It looks like I have the 3" with a sleeve/adapter inside... you are right, it is sloppy! I'll make sure that I get a 3" drawbar to avoid that! Thanks!

 

I looked at my sticker and it came with "Trailer Sway Control" , do I still need those sway bars?

 

[QUOTE=ledfortr;19405560]Hey all, I bought a truck yesterday and found this forum. It looks like a great community and I'm looking forward to engaging with you folks.

As the title says, first time truck owner and I had some questions that are probably very easy to answer.

I purchased a 2018 F250 XLT - 550 Diesel 6.7. I'm really impressed with it so far, it handles better than expected and the family loves it.
I am going to be using it to haul a travel trailer and I wanted to see if there are any upgrades that you folks would recommend that I do. I plan on having a weight distribution hitch and sway bars (spring bars too? not sure if that's the same thing). The intent is to make the ride smooth enough and tight enough so my wife can drive it and be comfortable. Are there any other things that I can do that'll help her feel in control?

Also, I am not a huge fan of the stereo system and display, the speakers sound like garbage and the display is tiny. Can the stereo be upgraded without removing SYNC capabilities and other features like backup camera?
Is it possible to add additional backup cameras?

Thanks for the help all![/QUOTE

The stereo can be upgraded via the aftermarket but be prepared to spend $500.00-$1K for said upgrade and yes, you can do it yourself if you’re comfortable with it.

SYNC 3 is really not that big of a deal so which features are you trying to retain?

With the advent of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and with ones iPhone or Android phone, SYNC 3 is really useless.

 

There are plenty of youtube videos that will teach you all you ever wanted to know about weight distributing hitches and anti-sway systems. It's good to have an idea of how they work so you can set yours up properly. Some WDH incorporate anti-sway, some don't. Some WDH provide some anti-sway just by the nature of how they work without any extra add-ons.

 

The Trailer sway control is the truck apply pressure on various brake calipers after sway is sensed. The sway bars will help prevent it also.

 

If you have the 3 inch hitch your truck has the high capacity tow option. Your rear hubs should stick out a noticeable amount and you would have upper overload springs.

As far as my advice. Grease all the grease points, Change the shocks and steering stabilizer, and balance and rotate the tires.

 

Note that there are some less than reliable ELM327 adapters out there. Stick with a good brand like OBDLink.

Make sure your laptop has a good Bluetooth connection to an ELM adapter as you need to use a Windows laptop to get full functionality of ForScan.

Also note that certain things work much better with a solid cable connection, especially things that can get corrupted if the Bluetooth connection falters. I think ForScan recommends an OBDLink cable, but I'm not at my PC right now to check which.

 

I was shocked to see the difference from f250 to f250 was so wide. I looked at one (same engine/specs) that was an 08 and the payload was 1500, the one I have ('18) is 2300! That really blew me away as I was learning about everything. I was close to getting a 350 to boost the payload until I found the one i purchased.

 

If the brand of WDH you're looking at doesn't have a 3" shank, consider the Anderson WDH which does have an available 3" shank. I initially went with Anderson because nobody else - at the time - had a 3" shank WDH. I like my Anderson, it weighs about half what a traditional spring bar WDH does.

 

Unless you have a 5th wheel the 250 is fine if I read what you wrote above right.

Even then people use them for 5th wheels and just use the GAWR ratings and combined GVWRs.

 

[QUOTE=GABAR;19405916]You are probably right. Android Auto is really cool and that's about all i need.
I really want to get a better backup camera. My dad had an f150 Lariat and the backup cam had yellow lines that were synced to the wheel that estimated where you'll end up reversing. The current system I have is just a plain old camera with rear proximity sensors only. I'm worried about backing up this beast I purchased.
Thanks for the help!

 

Oh yeah, I am fine with where I am even with most fifth wheels. I took a peak at the dealer today to see what the latest '21 payload is and its actually 2600 vs. my 2300, pretty impressive that they keep working on that and updating.

 

Anyone know if there is a way to replace my visor with one that has garage door buttons?
Man, i did not look at this close enough at the dealer, i just assumed it had garage door buttons!

 

[QUOTE=ledfortr;19407539]Go into the Sync settings...Vehicle...Camera settings...turn on Enhanced Park Aid and see if that "fixes" your issue.

 

Long time ago, but I was able to order the visor with the buttons to upgrade my 2011. The harness with power was already there.