I recently traded my 97 F-250 for a 2013 F-150 regular cab short bed 2wd. I tow a 3000 lb. cargo trailer 5 days a week, no trailer on weekends. When towing, the rear sags, and rolls in the turns. It's not too bad but if I load anything in the bed it gets worse. I am thinking about Firestone airbags but I have read mixed reviews about them on this forum. I am really enjoying the F-150 ride on the weekends and would like to maintain that, but it seams like I need a little help during the week, when towing. Is the ride really much stiffer when the bags have only 5psi in them and will these airbags void my warranty? Thanks in advance for your opinions.

 

Hi GordonL,
I wanted to let you know about a suspension upgrade that sounds perfect for your application. The StableLoad product has been tested and proven to solve multiple drivability issues, including the sag, sway and the rolling you describe.
Airbags are great for leveling, but you will find that they and other add on systems pull the weight off of the factory’s lower leaf suspension overloads. The StableLoads pre-engage the stronger factory lower leaf spring, giving added support to the suspension the vehicle was designed to have. By adding to the factory overload, you will also be increasing the spring rate of the overall suspension which greatly helps out with the stability of your truck when loaded.

It is an easy to install, no-drill fit for your 2013 F150, and you can disengage them in seconds when not towing and hauling putting your factory suspension back to your stock ride.
Their warranty covers the product and it also covers the leaf springs of your vehicle.
As a much lower priced and effective alternative, we have had many reports of users trying StableLoads first and never need to go to airbags.
Here is a comparison of other suspension products and more info:StableLoads

 

No and no.

I have StableLoads on my current truck and found that they do a great job with sag and make a noticeable difference in handling with a load because they act to stiffen the spring pack by preloading the overload. They performed fantastic at the OH meet earlier this year, and everyone who drove my truck was impressed with how it handled a heavy trailer that exceeded the rated capacity by quite a bit. We tried pulling without the StableLoads and found the rear shimmy side to side a bit more than with them engaged.

I've had both airbags and StableLoads and the both did a great job. The airbags work well because they are fully adjustable, but they don't add the lateral stability the StableLoads do. I'm sure you'd be happy with either choice though, and unlike helper springs these won't stiffen your ride unloaded.

 

The StableLoads sound like they would do the job but I don't know if I would like having to get under the truck every time I wanted to engage / disengage them. Also, I would imagine they would get dirty, gritty, rusty, and maybe not always engage / disengage smoothly. They would be much cheaper though. If I were to install airbags I would also install an onboard compressor.

 

This is my third truck with Firestone airbags and I have to disagree with Tom. Even at 5psi I can feel the difference. 5psi equals 200lbs of extra carrying capacity.

I use Firestone airbags and the Wireless controllers from Air Lift. On my 2011 I had the Wireless One System. The contacts on the relay burned up within 4 months. On my 2013 I went with the more expensive Wireless Air Gen 3 72000 also made by Air Lift. The compressor is heavy duty but the relay is the same in both units. On this unit the manifold failed after 5 months. They did send me a new part in both cases for free. I did have to pay shipping.

If I wasn't going to use it much i would just go with the cheaper Wireless One System.

I also have the Shrader valves above my license plate so if the unit fails I can still use them. I also carry a cheap 12V compressor that I can use to air them up if the on board system fails.

 

So if I keep 5 psi in the bags and then keep about 200 lbs. in the bed, I will have the equivalent of the factory ride?

 

Probably close enough. Theoretically you would have to place the 200 lbs directly over the rear axle because if you place it against the cab, part of the load will be carried by the front axle.

First you need to change out the Ford shocks. They are junk. I went with Bilstein 4600's. See how much that helps
Then you might consider a rear stabilizer bar for the truck if it doesn't have one. Hellwig 7705 is an example. They used to come installed from the factory but not anymore.

If those two things don't take care of your problem then I would add an Equalizer hitch which is good for weight distribution and trailer sway. This hitch will basically force some of the load from the rear axle to be placed on the front axle, therefore raising up the rear end of your truck.

Air bags are probably overkill for a 3000lb trailer.

 

Just as one reference point, on my truck and 5000lb trailer, the WD hitch moved 400 lbs off the rear axle and onto the front axle. That's about in the middle of it's adjustment range too, I'm sure it could move more, but at that level, it sits good, it pulls good.

 

I was thinking about putting some sand bags in the bed anyway to provide traction during the winter. I thought that air bags would offer the most adjustability going from towing to empty.
Will the Bilstein shocks make the ride stiffer?
The WD hitches that I have seen offer less ground clearance than a non WD hitch. When I go up a steep driveway sometimes the hitch drags on the ground, so I wouldn't want to loose any ground clearance.

 

I didn't notice any difference in the shocks but I have airbags which might keep me from feeling any. I changed the shocks (and still need to have the front struts changed) because everytime I tow a heavy load 10-12k lbs and I put on the brakes the truck would bounce.
WD hitch would stick down lower than the hitch on the truck but with the WD hitch your rear would no longer sag so you probably wouldn't lose much clearance

I assume you also have the p-metric tires on your truck? They are squishy and also contribute to the trailer moving the rear of the truck. LT tires would help as well

The problem is you want to keep the "Cadillac" ride. About anything you do to help tow the load is going to affect the ride quality when empty except for the WD hitch.

 

I realize that I am trying to have the best of both worlds and some compromize will have to be made. I drove an F250 for 17 years and lived with a harsh ride and awful fuel milage.The 250 would handle anything I threw at it,but it was probably more truck than I usually needed.I believed the new 150 can do the job, it has more HP & torque, all wheel disc brakes, a fully boxed frame and it is cheaper to own and operate. I think the loads that I am asking it to carry are well within its capability.
The sag and the sway are not really that bad, it is stable going down the highway. The ground clearance under the hitch is probably the most annoying thing.

I do have p metric tires and will replace them with LT, for now I have them at 40 psi, and I will try to balance the trailer load better to reduce the tongue weight.

I am leaning towards the airbags with an onboard compressor. I know I don't need to increase my payload by 5000 lbs but I don't
have to fill them up completely. When empty, I can leave 5 psi in the bags and if I don't like the ride I can add some weight in the bed.

If anyone see anything wrong with my logic or has a better solution , let me know.

Thanks,
Gordon