2016 F250 6.7 DIESEL Tubo 4x4 Shortbed

[Jcholt7379]

We are pulling a 2019 Cougar 315RLS with Anderson Hitch.

Does anyone recommend adding airbags or airlift to smooth out the ride? We upgrade from a 27 ft bumper pull.

I am waiting for hip surgery, so; I have some downtime.

[flybouy]

I'll be the first of the "weight police" to step up.

What's the yellow and white sticker on your driver's door pillar say is the "max weight of all passengers and load are not to exceed xxx lbs."? That's your payload number from the factory. Let's call that weight A.

The specs on what I see are gross trailer weight 14,390 lbs. Take 20% of that for pin weight and your going to have a pin weight of 2,478 lbs. That's just the trailer pin weight. You will need to add to that the weight of the fith wheel hitch just to start. Let's call that weight B.

So take the weight you have or will add to the truck that wasn't on it from the factory and add that up. So any running boards, bull bars, extra lights, floor mats, firewood, pets, can of fuel, etc. that wasn't on it from the factory and call that weight C.

Take A -B-C = remaining payload. My guess is you'll be close to or less than zero.

[Jcholt7379]

Our Anderson hitch is 35 lbs
GVWR for this 5th is 12,400
5th hitch is 1915
All of this is #14,350

#10,090 under...
It's only the wife and I...
We never pull with water and very little food.
Grocery shopping is always part of our long stop

So, can anyone answer my original question= would airbags add value to the ride?
It might be that we are still getting use to 5th or bumper pull

[chuckster57]

To answer your original question, I not convinced adding airbags will "smooth out" the ride. Are you trying to eliminate all the "chucking"?

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by Jcholt7379

Our Anderson hitch is 35 lbs
GVWR for this 5th is 12,400
5th hitch is 1915
All of this is #14,350

#10,090 under...
It's only the wife and I...
We never pull with water and very little food.
Grocery shopping is always part of our long stop

So, can anyone answer my original question= would airbags add value to the ride?
It might be that we are still getting use to 5th or bumper pull

The hitch weight that Keystone lists is 1995 lbs empty. That means that's the weight the pin was when it came off the assembly line. Add batteries, add propane and propane tanks, add everything you put in the from storage compartment, add everything else in the trailer that you carried into it like linens, towels, pillows, cloths, pots and pans, coffee pot, toaster, cutlery, cooking utensils, plates, dvd's, whatever.

I think you will be surprised by what the actual weight is if you stop at a CAT scale on your next trip and spend the $14 to get 2 weights. Sorry I didn't answer your original question, just trying to help you travel safe.

[Jcholt7379]

Not all, just as much as possible

[Jcholt7379]

All good points and it's worth checking out all this info.
Thanks!

[JRTJH]

I'd recommend a trip across a CAT scale. It'll be the most important $12 you spend in avoiding a potential lawsuit if you're ever involved in an accident (whether it's your fault or you're sitting at a stoplight and get "rearended")… If you're overloaded, you're potentially open to litigation and the outcome may jeapordize your retirement income.

I tow with a 2015 F250 Lariat 4x4 diesel crew cab. My payload is just barely 2000 pounds. If I "allowed my DW to sit in the passenger's seat with your empty trailer hitched to my truck, I'd be over my payload. Adding gear, batteries, propane, clothing to the trailer would only make that overloaded weight increase. There's no way I could tow your trailer with my truck and your 2016 is not much (if any) lighter than my 2015.

As for the question, will airbags help? It really depends on how your truck is set up, how the trailer weight affects your rear springs (where they sit on the overloads and how heavy that system rides) and also things such as truck tire pressure, shocks (if they're FOMOCO, get Bilsteins) as well as how you're loading your trailer. Not having enough pin weight can be just as bad for "chucking" as having too much pin weight can cause the truck to "ride on the overloads" increasing "bucking".

[travelin texans]

If your truck is just almost touching the overloads when loaded that will be a VERY harsh ride as every little bump will slam down on those stiff overloads catapulting it back up. Airbags might help if you can find the sweet spot to keep off the overloads & not have to inflate the bags too stiff, it will take some trial & error.
The airbags will also help level the truck when loaded, as it appears any trailer seems to squat Fords making look nose high. Ok, Ford guys bring it on!!!

[Jcholt7379]

Interesting. Brother has the same year truck and pulls a 37 ft Cardinal with no issues..

[Jcholt7379]

Any airbag suggestions?

[chuckster57]

I have Airlift 5000 with onboard compressor.

Is your brothers truck a long bed?

[JRTJH]

With all the "hype" that F250's are really F350's with a different badge on the fender and a different payload sticker on the door, then yes, your brother, you and even me, will not have any issues "pulling" your trailer, his trailer or my "new Montana" (if I were to buy one). The "rub" comes from getting into an accident and having to "prove to a judge that you weren't exceeding the truck ratings" and that even if you were (which you are) that it didn't contribute to the cause of the accident.... That's a "very difficult bar to hurdle" once your insurance has paid all they will pay and you're sitting in a courtroom, paying a lawyer $400 an hour to keep you from being taken to the cleaners.....

The "problem" (whether F250's are really F350's with a different badge or not) is the badge that Ford put on the truck.... That badge will "sink your boat" in most any courtroom in the nation, when any lawyer who represents the "injured party" gets you on the witness stand.....

It's NOT about truck capability, it's about truck ratings.

[Jcholt7379]

? I might be

[sourdough]

OP just some thoughts;

My first choice for a 5th wheel once I decided we would get one was the 315RLS. My 3/4 Ram had a payload of 3190. I decided that the 315 was too much for that truck with that payload. I suspect you will find that the payload on your driver door for your truck is much less - so there is that word of caution. No matter who pulls what where with whatever, the numbers from YOUR door/truck and from the trailer will be THE determining factor for your future in the event of an accident.

That said, I've owned AirLift airbags and they worked OK; primarily for leveling the load. If left inflated they will beat you to death. On this truck (3500) I have considered Sumo Springs. After speaking with SDSprings? (manufacturer) they recommended the 2 piece spring which provided a much smoother ride as well as better progressive support. I just called the tech support line.

[wiredgeorge]

Originally Posted by flybouy

I'll be the first of the "weight police" to step up.

What's the yellow and white sticker on your driver's door pillar say is the "max weight of all passengers and load are not to exceed xxx lbs."? That's your payload number from the factory. Let's call that weight A.

The specs on what I see are gross trailer weight 24,390 lbs. Take 20% of that for pin weight and your going to have a pin weight of 2,478 lbs. That's just the trailer pin weight. You will need to add to that the weight of the fith wheel hitch just to start. Let's call that weight B.

So take the weight you have or will add to the truck that wasn't on it from the factory and add that up. So any running boards, bull bars, extra lights, floor mats, firewood, pets, can of fuel, etc. that wasn't on it from the factory and call that weight C.

Take A -B-C = remaining payload. My guess is you'll be close to or less than zero.

Marshall, You are confusing this ol' country boy. The gross weight of the trailer is a published 12,400 lbs. Where did you come up wity 24,390 lbs.??? With your 20 percent number, the pin weight you mentioned does make some sense. I also am guessing his 3/4 ton short bed with diesel and 4x4 likely doesn't have enough payload capacity.

OP... On your door frame is a sticker which tells you your payload capacity. It will say TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION. Below that it will say COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO CAN NOT EXCEED. There will be a number. That is the number that will tell you if you have enough truck as your 6.7L can surely pull most anything.

[K_N_L]

Not sure if airbags help with chucking, (have the MOryde rubber pin box) but they keep our truck off the overload leaf springs unless we hit big whoops or dips and generally ride better when loaded. 30PSI gives me almost 1 inch increase at the tailgate, but have to air down to 5 for just regular driving.

[flybouy]

Originally Posted by wiredgeorge

Marshall, You are confusing this ol' country boy. The gross weight of the trailer is a published 12,400 lbs. Where did you come up wity 24,390 lbs.??? With your 20 percent number, the pin weight you mentioned does make some sense. I also am guessing his 3/4 ton short bed with diesel and 4x4 likely doesn't have enough payload capacity.

OP... On your door frame is a sticker which tells you your payload capacity. It will say TIRE AND LOADING INFORMATION. Below that it will say COMBINED WEIGHT OF OCCUPANTS AND CARGO CAN NOT EXCEED. There will be a number. That is the number that will tell you if you have enough truck as your 6.7L can surely pull most anything.

Thanks for pointing out the typo, my fat fingers are not working today.
The gvw is 12,390 from what Keystone site I looked at, so 20% of 12,390 is 2,478 which is what I stated.

[tech740]

Yes the air bags will lift the back and most likely be smoother. Your Andersen should not have chucking as lung as everything is tight. It is a machined ball cavity. That doesn’t make the truck more capable is what everyone is trying to say. A 250 is a 10,000lb truck when loaded bases on truck GVW. It will have the power but not legally the carrying capacity. My dad runs a 02 F250 and a 14k 5’er with bags. I’ll never convince him he needs a bigger truck because he thinks if it starts and stops he is good to go.

[Big1]

I don't know but I have a 1 ton and my fiver is about 13,000 lbs and I have the Airlift Plus 5000+ Ultimate and I can tell you having air bag it smooth out what bump I get I keep about 30 psi in them so it work for me.