I have a 2015 F-250 4X4 XL with a 6.0L V8 engine. The bed is 6.75 ft long and has a payload rating of 3100 pounds. The tire reads LT265/70R17. The front tires are 520 KPA/75 PSI and the rear wheels are 550 KPA/ 80 PSI. I have just ordered a Capri camper and the dry weight will around 1500 pounds and don't think I will go over 2500 pounds wet weight. My question is will I need airbags to haul my camper or will I be okay?

 

That camper sounds like a good fit for that truck, depending on the current configuration of the truck. Before making any changes I would get the camper loaded up as if you're headed out for a weekend of camping. See how it rides. Too much sway? If you don't already have a sway bar add that first. After that you may need to consider air bags or perhaps the TorkLift Stable Loads.

Getting it weighed before/after may help as that will show you how much weight was added to each axle. Air bags won't help reduce the weight on each axle but they will help eliminate any sag in the rear end as well as provide more stability side to side if the air bags are installed with independent air sources.

 

I would drop it on the truck and go for a drive first, might be ok. I'm not a fan of air-bags, they are more of a band aid for needing more suspension rate. Having had and used both bags and added suspension...the springs win every time. You might be able to add wedges/stableloads to the truck and be peachy.

 

You've gotten great advice here in the previous two posts. Take a look at an excellent article on the Truck Camper Adventure site:

http://www.truckcamperadventure.com/...k-camper-rigs/

Note it's closing paragraph:

"Before You Buy!

If you can remember just one thing about this article, please remember this. Don’t rush out and spend money on any of these suspension modifications until you first see how your truck camper handles on your truck. Otherwise, you may waste a lot of money on hardware that you really don’t need. I see this happen all the time. Based upon the opinion and advice from friends and what they’ve read on the Internet forums, new truck owners will immediately shell out big bucks on new shocks, air bags, and Stableloads before even buying a truck camper or taking a test drive. This is backwards. See how your truck handles with your truck camper first before buying anything. If you’re truck is experiencing porpoising, rear sag, or sway with your camper mounted, then you can address each particular issue with the appropriate modification. Moreover, only one modification should be made at a time to determine its true effectiveness."

BTW, you didn't say if you would be leaving the camper on the truck more or less full time, or running empty mostly. Personally, I would never use air bags on a rig with a full time camper on it. Air bags are for wildly varying load situations.

 

Thanks for all the advice. I visit Truck Camper Adventure all the time and have read that article.

 

 

As has been previously advised...try it out before you start modifying. Depending on how you plan on using it, I would give it some time and make several trips covering the variety of the types of areas you plan on visiting the most. From what you describe, and the profile of the Capri campers, you may be just fine as is. Admittedly, we spend most of our time with camper and boat or horses (horses not so much anymore) in the Cascades. We are on road and "off road". Steep Mountain passes to flat land desert and semi-arid desert. Volcanic mountain area road to paved "super highways" to beach side highways that seem like they are always under repair or sliding off into the ocean. Then there are farm fields and pastures. And yes, we haul the camper in all of those places, usually taking it off the pickup if we are going to be in a place for more than a couple of days. Then have an unencumbered pickup to run around in, adjusting the air suspension as the local area and types of road vary.

I ended up putting the Load Lifter 5000 Ultimate on the pickup.
We use ours for everything from hauling fence posts and hay to groceries and yard debris. We also have found that while driving around the mountains 'empty' hunting, fishing or just sightseeing, on roads better described as goat trails, or across the farm fields or pastures, our air bags come in handy. Being able to adjust air pressure in some 'non camper' conditions does make a little difference.

I've hauled campers since 1978 and farm & ranch loads before (and after) that. I never used them on any of the pickups with or without camper until 2015, 2 years after we had gotten a bigger camper and continued to pull trailers with heavy tongue weights. (sig pic)
As you can see, the Air Bags came several pickups and a lot of years after we first started hauling campers. Lots and lots of camper miles under the belt before we went that way. The air bags have been great for us though in our situation! Wish I would have done it sooner. In May of 2015 I added the Load Lifter 5000 Ultimate to the pickup, but had to go with the manual Schrader Valves. The reason I chose the Load Lifter Ultimate is because they have an internal jounce in them. Because of the fact that it does take just a little bit of money, the plan was to put the bags on one year, ’re-inflate' the piggy bank and put an on board compressor on the next year. Other things got in the way of that and the on board controller / air system for them took a back seat and didn't happen until February of 2018.

With the wireless remote air compressor on them now, they have been even better. I set the PSI I want from the cab. I can set each bag separately with different PSI or set them both the same. The system keeps the same pressure, adjusting the air in each bag to keep the PSI set for each bag. I'm not sure I agree with or understand not having the air bags on a rig that has a camper on it more often than not. It would seem that it would be more of a reason to have them than not. Every time you drive down a road with any super or go around a corner, leave the pavement, you are varying the load distribution and CG from one side to the other. We have found them beneficial. In our opinion, one fishing trip with the camper only up to South Lake on the side of Mt. Hebo a few miles from us in the Coast Range Mountains and the air bags paid for themselves in terms of comfort and adjusting to gravel, back country, mountain Forest Service roads.

But, as has been said, try it out before you start adding. Air bags are not for everyone in every situation.

 

If you don't have the camper package add a rear stabilizer bar. Air bags would be my last option for suspension. Look into Upper or lower stabiloads first.
I have a longer, heavier camper on my F350 long bed and only added the lower stabiloads, but I have the camper package.
Best of luck and happy camping.

 

you are going to need anti sway bars

you can use summosprings (which are giant progressive bump stops) or air bags if you need to raise the back....likely needed if you don't have overleaf springs and/or put a front level kit on.

 

I put air bags on my 05 F350 srw for my camper and liked them. also my wife liked them. With the camper off I would run them at 5-10 psi and it made the truck ride better.
Camper was to heavy for my truck even with the air bags so I didn't go far with it.
I finally broke down and bought a 2014 F350 DRW. Now I'm looking forward to camping again.
..

 

Thanks for the advice. Sorry I haven't replied sooner but I have been busy.

I have posted three photos below. They show the shock absorbers, sway bar, and rear leaf springs. There is an orange cylindrical object by the leaf springs and I have no idea what that is and was wondering if someone here could tell me what it is.



Sway Bar

Shock Absorber

Leaf Springs

 

That's the bump stop above the leaf springs. If the suspension compresses too far it keeps it from hitting the frame.

 

HRTKD, The bump stop isn't above the leaf springs on my truck.

 

But the bump stop is above the wing that is on the riser block. The block adds height between the axle and the leaf springs. The wing will hit the bump stop when the suspension compresses too far.

 

Okay, that makes sense. Thank you.