D&SBarnes
San Antonio, Tx
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Joined: 05/13/2005
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I can only summize that Ford has tried to soften the initial spring rate to allow for better ride compliance, but the downside is when it is loaded the springs will compress quite a bit before additional spring force comes into play. That is where the sagging rear comes into view. If the load is properly balanced fore & aft, there would be less noticeable droop, but then you might be overloading the front axle. Oh well...
Dave & Sue,
DINKS and dedicated to having fun as much as possible.
05 GMC LT crewcab dually
07 Northern Lite 10.2 CD SE, highly optioned version...
A lot comes on a SE.
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Snowy Bird
Canada
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Joined: 12/04/2004
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D&S,
That may very well be the reason for the minor sag....trying to make a softer ride. The Snowbird/Snowriver campers are supposed to be balanced/COG better than most. We did order ours with double fresh water tanks back then which added a few #s and may have affected the COG somewhat??
We also have the full meal deal...Off-Road, Camper & Trailer Pkgs with our F350.
Maybe we should shift our beer supply.
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Steve_in_29
29 Palms (SEMPER FI), CA 92277
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Joined: 01/08/2004
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Butch50 wrote:There was a post awhile back about a fellow that had a Chevy dually and hauled his camper on it without any air bags or aftermarket add ons and it set about ,if I remember right, about 1/2" from the stops. He then bought a new Ford dually and with the same camper and it was about 1/4" from the stops. He wondered the same thing. It seems that the Fords have a higher GVWR but they squat more than the other 2 with the same loads. It does seems strange.
This is IMO
Butch This could be a simple matter of the bump stops not being the same height or even mounted the same distance from the springs for that matter. Without more precise measurements I wouldn't take it as any kind of proof that one truck sags more then another.
For example:
Truck C might have a distance of 6" between spring and bumpstop while truck F has a distance of 5.75" for the same measurement. So while truck F ends up sitting 1/4" closer to the bumpstop while loaded they would have, in this instance, both sagged the same distance.
2007 F350,SC,LB,4x4,6.0/Auto,35" tires,16.5 Warn,Buckstop bumpers
2007 Outfitter Apex9.5,270W solar,SolarBoost2000e,2 H2K's,2KW inverter,2 20lb LP on slide out tray,4 Lifeline AGM bats,Tundra fridge
95 Bounder 28' ClassA sold
91 Jamboree 21' ClassC sold
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Matthew_B
The boonies near Dallas, Oregon
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Joined: 08/18/2005
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wl650klr wrote:I purchased a new 06 dually V-10 4:30 gears for carrying our 10.6 Bigfoot
Your problem is that you should have got the PSD. With the diesel, the front end would squat down from the engine weight, and with the camper on it would be level.
At least that's the situation I have. Empty, my truck sits with the back up in the air. With the camper on it's level. It's a F350 CC Dually with a 11.5' Western Wilderness. 2700lb nameplate dry / 4100lb packed last trip out.
What is your weight? Are you within the rear AWR? If you are within the weight but the squatting bothers you, you might consider a small lift rather than air bags. The small lift should be a smother ride since it won't make the suspension stiffer.
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wl650klr
Williams Lake, BC, Canada
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Joined: 04/02/2005
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I am starting to think I have the wrong springs in my dually. A 3500# camper dropped the back end 4-5 inches. The frame was 1 inch from contacting the stops. Headlights pointing at the tree tops. Clearance issues with rear tie down supports.
Unacceptable from a truck rated to carry a 5600# payload.
There is a few more issues here than simply adjusting the headlights.
Rod
'06 F-350 S/C XLT,Dually V-10 6 SP, 4:30 LS. 01 Bigfoot 2500 10.6E
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Steve_in_29
29 Palms (SEMPER FI), CA 92277
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wl650klr wrote:...A 3500# camper dropped the back end 4-5 inches.....
How sure are you of the camper weight? Have you weighed it loaded up for a trip, or are you just going by the manufacuters guesstimate of what it weighs?
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wl650klr
Williams Lake, BC, Canada
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We have a truck scale where I work.
Truck was 77oo#, truck+camper+propane+batteries+no water 10900#.
Add water, food, clothes, genny, fire wood etc the total should be aprox 12000#.
Rod
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Butch50
NW Montana
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Joined: 06/29/2002
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Steve_in_29 wrote:Butch50 wrote:There was a post awhile back about a fellow that had a Chevy dually and hauled his camper on it without any air bags or aftermarket add ons and it set about ,if I remember right, about 1/2" from the stops. He then bought a new Ford dually and with the same camper and it was about 1/4" from the stops. He wondered the same thing. It seems that the Fords have a higher GVWR but they squat more than the other 2 with the same loads. It does seems strange.
This is IMO
Butch This could be a simple matter of the bump stops not being the same height or even mounted the same distance from the springs for that matter. Without more precise measurements I wouldn't take it as any kind of proof that one truck sags more then another.
For example:
Truck C might have a distance of 6" between spring and bumpstop while truck F has a distance of 5.75" for the same measurement. So while truck F ends up sitting 1/4" closer to the bumpstop while loaded they would have, in this instance, both sagged the same distance.
Steve,
This is all true but I was just reporting what the poster stated. He was the one that said that his older Chevy didn't need any help but his new Ford was going to need some help to get the back up some as he was not happy with the way it ended up and was going to add some after market suspension help.
Butch
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Popkorn
Ft. Collins Colorado
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Joined: 05/07/2004
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I have an unmodified, straight from the factory brand 06 F-350 SRW PSD. I carry a 95 10.6B Bigfoot. Your dually has greater GVWR than my single so I don't understand why you think you need to add suspension aftermarket stuff?
Jerry Crawford
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nodine
Knoxville, Tennessee
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Joined: 07/08/2003
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wl650klr wrote:I purchased a new 06 dually V-10 4:30 gears for carrying our 10.6 Bigfoot to avoid haveing to buy air bags, special shocks and the like.We took our first trip from the BC interior to the coast and it was very evident that help was required in the back end. Purchased Firestone air bags while on Vancouver island, what a differance. Truck has the proper attitude now, headlights are aimed at the road again.Truck/camper wieght without water, clothes, or food is 10900#. GVW is 12600#
Anyone else have to put bags on a dually? My Dad has a 04 dually GMC with a 9.5 Adventurer no bags required. What's the deal? The Ford has a higher GVW.
If you raise the hood and look about each headlight you will notice there is a simple adjustment you can make to level the headlights when the camper is on. Count the clicks and when the camper is off click it back to the old position.
Bob
2006 Monaco Diplomat 40PDQ
2006 Honda CRV toad
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