Question on camper package
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4wd Low
Joined: Jul 2023
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Question on camper package
Life long GM guy who's ordering his first Ford pickup. I'm looking at a F-350 SRW Lariat with the 7.3 gas motor. I currently have a 38 foot 5th wheel camper with a GVW of 14,500 lbs. We only take like 4 or 5 trips a year with the camper. The rest of the time the pickup is a farm truck/daily driver. My question is on the camper package. It says it adds heavier duty front springs, a rear stabilizer bar, and rear auxiliary springs. Do I need this for what I'm planning on doing with the pickup? My biggest concern is that the heavier duty springs will make it ride rougher when unloaded.
Cross-Country
Joined: Mar 2023
Posts: 68
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From: SW Maine
My 2022 F350 Plow Package is not as soft as in my 2018 F150 but it is not a deal breaker. Oddly enough the hardest thing to adjust to for me at first was the steering. Going from electric back to hydraulic was day and night. I have the wrangler AT tires on mine and feel that at an empty weight you can let out a few PSI to soften the ride. I'm sure that guys here have tire reviews you can search for that may suggest the best riding tires. my 2 cents worth.
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
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Life long GM guy who's ordering his first Ford pickup. I'm looking at a F-350 SRW Lariat with the 7.3 gas motor. I currently have a 38 foot 5th wheel camper with a GVW of 14,500 lbs. We only take like 4 or 5 trips a year with the camper. The rest of the time the pickup is a farm truck/daily driver. My question is on the camper package. It says it adds heavier duty front springs, a rear stabilizer bar, and rear auxiliary springs. Do I need this for what I'm planning on doing with the pickup? My biggest concern is that the heavier duty springs will make it ride rougher when unloaded.
Have you checked the towing guide to verify the truck you are ordering is rated to tow that weight trailer?
May not be.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Jun 2021
Posts: 102
Likes: 54
From: NW Nebraska Sandhills
You’ve made no mention of how your new truck will be configured, ie length of cab, box, and wheelbase, that will enter in to what you’re asking. In it’s farm truck role, will it be toting a big, heavy toolbox, fuel tank and pump, and maybe the air compressor that you see in the box of many farm pickups these days. I’d want that stabilizer bar that comes with the camper package if I was packing that stuff every day. Lots of things to consider. Enter all that info into your configuration and make sure you have the capacity and capabilities to do it all. An F350 is a HD truck and will ride like one. I’m a landowner and retired farmer/rancher. Better to be over than under equipped.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 239
Likes: 100
Ford goes back and forth on this from year to year, but I’m pretty sure all F-350’s currently come with the auxiliary springs, while most F-250’s do not, unless you get a Tremor or High Capacity Tow Package. All you will get on an F-350 is one step heavier front springs, which you may or may not want, a rear sway bar, and camper certification paperwork. My current truck came with the camper package so I can’t say what it would be like without it. As others have said it’s not necessary for pulling a trailer as it’s meant to make driving with a top heavy load like a slide in truck camper more stable. It probably won’t hurt anything if you do get it.
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Jul 2023
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I just ordered a F-350 176 WB 6.7 with the 5th wheeler prep package. Will this truck come with the rear sway bar? I did not get any upgrades to the front springs. All the trucks I have looked at online or in dealer lots show standard exterior equipment has Trailer sway control. Thanks
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Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Itinerant
My 2022 F350 Plow Package is not as soft as in my 2018 F150 but it is not a deal breaker. Oddly enough the hardest thing to adjust to for me at first was the steering. Going from electric back to hydraulic was day and night. I have the wrangler AT tires on mine and feel that at an empty weight you can let out a few PSI to soften the ride. I'm sure that guys here have tire reviews you can search for that may suggest the best riding tires. my 2 cents worth.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Itinerant
I'll agree my F350 with plow and camper package is a very smooth ride. Wrangler tires aired at 65psi but there is 1500# of "stuff" in the bed all the time.
Lead Driver
Joined: Jan 2002
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From: Itinerant
I just ordered a F-350 176 WB 6.7 with the 5th wheeler prep package. Will this truck come with the rear sway bar? I did not get any upgrades to the front springs. All the trucks I have looked at online or in dealer lots show standard exterior equipment has Trailer sway control. Thanks
I thought that the overload springs where always on the F350 but not on the F250. Maybe Ford with their wisdom has changed that now.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 131
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I would not get a camper package unless I was getting a slide-in truck camper.
The F-350 SRW already as auxiliary springs. The F-250 does not unless it has the camper package. These auxiliary springs are overload springs. The standard spring pack has to be compressed quite a bit before the leaf engage the pads on the frame.
Sway bars IMO aren't really your friend unless you have a high center of mass (ie: tall truck camper) or like to take corners at high speed, or like to be aggressively jounced side to side if you ever go off pavement on uneven ground. I certainly wouldn't go for the stiffer spring on the front axle unless you are carrying a lot more weight in between the axles (ie: long truck camper with cab-over, snow plow setup, etc.
The F-350 SRW already as auxiliary springs. The F-250 does not unless it has the camper package. These auxiliary springs are overload springs. The standard spring pack has to be compressed quite a bit before the leaf engage the pads on the frame.
Sway bars IMO aren't really your friend unless you have a high center of mass (ie: tall truck camper) or like to take corners at high speed, or like to be aggressively jounced side to side if you ever go off pavement on uneven ground. I certainly wouldn't go for the stiffer spring on the front axle unless you are carrying a lot more weight in between the axles (ie: long truck camper with cab-over, snow plow setup, etc.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Dec 2019
Posts: 131
Likes: 77
I just ordered a F-350 176 WB 6.7 with the 5th wheeler prep package. Will this truck come with the rear sway bar? I did not get any upgrades to the front springs. All the trucks I have looked at online or in dealer lots show standard exterior equipment has Trailer sway control. Thanks
Lead Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 8,458
Likes: 4,954
I just ordered a F-350 176 WB 6.7 with the 5th wheeler prep package. Will this truck come with the rear sway bar? I did not get any upgrades to the front springs. All the trucks I have looked at online or in dealer lots show standard exterior equipment has Trailer sway control. Thanks
Trailer sway control is an electronic control triggered by the ABS and the yaw sensor, kills engine power and applies individual wheel braking and trailer braking to help straighten the trailer out if it gets out of shape making the rear of the truck start to swing.
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4wd Low
Joined: Jul 2023
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Likes: 2
Ah sorry should have specified more. This will be a crew cab short bed pickup. And I have checked. It is rated for 17,700 lbs with a 5th wheel. So we are good at 14,500.
I won’t be putting fuel tanks, air compressor or any of that stuff in the back. We have a service trailer we pull for that stuff.
So sounds like to me I do not need the camper package. Won’t be using a slide in camper and I won’t be loading the back up with tools, tanks, etc.
Thank you everyone for the advice. That helps a lot.
I won’t be putting fuel tanks, air compressor or any of that stuff in the back. We have a service trailer we pull for that stuff.
So sounds like to me I do not need the camper package. Won’t be using a slide in camper and I won’t be loading the back up with tools, tanks, etc.
Thank you everyone for the advice. That helps a lot.