Just wondering, why does my new FX4 squat so easy with minimal load. Are the shocks to soft, does that have anything to do with it. Or is it all springs. Ican put a 12 foot utility trailer on the back empty and she will drop 1 inch.

 

Shocks don't do anything to support a load, they just control the spring movement.

The rear leafs on the '11 trucks are different than prior years. They are a bit longer and ride softer which leads to a very narrow margin of support when comparing unloaded to loaded compression movement. Used to be, we could load a good 400lbs. on the rear and have very little sag, now the springs are set to compress with very little weight added, like 200lbs. This makes an unloaded truck ride softer, the springs aren't "stacked" like they used to be.

The old saying "add 500 pounds to your truck bed and it will ride smooth" is gone now. I guess the term would be "pre-load", meaning that the factory does not pre-load the leafs anymore, they have just enough spring to support an unloaded truck.

Now, all you have to do is search "air bags" or "air springs" in this forum and you will have a couple hours of reading material.

 

i have the same problem and its embarrassing. i had the same setup of truck (f250 crew 4x4) but it was an 03. the same trailers i hooked up to that as i do my '11 make the '11 squat about 2 inches more EMPTY then it made the 03 squat loaded. althought the ride is good on this truck, i keep thinking.. i shouldnt have to even think about having to put air bags on this brand new 3/4 ton pulling beast to pull around an empty trailer and not have it squat.. i was very disappointed the first time i hooked it up.

 

well that's kind of crappy. What's the point of a 3/4 ton if you have to worry about the load.

 

If an empty trailer made my truck squat more than 2 inches, I would be severely disappointed. This is not 2011 specific. It has always been a problem with the F250 models unless they have upgraded springs. My fifth wheel camper weighs over 8,000 lbs with a pin weight of just over 1500 lbs. It causes my truck to squat almost exactly 2 inches.

Unfortunately the squat looks more severe on a 250 than a 350 because the 250 sits level naturally. The 350 has to squat 2" to look level. If the truck really squats more than 2" with an empty trailer attached, I would look into airbags.

 

At least you dont squat on one side like mine does with zero load, then have the dealer tell you there's nothing wrong after they let it sit for three days (which leveled it again ((temporarily))

 

If you don't want to use airbags try the Firestone ''workright'' load assist springs. I put them on mine and they made a big difference. Unloaded I have 1.5'' of rake. With my 3500lb camper in the back it sits level. Before the workrights it must have sunk almost 3''

 

Thanks for the tip. Do they change the ride any?

 

Unloaded is exactly the same. Loaded is definitely more stable.

 

I have a 2011 F350 and load it up with a 14K# 5th wheel with a pin weight of 2600#s. The truck squats 2.2 inches in back and a little in the front. Once loaded the truck is level. I guess the truck is on the overload springs.

The real question for me is how does the F350 ride when on the overload springs? Will the 5th wheel bounce up and down, or chuck, i.e. rapid back and forth movement? I have bad cucking problem.

Is there anone out there that knows about the F350 springs work???

If I put air bags on the springs, will that eliminate the chking?

thanks ken

 

kaburr66

If you have a chucking problem you probably have to add some weight up front. I have a 5er with about the same weights as yours and when I get light on the pin it has a little chuck. The best ride is when it it loaded down but you have to have enought weight on the pin. You can play with the weight if your water tank is in the middle, sometimes I can get a better ride with adding water.

 

Ken - There are several of us who had this same question. By adding airbags, they virtually eliminated the chucking. The bags raise the truck up and off the overloads resulting in a huge improvement in towing ride. If nothing else it's a pretty low risk attempt at a fix. The airbags are pretty inexpensive by themselves. You can choose to add the on-board compressor later. Even then if you feel you need additional suspension, there are hitch systems available. You can approach this systematically and appl solutions as needed.

 

I'm sure the truck would be on the overload springs at 2600 lbs. Mine touches all four points (albeit barely) at about 2000 lbs.

I'd guess that's more a function of the way airbags support the truck load rather than the fact they've lifted the truck off the overload springs. The reason I say that is because we've got two trailers of similar size and construction--one with a conventional suspension, and one with an air suspension. Empty, the one with conventional suspension is pretty bouncy--you definitely know it's behind you. Full it's only a little better. On the other hand, the air suspension trailer rides like a dream empty or full. It has sensors for automatic levelling, so ride height is always the same, all the way up to maximum GVWR (14,300 lbs). 'Coupl'a years ago coming through TX, one of the trailer air fittings cracked, resulting in a huge air leak I couldn't fix with tools and parts on hand, so rather than burn up the compressor running all the time, I shut off the air system (I called the trailer builder from the road and that's what he told me to do). With the air off and the bags deflated, the trailer rode just like the older conventional spring trailer (i.e., crappy).

Not meaning to argue the point, more like just trying to sell people on how good air suspensions are.


Joe

 

That's perfectly sensible. The soft air-filled rubber bladders are simply not going to transfer road inputs like the metal springs do which are in direct contact with the truck frame. No doubt air springs on the trailer will help also.

 

Eric . . . . Good point. I could install the air bags and see if that stops the chucking. Then if necessary, I could add the Tri-Glide to my TrailAir pin box.

Thanks . . . . .ken