Slide in campers and rear coil springs

[sag2]

On another trailer forum there is a guy who has a 14 2500 and he said Chrysler is trying to trade him out of it because it is unsafe with the camper. He isn't clear if it is the dealer or Chrysler, and does not list any specific weights or other detail.
So I know every new truck that is sold is supposed to have a little brochure in the glove box on slide in camper specifications. Could someone grab theirs and see if it has any caution on 2500 single wheel trucks that say it is not OK to use if it has coil springs? I can understand the coils will give a softer ride, but unless the shocks are bad it shouldn't be much different than a leaf spring truck. The other thing is most late model campers are overweight for the average truck average customer buys.
Thanks for the info.

 

[Jim W]

This is the camper booklet link from the Ram Body Builder's Guide for the 2014 Ram trucks. This may help?

http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2014/docs/ram/hdramcg.pdf

On the first page the booklet states that the slide-in camper are not recommend for all 4X4 with the snow plow prep package and the 2500 Power wagon Models. Also some models of the 2500 with the Cummins engines are not recommend for slide in campers; such as the Mega Cab trucks.

Jim W.

 

[sag2]

Thanks, I was looking all over for it online.

 

[SnoKing]

Batten down the hatches, the 2500's are going down the drain. I have a similar concern for the 3500's with rear air. The bags are way inboard on the axle. Not good for a high load. I would want the standard rear springs. Chris

 

[DonFitzwater]

What dork at ram thought this crap up!?

 

[jeepit]

Bad move by Ram on the coils.
Now you have to move up to 1 ton to get the leaf springs-good for sales I guess.
1 more reason I'm keeping my 2002 for a long time!

 

[SnoKing]

Look at this photo and tell me how you think the 3500 air bags will handle a tall load. Do you even see a sway bar. The air bags are way inboard!!!! To quote DFitzwater "What dork at ram thought this crap up?"

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/news/1306_2014_ram_2500_five_link_coil_rear_suspension/photo_05.html

The 2500 coil suspension picture is in the lower panel(or right arrow to it). Look at the inboard placement of the 2500 coils. "What dork at ram thought this crap up?" Do they teach basic physics in Italy? RAM's new 2500 grocery getting!

How many years did it take Chevy to get rid of rear coils on their pickups?

If someone wants a real truck, then maybe they should be buying it NOW! Should we start a pool on how long it is before they scrap these new suspensions? Lots of people in the mean time will unknowingly drop money on them and later find they are not very capable for real work.

Chris

 

[Road Dog]

This is the camper booklet link from the Ram Body Builder's Guide for the 2014 Ram trucks. This may help?

http://www.rambodybuilder.com/2014/docs/ram/hdramcg.pdf

On the 1500 page there are a few versions (4x2, crew, 6'4" box) with a payload of 60 lbs. Is it a typo? Who knows. There's more at 194, 215, 305, 70, 322, 83 ...

There's a several 2500s that are below 1,000 lbs and one that is 451. I thought my old 1500 was a lightweight at 1,200 lbs.

 

[MLee]

With this new theory of soft ride like a car, Ford will be selling anew truck every 25 seconds instead of the now 42 seconds. I wish they would start using practical reasoning rather than the what they dream up in the bath room. Learn from the past and improve the future.

 

[DonFitzwater]

This is hilarious. I really am having a hard time believing it.

 

[SnoKing]

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[Grizzly]

I wouldn't haul any top heavy truck camper without a dually. I did it a long time age with an F250 Ford. I had to install extra springs, overloads and Super Single tires to make the truck a little more stable. My 95 3500 DRW Dodge was great with my, then, 11' 3" Lance truck camper. My 05 DRW Dodge was even better with the same camper. Now I have a 27' fifth wheel and don't need the DRW, but I won't part with it.

 

[mpaulson]

I pondered the thought of waiting to order mine for a dually with the air ride but I noticed that the 1500's have a light that comes on if you overload it. I have now seen this also in the manual for my 2014 3500 as well. That's the last thing I need is a stupid warning light coming on to tell me and Chrysler that I've overloaded the truck and they can void the warrantee then. And if it doesn't handle the load you haul, then what do you do? Especially with the low payloads that I'm seeing mentioned here. I'll be right around my max payload. At least until the aftermarket makes improvements for it. It maybe fine for the grocery fetcher or pulling a "normal" size travel trailer, but not for me. What happens when it springs a leak and you are in the middle of nowhere? I trust the leaf springs and I don't think my new truck rides bad at all. The bags are way to far in for anyone who wants to haul a slide in camper or any top heavy load like I do. I've even had to add a 1 5/16" rear sway bar and air bags to to feel safe in cornering when loaded. They should keep this in the 1500's only for the grocery fetchers. Until they refine this system, I wouldn't touch it IMHO.

 

[Bob V]

Look at this photo and tell me how you think the 3500 air bags will handle a tall load. Do you even see a sway bar. The air bags are way inboard!!!! To quote DFitzwater "What dork at ram thought this crap up?"

http://www.dieselpowermag.com/news/1306_2014_ram_2500_five_link_coil_rear_suspension/photo_05.html

The 2500 coil suspension picture is in the lower panel(or right arrow to it). Look at the inboard placement of the 2500 coils. "What dork at ram thought this crap up?" Do they teach basic physics in Italy? RAM's new 2500 grocery getting!

How many years did it take Chevy to get rid of rear coils on their pickups?

If someone wants a real truck, then maybe they should be buying it NOW! Should we start a pool on how long it is before they scrap these new suspensions? Lots of people in the mean time will unknowingly drop money on them and later find they are not very capable for real work.

Chris

I do see what you are talking about the bags being inboard, but there is load leveling valves at each corner. IF and I mean IF, these valve are fast acting enough they will help decrease body roll. If you took a left hand corner and the body leaned to the right the outboard bag would be inflating while the inboard would be deflating, keeping the truck level. I am going to wait with passing judgment until I drive one with a load.

 

[SnoKing]

I do see what you are talking about the bags being inboard, but there is load leveling valves at each corner. IF and I mean IF, these valve are fast acting enough they will help decrease body roll. If you took a left hand corner and the body leaned to the right the outboard bag would be inflating while the inboard would be deflating, keeping the truck level. I am going to wait with passing judgment until I drive one with a load.

That is the point I have been making "outboard bag", they did not place the bags at the outboard corners! Just like the 2500's coils they have them quite inboard on the rear axle. When they went from 2002 to 2003 3rd gen they widen the frame and that pushed the rear springs wider and Dodge said they did not need a sway bar because of the wide stance. Now they have brought the main support way in on the axle, and the pictures show no sway bar on the 3500. Duallies will have even more left/right lever action to over come the inboard air bags vs a 3500 SRW. My guess is that soon they will declare the 3500 air option is not for slide in campers and they will be buying those back from owners also.

Like the Lance camper/2500 I think we will be reading about 3500/air problems. Do you think the RAM even has a camper or simulated camper they test with?????

Large 5th wheels might be OK, but until someone dives one into a corner a bit fast and has 4-5 k of pin weight trying to push the hitch out of the side of the bed, we will not know how the truck and air suspension is going to handle that. Did RAM test this with a 20-24K 5th wheel in tow?????

Chris

 

[p-Bar]

It's baby buggy suspension . I like the air ride but was it implemented properly? time will tell