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Old 05-14-2020, 02:16 PM   #21
Penhall
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Originally Posted by Camp CA View Post
Love your truck's color scheme!!. I had the same on my 2002 F-250 super duty crew cab 4x4. After 17.5 years I sold it and purchased a white 2016 F-350 DRW 4x2 super duty crew cab with 2000 miles (lease return). Best move I ever made. Never needed the 4x4; only used it to pull a ski boat tandem trailer up a steep, wet ramp. So after that purchase guess what?.......my wife convinced me to purchase a longer (41 ft) and heavier (16,600 GVWR) fifth wheel trailer last January. Now I have to get a class A noncommercial driver's license since the trailer GVWR is > 15,000 lbs and guess what?...........the DMV is closed, not only for the written trailer test but for a driving test (and I am quite happy to do these with a N95 mask).

Since the truck sits lower than a 4x4 it is way easier to get into, has a really nice ride and probably better diesel mileage. Of course, I had to raise the hitch in the truck bed....no big deal with my hitch.
Yeah, I had my '03 since new and nothing wrong with it really other than needed a bit more room, came across the '12 with a deal I couldn't turn down. Great mileage and power so far. Having 4x4 is probably more of a need up here in the winter vs summer towing.
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Old 05-15-2020, 05:42 AM   #22
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Actually, I'm already air bagged but thanks

Cheers
Is this some kind of right of passage for Ford owners?? Seems no matter what they are towing, they feel the need to put on Air Bags.
Never felt the need even when my 2001 Ram 2500 was carrying a 2,700 pin at 1,700# over GVWR.
This was also pointed out in another RV forum, to the point Ford should offer installed air bags as an option.
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Old 05-15-2020, 06:31 AM   #23
JRTJH
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Originally Posted by rhagfo View Post
Is this some kind of right of passage for Ford owners?? Seems no matter what they are towing, they feel the need to put on Air Bags.
Never felt the need even when my 2001 Ram 2500 was carrying a 2,700 pin at 1,700# over GVWR.
This was also pointed out in another RV forum, to the point Ford should offer installed air bags as an option.
I guess I haven't followed the rituals very well. I've owned Ford trucks since 1973, F150's, F250/350's, Rangers and I've never felt the need to install air bags.

Ford does use "very long spring packs" in an effort to reduce the stiff ride when the truck is not carrying a lot of weight. That makes for a bit more compression when the truck is loaded. Translated, that means "sag"...

There's a "fine line" between when the springs compress enough to sag and when the springs compress enough to "hit the spring bump stops" and stop sagging (when the overload springs come into the suspension play).

People often "install air bags" to keep the truck from sagging, with the belief that it'll keep sagging more and more, when in fact, when the overload springs engage, sagging stops and "that's when the truck is actually riding level" (since there's 2" of rear height built into the truck from the factory).

So, personal preference, I suppose, but I've not felt the need for air bags in any of the (I lost count at about 25) Ford trucks that I've owned since 1973. Many people state, "If I could build my ideal truck, it would have a Cummins engine, a GM Allison transmission and a Ford body and chassis". The reason for that combination is to have what's "believed" to be the best in each area, engine, transmission and body. The Cummins has the "best reputation" for diesel engines, the Allison is reputed "best transmission" and the Ford, best ride, most durable body.... Whether that's a true assessment or whether recent years have totally "debunked the myths" is something I guess we'll be discussing for generations to come....

Anyway, Ford has long been believed to have the best ride... That may have spurred much of the "need to add air bags to make it a real truck ride" since it "sags under load"... Most of those people who install air bags never allow their springs to engage the overloads, so they're defeating the Ford engineering and suspension advantages that they "want the Ford body in their ideal truck"....

Of course, as usual, if there's 10 truck owners around a campfire, there'll be 10 opinions probably all different to some degree.... This is "just my opinion" based on nothing more than what I've seen under my trucks and what I've experienced with my trucks... So, like a certain body part, we all have one and they all do the same thing, just look different and like opinions, "they all smell to some degree"..... (I'm talking about noses, what did you think I meant) …..
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Old 05-15-2020, 08:56 AM   #24
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The overload springs John mentioned are usually the reason for the airbags. If your RV squats the truck enough to be firmly on them the ride is better, but if they are within about a 1/2" of touching then the ride gets extremely rough. Every bump or expansion joints slams the suspension down on the overloads which then act like a catapult throwing the truck & the RV up creating a very unpleasant ride. With airbags inflated just enough to keep from making that harsh contact with overloads will definitely improve the ride.
On my '05 dually, should've on my '13 but it had a much longer warranty, I removed the stops for the overloads which was a great ride improvement. That truck & my particular rv they weren't needed resulting in the situation mentioned above. And NO, before I'm scolded for it, I'm not recommending anyone removing their stops, I did, it worked for me, make your own decisions.
On my '13 I added Timbrens bump stops which helped keep the overloads from making contact except in really bad bumps, wish I'd added airbags or went ahead & removed the stops.
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Old 05-15-2020, 10:06 AM   #25
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The overload springs John mentioned are usually the reason for the airbags. If your RV squats the truck enough to be firmly on them the ride is better, but if they are within about a 1/2" of touching then the ride gets extremely rough. Every bump or expansion joints slams the suspension down on the overloads which then act like a catapult throwing the truck & the RV up creating a very unpleasant ride. With airbags inflated just enough to keep from making that harsh contact with overloads will definitely improve the ride.
On my '05 dually, should've on my '13 but it had a much longer warranty, I removed the stops for the overloads which was a great ride improvement. That truck & my particular rv they weren't needed resulting in the situation mentioned above. And NO, before I'm scolded for it, I'm not recommending anyone removing their stops, I did, it worked for me, make your own decisions.
On my '13 I added Timbrens bump stops which helped keep the overloads from making contact except in really bad bumps, wish I'd added airbags or went ahead & removed the stops.
When I got the '12 in was already air bagged, I do like the fact I can smooth out the ride if I need too to avoid the harshness of bumps at times. My 03, I added Timbrens which also helped a lot with the harsh contacts when hauling the 5'er over some roads.

Are either needed? Probably not but they're nice to have, and what would be do if we couldn't tinker with our trucks.
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Old 05-15-2020, 10:41 AM   #26
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Just thinking out loud here, but it seems logical to me that if Ford sells the most trucks then it would also have more trucks with air bags.

A few years ago we were camping next to friends. I have air bags, not to level but to easily transition our steep driveway and for making it quick and easy to hitch/unhitch with the wdh/sway bars. So my friend watching this said the air bags weren't available for his Ran 1500. I don't know if that's still the case or not.
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Old 05-20-2020, 03:13 PM   #27
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Here's what I did on a previous unit. I will say for starters
I am handy and have good welding/fabrication skills. Our cougar had a 2*2 tube that the spring hangers attached to. It was welded to bottom of frame rail. After make ng a reference line, I cut the welds to separate the tube from the frame. Added a second 2*2 section of tubing and welded everything back together. The reference mark assured the front to back axle placement stayed the same. Easy peasy, took less than 2 hrs to do.
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Old 05-20-2020, 07:41 PM   #28
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I will say sometimes you just get lucky! The 2016 was about 1" taller at the bumper, well added another 2" for the picture frame adapter for the hitch. I made no adjustments to the hitch. Now the distance from top of rail to bed floor was about 1.5" more on the new truck.





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Old 05-22-2020, 05:56 AM   #29
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i went from a 1999 f250 to a 2014 f350, with a 2016 330rbk . with the older truck I had 8" of clearance over the box rails the new truck I only have 5.5" of clearance. not only is the truck its self a little taller but the box is deeper also, but I haven't had an issue yet with that 5.5" and I have been on some pretty uneven transitions getting in and out of places. I did want to lift it back up at least 2" but the only way is to add a subframe lift as it came from the factory with the axel flip and the true track.

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Old 05-22-2020, 07:05 AM   #30
JRTJH
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Steve,

Does your trailer have the Lippert Correct Track system on it ?? (Yellow octagonal shaped tabs on the spring hangers) ?? If not, that system, used to align the axles/suspension, will add 1.5" to your trailer height.
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Old 05-24-2020, 07:02 AM   #31
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Steve,

Does your trailer have the Lippert Correct Track system on it ?? (Yellow octagonal shaped tabs on the spring hangers) ?? If not, that system, used to align the axles/suspension, will add 1.5" to your trailer height.
yes it does, sorry I called it tru track, wrong name.

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