got my hands on a sweet 9.5 foot camper, my truck is a 97 f250 reg cab HD powerstroke. it saggs pretty bad with it in the back, i dunno maby my springs r worn out but you would think the HD could handle it. so i got some airbags that i can get for cheap, looks simple enough to install, what kind of air pressure is normally run in that type of application?
You guys think overloads would be better, because i might be able to get some of them for cheap as well.

 

Cheap and a good suspension system rarely work out well. I've seen to many folks go cheap and have to do it twice. Which costs more money than doing it right once.

Is your rig lifted at all?

 

Are we talking in bed camper? Air bags are great for leveling out the load, but they tend to increase the roll a bit. Not a lot, but a little. Overloads are good but if your springs are worn they may not be enough.

Both overloads and airbags would be ideal. You can stick a spacer between the overload and stop to give you added sway control and have the bags do most of the load leveling.

 

As far as pressures in the air bags I run about 70-80 psi. I upgraded from a small 5er to what you see and thought for sure I was going to need a one ton dually. I love my bags!!

 

I do have the one ton dually that oldbird is talking about. I have the bags and I have not had the "roll" that some talk about. I have loaded my truck to the max several times. From pallets of concrete, yes 2 full skids with 60# bags. Put an air compressor on your truck. I didn't for the first couple years. What a PITA! It's nice to load and air up or down. I have the Firestone bags and haven't had any problems to date.

 

This 'roll' that is talked about, is it side roll or front to back?

 

man like seeind a gmc being pulled behind a 7.3 if only it was a dodge not a gmc!!! lol

 

It's side to side and you'll only notice it after first installing the airbags. You quickly get used to it and I don't even notice it anymore. Squatting down on overloads does provide more stability, but I got to the point with my old springs that I was hitting the overloads with only a few hundred pounds. Airbags quickly fixed my droopy rear end, but I noticed the roll when I loaded it down and didn't touch the overloads.

 

If your springs were good then you wouldn't need overloads or airbags. Although overloads are nice to help stabilize some of the body roll out. Sway bars are almost a must. My slide in weighs right at 3800 pounds fully loaded and the factory overloads are about an inch from contacting the pads with it. They just barely touch when I hook our bumper pull horse trailer on too. That's 16000 pounds on it's axles with three horses. I'd say get your springs rearched back to factory specs and install new rubber bushings and new shackles.

 

I believe they speak of a side to side roll.

Just means the proportioning valve wasn't installed right if you ask me.

the pressure is moving from bag to bag and causing roll, there should be a valve in there to stop that, but allow both bags to air up evenly.

 

Like Talyn states you can have a proportioning valve or have them air up separately. I have neither and have not had the problem. Proportioning valves are cheap insurance if you put the bags on.

 

Everyone I know with a slide in camper and air bags has two air lines so the bags are separate. You REALLY need factory sway bars too and if your truck is lifted, well good luck. Don't drive it down here in high winds. Seriously.

 

Thanks Chris, I get a lot of front to rear 'slap in the ***' I call it. Its where you go through up and down dips and the 5er will slap me hard. I just white knuckle it when I feel it coming. There was a thread awhile back about a guy with a cracked frame near the rear shocks and every time I get nailed with my 'slap in the ***' I think about that thread. One of these days I really need to craw under there and look around.

 

I get some of that too, along with some pretty bad axle wrap if I tow over 20k. One of these days I'm going to build some spacers that will make my overloads contact the stops to see if that helps any.

Have you tried airing down any Glenn? I've been surprised how well 60 psi handles many loads and rarely go above that anymore.

And for the record, my bags are plumbed separate so there's no air moving back and forth between bags causing the roll. The problem is your balancing more of the load on a single point (the bag). Grab a 3' long piece of pipe and carry it around in front of you in one hand (air bag) holding it level. Then try again holding it with 2 hands spread out (front & rear of the leaf spring). Which is easier to keep the pipe level?

 

Mine is air separate and yes, I have tried less air. I've gone from 80 to 60psi, it did seem to calm things down. Now, where is my pipe, LOL. No, really, I understand the point your making. My truck doesn't have the overloads, maybe I should look into doing some mods back there.