i am in agreement with MisterCMK on this one, I would let the suspension work and see how it tows with no air in the bags.
New shocks certainly would not hurt in any way.

 

Too much sag in the rear will put your headlights in oncomming traffics face, will alter the dynamics of the front end if you tow alot will ruin the front tires, and wont handle/steer well. You did the right thing with bags but the pressure seems a little high. E trailer sells a sway stop that replaces your bump stops that helps some, I like mine, If you can adjust your 5th wheel just a little forward, that may help too put a bit more weight in front of the rear axle.

 

Alter the dynamics of the front end and ruin tires? Lol, no. Your alignment won't change....

 

overleaf springs will add stiffness and support. bought a set on amazon for about 150 and it took about 90 minutes to install.

whats that trailer weight?

 

The caster will change. Simple geometry.

 

Exactly.

The trailer claims 11600 dry and empty. So with all the stuff my wife insist on bringing LOL!! It's probably right at 13000. I need to get it to the scales along with the new truck.

I'm trying to avoid any PERMANENT stiffening of the rear suspension. I want to retain the unloaded ride quality.

I'm not sure what you mean by "overleaf springs".

Add-a-leafs make it ride stiff empty. OverLOAD springs would work since they aren't engaged when unloaded. That's what my 2004 F250 had.

This truck has an overload at the bottom of the stack that isn't engaged until the load is applied and the truck squats - A LOT - too much in my opinion.

The Torklift StableLoads engage this overload sooner. I plan to give them a try.

In conjunction with the air bags.

And better shocks.

 

On my truck I decided not to use air bags this time. Instead I used the stable loads and added a 4 inch block on the rear. Works great for me because I always have a lot of weight in the back of the truck. Those with part time heavy loads might find my set up to ride rough when riding empty. Since you already have bags I would suggest a 4 inch block then you would need less air pressure

 

I ordered a set of StableLoads this morning. I like the theory behind them regardless of bags or blocks. It makes the stock suspension use the stock preexisting overload springs immediately instead of waiting til the suspension sags (way too much).

I also like that they are "quick disconnect" so with a turn of a wrench, the suspension is back to stock ride.

Hopefully my future towing routine will go like this:

1. Engage StableLoads
2. Attach 5th wheel
3. Add air to bags to level (if necessary)

After towing:

1. Unhook
2. Disengage StableLoads
3. Deflate airbags
4. Enjoy factory ride

If/When I add Rancho 9000XL shocks to the mix, I'll adjust them up/firm when towing, down/soft when empty.

Sounds like a PITA, but when you tow heavy, you gotta put in the preps to make it safer and more enjoyable.

 

You may not always need step 2. I leave the Stable Loads engaged in between trips when the hitch is in. The ride is firm, but no more than a good sports car. Tighten the pivot bolt firmly. After installing the pins, crank the wedge against the pin a bit to prevent rattling.

 

I had to tow my parents 5th wheeler back with their 2014 F350 CC SB. I believe the 5th wheeler weighed around 18,000lbs but can't remember. Anyways, with the back squatted down this caused the headlights to aim up enough that every trucker and vehicle we passed kept flashing their headlights at us as if we had our brights on when they passed. As my parents don't tow at night this is not a issue for them. As for me, I drove all through the night on the interstate. I was suprised how little traffic there was but I was always getting headlights flashed at me mostly by 18 wheelers. What I am saying is if I had to tow at night I would invest in another rear spring or airbags.

2005 Ford F20 Crew Cab 5.4l 3 valve

 

Please follow up after you tow with them. On first look I'm not impressed with the design. Looks like the overloads will be working all the time and I'm not sure they are designed to do that.

I just put Firestone Ride Rite's on, not towed with it yet but unloaded there is no change in ride. I have Bilstein 5100's all around and there is no bounce, it just compresses to the overloads on big bumps, hopefully the Firestones will stop that.

 

I ordered a set of StableLoads from DyersRV yesterday morning and they arrived today before lunch. Talk about fast shipping! And the lowest price I could find online.

I plan to install them asap because we are heading out camping again Friday Sept 4th. I want to have them installed by then. Probably wont have shocks by then though.