New truck experience 04.5 600

[ClintWilliams]

Just got new truck and camper combo (see sig) and am very pleased with the truck. We drove from Colorado to Utah on I-80 Easter Sunday with the new camper on and 3 adults and 2 little people in the truck. Drove 65-70 mph the whole way into a stiff nw wind. Got 9. 88 mpg with the camper into the wind. Almost no sway from passing semis so the truck felt stable. It kicked out of OD only twice the whole trip pulling one hill west of Laramie and 1 west of Evanston. Loaded like that it was 3. 5" lower than empty height and had just a little rear squat. Felt very stable on freeway but more sway than I would like on the low speed bumps.



I ran the rear tires at 80 lbs of pressure. What should I add to the suspension to get rid of the squat and to reduce the sway?

 

[Prairie Dog]

Air bags work great. I've had them in the past and they're great for heavy campers.

 

[DE Jeeper]

I second the airbags.



I run a 28' gooseneck and 2 different dump trailers on a regular basis. Because the dump loaders are always loaded heavy to the front and the load weight changes from load to load, I constantly have to bring the rear of my truck up. the truck feels so much more stable when the rear is at the correct height and the suspension is not bottomed out.



You may not need an onboard compressor since you will be about the same weight all the time, but it is nice to have.

 

[klenger]

Welcome to the TDR. Enjoy the toys.

 

[ClintWilliams]

Thanks for the advice, I will have air bags installed. Appreciate the the help. Clint

 

[geusterman]

Clint... airbags, IMHO, are not the answer. Besides the hassles of on board air (unless you want some!) it reduces the true suspension of the rig. If you get real heavy it is like a soft brick between the axle and tire. Add another leaf (or 2) to the over load. Add a sway bar. OR add Rancho 9000 shocks which you can control sway with. But keep a real suspension working. Just my thing here. That is what I do with new 600 and BigFoot. This time no Rancho's but Fox from T'Rex. George

 

[EEngel]

Welcome

Hey ClintWilliams,



Welcome to the group. There is much to be learned and even more to be spent (this place will kill your $ flow).



Enjoy!

 

[DPelletier]

I have to agree with George,

Airbags are good things for leveling a load, but they aren't the best answer for sway control. On my '01. 5 2500 with my 9. 5' Bigfoot (3214 lbs loaded), I used Rancho 9000x's and a custom overload spring pack (cost about the same as bags) and it handled great. When I got the new truck, I too noticed that passing semi's etc. didn't cause any sway, but low speed bumps and potholes sure did. Planning on Rancho's and a block to lower the overload bumpers so they are about an inch or so from touching empty. There is a company that makes the longer blocks, but I have forgotten the name. You should be able to find them if you do a search.



Cheers and Happy Camping



Dave

 

[Gonzo 1066]

I went a bit of a diffrent way on mine. After watching the spring compression I made two spacer blocks to bring the overload perches closer to the springs. My camper weighs in at about 3700# and the truck handles it very well now that the overloads work as they should. I am not sure of the mounting of air bags with the new frame anyway.

 

[geusterman]

Gonzo and Vaughn... so youse guys put "thicker" pad on the overload frame stops? That way your overloads pickup faster and the truck sags less? Hmmmmmm. What about empty ride creating clunking when the overloads slap? Wonder if there is a slip-on boot that slides over the OL stop and can be removed for empty riding?



I put the BigFoot on last night (for the first time to actually drive) as I have to go to Abbotsford for a meeting tonight and stay over for BD Dyno days. I just strapped it to the frame between the cab and bed to the HappiJac mounts because my flatbed and tiedowns are not ready. I was REALLY surprised that it handled so well compared to my 02 (yes DPellitier I had to add 3/4 plywood to rubber mat for door clearance and hold the camper back a hair to keep it off the tailights!) without a swaybar or Rancho's. Swaybars make the empty ride rougher and we don't want that. If slow speed sway is an issue Rancho's would solve that quick. I have ordered Fox shocks and a spring pack to really drive myself nuts on this but looking for dream ride so the princess will want to come with me. George

 

[DPelletier]

George,

See I wasn't making that stuff up re: Bigfoot clearance on 3rd gens!

What we are doing is removing the pad, installing a spacer and then reinstalling the pad. We've done this to one truck already. I believe the spacer is 2 1/2", but I'd have to check for sure. In our experience having an 1" or so clearance empty doesn't cause the oveloads to slap unless you really hit something (like a bad railway crossing at speed). But what I found is that if you go over something bad enough to make the springs slap, your bouncing around and the truck is making other noises too. Doesn't happen often enough to be an issue for me.



Where do you get Fox shocks and how much are they? Adjustable? Inquireing minds want to know.



Dave

 

[geusterman]

Dave--you remember where to get the spacers and I will tell you where I get the shocks Ha! Getting the Fox's pre-set for my rig from Kent at T-Rex. I am asking so much from the truck it will be kinda wild to dial it in. Wish they were adjustable but so far not in the cards for our trucks. George