorhauler]

I have an 8 1/2' truck camper and it only weighs about 4000#. I put the tork Lift tie down system on this truck. I don't know why I waited so long. My camper is a basement model and it it is taller than most by about a foot. With my 2008 3/4 ton, it got to rocking pretty bad coming out of driveways but that had the Happy Camper mounts on it. With this new truck being a dually, I had to engineer different tie down points on the camper. Easy enough done. I just got some 1"x3" tubeing and welded on an ear to extend the tie down point 2o" farther back so the chains missed the fenders. I will never buy another truck without the Tork Lift tie down system.

 

[RACE427]

Hey Mark any photos of your set up ? Much appreciated!!

 

[tractorhauler]

Race427, I don't have any photos with the camper on the truck but it you want to see the tork lift mounts or the tie down extension i built, let me know. Email me direct. Mark

 

[JPM]

I have a 2015 3500 DRW with air leveling. I’ve pulled a 37’ fifth wheel 25k miles and love the air leveling. But just swapped to a truckcamper and it carry’s the full load just fine,
but I wish I had a sway bar to help with sway. There are no after market parts for the air leveling trucks, nothing. So don’t overload your truck and expect to buy devices to overcome the ill handling. And if you manufactor sway bars make one for my truck I will be your first customer.

So what have you done about your sway? Why doesn't the Hellwig bar fit? I would think custom brackets would help, the bars are pretty simple things

 

[JPM]

I have a 2015 3500 DRW with air leveling. I’ve pulled a 37’ fifth wheel 25k miles and love the air leveling. But just swapped to a truckcamper and it carry’s the full load just fine,
but I wish I had a sway bar to help with sway. There are no after market parts for the air leveling trucks, nothing. So don’t overload your truck and expect to buy devices to overcome the ill handling. And if you manufactor sway bars make one for my truck I will be your first customer.

So what have you done about your sway? Why doesn't the Hellwig bar fit? I would think custom brackets would help, the bars are pretty simple things

 

[ram2016]

I have one on my 2016 2500-highly recommend it- I’ll have two bundles of mason stones on the back and can hardly tell-plus you can drop the rear by turning on transport mode

 

[JPM]

I have one on my 2016 2500-highly recommend it- I’ll have two bundles of mason stones on the back and can hardly tell-plus you can drop the rear by turning on transport mode

2500's and 3500's are different, the 3500's have leaf springs and factory airbags, and no rear sway bars available

 

[Caleb]

Do you possibly have any pictures of your truck with no load? Just wondering how level it sits with the auto leveling. Thank you.

 

[irdew]

When the truck is empty the bed is level. Overloaded the bed is still level it never squats. Don’t have a photo mine is rarely unloaded.

 

[DonFitzwater]

If you were planning to get a 3500 (srw or DRW) to carry a heavy slide in camper, is the $1595 for the factory auto level suspension worth it?
Is the factory system capable for the task or would one be better off to take the money and invest in after market suspension mods such as Torklift Stable loads, Airbags etc?
Camper weight would be 4500-6000 lbs plus additional hitch weight if towing.
Im aware of srw vs DRW with a TC so just interested in the suspension system.

After owning a truck with factory air suspension in the rear, I would not purchase another. I highly recommend standard rear suspension and either going with airbags or Timbren SES and ensure the use of a swaybar assembly is employed.

 

[mpaulson]

I wonder what happened here, I responded to this post a week or so ago and there was a picture of a rear axle on a 3500 air ride here???? On that picture that was here it had the two mounting tabs on the underside of the rear axle that the Helwig Bigwig that's on my truck mount to. I'd be willing to bet that you could by the sway bar for the leaf spring truck and it would bolt up. The top end of the connecting rods might have an issue, but its easy to make/modify those connection points if you are inclined to tinkering. I had to modify those connections when I installed the aftermarket receiver hitch and they are fine.
I bet the leaf spring model sway bar would work.
I personally don't think I'd want a full size camper on a factory air ride without it, way to top heavy and risky in an emergency maneuver situation.

 

[solarj]

I have a 2012 ram 2500 with springs. I just installed Big wig swaybar and packbrake airbags no problems with fitment.

 

[SnoKing]

I have a 2015 3500 DRW with air leveling. I’ve pulled a 37’ fifth wheel 25k miles and love the air leveling. But just swapped to a truckcamper and it carry’s the full load just fine,
but I wish I had a sway bar to help with sway. There are no after market parts for the air leveling trucks, nothing. So don’t overload your truck and expect to buy devices to overcome the ill handling. And if you manufactor sway bars make one for my truck I will be your first customer.

This matches what I said about truck camps on the rear air suspension from the getgo.

 

[Cummins12V98]

I have no experience with a slide in camper. Here is the truck with and without RV with almost 6K pin. Truck is in ALT ride mode in both.

 

[TowPro]

I came from a 2015 dually 4wd tradesman to a 2018 custom ordered dually Laramie 2wd.
I did not order air suspension for 2 reasons.
1 it prevents you from being able to run the bigwig sway bar.

2 it's a single feed line system, as weight transfers to one side so can the air. This is not a problem with carrying stone, or a 5th wheel but it is with a slide in camper which is mounted in bed and can be top heavy.

I have an Arctic fox 990 (4600 lbs plus water) and it rides level loaded in my dually without any mods. I do have the sway bar but it doesn't affect ride height, only body sway.

I also recommend dually, but not the air system for truck campers.