F250 Bags or Blocks
 

I have a 33.5ft bumper pull toy hauler that has a extremely heavy tongue weight. I have been thinking of swapping to f350 blocks to make the truck sit more level when hooked up. The truck handles the weight great but with no rake it looks overloaded even though it isn't. The 2" extra block would make the loaded appearance much better but then I got to thinking about air bags. I am far to cheap to install a compressor so if I used air bags I would just fill to desired pressure before hooking up. I am happy with the loaded ride which would not change if I used the taller blocks but for those of you going with bags how is the ride when they are inflated enough to level out after hooking up the trailer. My truck also has the camper pkg so the front sits borderline high empty already. Its a 2012 f250 3:73. also curious if anybody got camper certification paperwork? I know the truck has the pkg but I read about certification papers, I asked the dealer if they were missing and they said they don't come with paperwork the pkg is just there. Sorry for being long winded but what the heck we all like new posts to read anyways.

Have you considered maybe using a weight distributing hitch (WDH)? If you are with-in your weight limits, you should have no issues. Keep in mind though, the class IV hitch that most super duty’s come equipped with have a WDH limit of 12,500 GTW and 1200 GTW. Without a WDH (weight carrying) it is a lot lower.

I bagged my 2012 F 250 but use it for a fifth wheel that has a 2200 pin weight.

If I were pulling a tow trailer I would look into setting up with a WD hitch and go from there.

I like a level ride so the bags do that for me. Aired up loaded and no air unloaded.

Some bumper pull toy haulers have almost as much "pin weight" as 5th wheels. I had a 28' with up to 1700# tongue wt. He said his truck is low or level stk and even with 1700# wd you dont want to lift the back of your truck higher than stock when loaded.

Wd bars should not be used for the load you have in the bed of the truck, only for the trailers weight, otherise you will put to much on the front axle.

I don't like bags I think they are to bouncy and went with super springs and they raised the truck about 1.5" The ride is firmer but I am fine with it. I do have a cap and tools in the truck all the time so maybe 400#s, I run 55 psi unloaded and 70 when towing and the bed is full of camping stuff. At 70 psi unloaded it is much firmer but still fine for short trips.

Don't use blocks. They will add to axle wrap as the too soft factory springs "break in".

Regardless of how you modify the suspension, you have to remain with-in or at the limits of your vehicle. No modification will change this. If your class IV hitch is rated for 1200# TW with a WDH than thats all you should pull for safety sake. I am a firm believer that when towing you are responsible for the safety of those in your vehicle as well as others on the road. As for the “camper package”, this only applies to slide in bed campers, and if you have it you WILL have a certificate that comes with your paperwork for the truck. You can look to see if you have a rear sway bar which typically comes with this package along with heavier springs in the front. If you tell us you trailer weights (TW, GTW etc.) we can help you better. As stated before, the load in the bed has nothing to do with your towing set-up, all it does is add to your combined weight and GVW.

I use air bags, they are adjustable to any and every load you could possibly have. If you have an empty truck bed just start out with leveling the truck with the bags, then hitch up and see how it pulls. It might take a while to get it dialed in but when you do it gives you a much better towing experience.

I should have clarified that I am using a 1400lb equalizer hitch. This trailer is under on the trucks hitch for tow rating but right at the max for tongue weight rating of the hitch. I will clarify again that I am within my trucks legal limits. The weight distribution hitch on trucks with rake makes the truck sit level when hooked up properly however these trucks have no rake so any sag shows especially when it is already nose high empty. My hitch is set properly and I am familiar with towing but nobody can expect a weight distribution hitch to hold a truck exactly as it sits empty. If there was no movement there I would suspect something would give very soon. This is not a small trailer and toy hauler tongue weights vary because of what loads in the back. I thought the bags may be stiff or bouncy so I think I am on the right track with doing f350 blocks. As for the camper pkg question this truck does have the rear stabilizer bar and overload springs. I purchased it new and it is on the window sticker and option list with camper pkg I just have no certification other then the window sticker or options printout. I really don't need the paperwork I have just been curious if its missing.

I forgot to put that the trailer is about 10000lbs loaded and tongue weight empty is 1210lbs but keep in mind once loaded it lightens that tongue weight up. That being said it has a lot of tongue weight even when loaded plus all the stuff in the truck box. I am close to my gcwr and gvwr but I am confident that I'm within legal limits that is one of my reasons for not going 5th wheel it was easier to find bumper pull toy haulers in my limits, plus when I had a 5th wheel in the box it was always in the way(for me anyways) This new trailer is long but I sure like towing it vs pulling tandem like I was.

I put firestone ride rites on mine and love it! The ride is so much nicer when pulling my 30' toy hauler TT. Or my 10 ton tri-axle trailer with my tractor on it. I carry a portable air tank so that when I get to camp I can unhook and deflate the bags for running around town and then pump them up again when I leave. I can fill my bags 3 times on one tank of air. Works great, do it and I think you'll like it a lot.

I had air bags on a former rig that I ran at ~50psi when carrying my slide-in truck camper. And I can say the ride was HORRIBLY stiff when unloaded with the bags inflated.

If you're going to be driving around without the trailer, I think you will definitely want to deflate the bags for the sake of your kidneys. There are cheap 12v pumps the will easily fit in the cab. Or, as fg250 points out, carry a small tank of compressed air to inflate the bags.

Thanks for the feedback it seems like definite pro's to each. I also looked up those stable load gadgets that pre load the the overload spring but I am not sure of the long term effect on the springs due to the stable load sort of point loading the springs

Some good responses here. Airbags will give you the flexibility and adjustability for varied loads. And you'll just want 5psi in the bags when unloaded. Stiffer springs would probably be fine if the truck was always under a load. But it will make the ride worse unloaded. Hope this helps. Let me know if you'd like me to find a kit for you. :-X22

One thing I haven't seen mentioned are the side effects of just lifting the rear in every day driving. When I was doing my 2" f/r lift I only got the rear done one day due to a failed jack, hospital trip and a lot of stiches on my crushed hand lol. I had to drive the truck with the rear way up in the air for about 2 weeks.

1. It looked really stupid
2. The ride was horrible and at highway speeds the extra wind resistance threw the truck all over the road.

I have both the Airlift 5000 bags and the Tork Lift Stable Load leaf spring brackets. I use both when I tow my Toy Hauler that's about 11K fully loaded. I run about 60 lbs. in the bags loaded and 10 lbs. for everyday driving. The Stable Load brackets are amazing! They install easily and move in and out of position quickly. That's good because the truck is not very fun to drive unloaded with the brackets in the "in" position. I also have the Daystar 2.5 inch leveling blocks on the front. When I hitch up I only drop about 1.5 inches.