Coast Resorts Open Roads Forum: Truck Campers: Suspension mods?

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Topic: Suspension mods?

Posted By: jornvango on 03/29/17 04:36pm

We have a 2014 Livin Lite Camplite 8.6c (dry weight 2,000 Lbs) sitting on our 2008 Dodge RAM 3500 DRW with the 6.7 diesel and 4x4.

We haven't made any suspension mods to the truck. We've been driving it the past 3 years (on road and off road) and the truck seems to have no issue carrying the camper.

But, after traveling extensively (from Alaska to the Panama canal, and many places in between), the truck is up to 240K miles ... still going strong ... so I wonder if any mods would improve handling.

The only concern related to handling is that, when off roading, the camper can sway pretty wildly from left to right. Anything we can do to make it more stable?

Any other recommended mods to the suspension looking at the fact that we are no longer taking off the camper and it sits on there 24/7?

Thanks!

Jorn

Posted By: tattoobob on 03/29/17 04:45pm

Are you using a rubber bed mat under the camper?
If not you should be

2005 Ford F350 SRW 4x4

2000 Lance 1010

Posted By: Lwiddis on 03/29/17 05:03pm

With 240k miles are sure you want to spend a bunch on this truck?

Winnebago 2101DS TT & 2022 Chevy Silverado 1500 LTZ Z71, WindyNation 300 watt solar-Lossigy 200 AH Lithium battery. Prefer boondocking, USFS, COE, BLM, NPS, TVA, state camps. Bicyclist. 14 yr. Army -11B40 then 11A - (MOS 1542 & 1560) IOBC & IOAC grad

Posted By: jimh406 on 03/29/17 05:10pm

You could switch to newer shocks like Bilsteins. A larger sway bar like a Helwig. You might also want to replace the bed bushings and any other similar bushings with OEM or Urethane.

'10 Ford F-450, 6.4, 4.30, 4x4, 14,500 GVWR, '06 Host Rainer 950 DS, Torklift Talon tiedowns, Glow Steps, and Fastguns. Bilstein 4600s, Firestone Bags, Toyo M655 Gs, Curt front hitch, Energy Suspension bump stops.

NRA Life Member, CCA Life Member

Posted By: c.traveler2 on 03/29/17 09:02pm

Over the years I made several changes, right now I have a extra over load leaf spring and an extra leaf spring in the stack. I also made some overload extensions to preload the rear over loads as well as installing Bilstein shocks several years ago after the Rancho shocks fail in less an a year.

[image]

I've been using this suspension set up for several years.
2007 F250 4x4 hauling a 2002 Lance 815

2007 F-250 4x4 /6.0 PSD/ext cab/ 2020 Bunduvry

Lance 815/ 85 watts solar panel (sold)
2020 Bunduvry by BundutecUSA

Travelingman2 Photo Website
Truck Camper Trip Reports 3.0
travelingman21000 YouTube Videos
Alex and Julie's Travels Blog

Posted By: jefe 4x4 on 03/29/17 11:35pm

jorn,
If you are going to be on twisty, poor roads for any length of time, disconnect one side of your rear anti sway bar and tie it up with wire. This is an old jeepers trick and works for me. The suspension, not the frame, will flex more that way. If you have air bags, lower the pressure down below 10 pounds to be out of the picture. Too much recoil or rebound. Also, lower the pressure on the tires if moving slowly enough. Try 40 pounds down to 30 pounds if on a rough road going less than 25 mph, checking the heat on the tires occasionally to make sure they do not get too hot. I'm constantly fiddling with tire pressure and have a large CO2 tank to get the tires back up quickly when hitting the pavement. This works especially well on wash board or any time you are in a frame twisting mode. loosening the tie downs will help you keep from pulling your camper apart on frame bending ruts. Loosen the rears more than the fronts. I know this is counterintuitive, but it takes the pressure off your tie downs. Be sure you have some sort of camper guides: 4 brackets that 'hold' the camper box from slipping around in the bed. Always attack a deep ditch head on at a 90 deg. angle. This will keep the frame straight.Of course, then you need to have a good approach angle, breaker angle and departure angle so as not to drag or scrape anything, or God forbid high center the beast..
During Holy Week, my bro John and I will be in Death Valley plying all the jeep trails with our truck campers. We will, I'm sure use all the above tricks of the trade.
jefe

'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar

Posted By: towpro on 03/30/17 06:42am

only thing I would recommend (based on you comments) is add a good sway bar to back to solve sway. But you said sway off road. not sure how "off road" you guys get. but the sway bar is going to attempt to make the rear axle stay in line with frame, which is not maybe the best thing for off road use.

and keep doing maintenance on the truck.

2022 Ford F150
Sold: 2016 Arctic Fox 990, 2018 Ram 3500, 2011 Open Range
Sold Forest River Forester 2401R Mercedes Benz. when campsites went from $90 to $190 per night.

Posted By: mkirsch on 03/30/17 09:17am

Hey, I'm surprised nobody's given you a hard time for running a DRW truck with only a 2000lb camper...

The suspension on that truck is more than capable of handling TWO of those campers, wet with 1000lbs of water/propane/stuff each. You don't need any suspension upgrades to help carry the load.

Putting 10-ply tires on half ton trucks since aught-four.

Posted By: kohldad on 03/30/17 10:53am

I carried a slightly heavier camper until a SRW 3500 truck until I sold it with 180k miles. Miss the truck but like the automatic (most of the time). I would still be driving it with about 220k on it with no problems and only 1 upgrade if it wasn't for needing my wife to be able to drive it.

The only upgrade I did to it was upper stable loads. However, she still rock and rolled when going off-road which is just a thing that's going to do with the higher center of gravity. Only real way to fix that is slow down and not be in a hurry.

2015 Ram 3500 4x4 Crew Cab SRW 6.4 Hemi LB 3.73 (12.4 hand calc avg mpg after 92,000 miles with camper)
2004 Lance 815 (prev: 2004 FW 35'; 1994 TT 30'; Tents)

Posted By: Grit dog on 03/30/17 11:01am

The question is not clear whether you want to soften the ride off road, what jefe said, or stiffen up the whole setup.
Don't know if you even have a sway bar. I don't think they were stock on any 3rd gens. But icbw.
Little more i fro on what you're trying to accomplish would help.
Cheap n easy to stiffen up if that's what you're after.
Easy to reduce bounce or rebound to a degree with good shocks.
Other than unhooking sway bar if you have one, getting more suspension flex, you may need a (gasp) lesser spring rate to get that rear axle to move with the terrain and more independent from the rest of the truck.

2016 Ram 2500, MotorOps.ca EFIlive tuned, 5” turbo back, 6" lift on 37s
2017 Heartland Torque T29 - Sold.
Couple of Arctic Fox TCs - Sold

Posted By: SidecarFlip on 03/30/17 11:16am

jornvango wrote:

Way past time for new shocks.... You might want to consider air bags to lend a hand with your old leave springs. Leaves tend to start sagging a bit when the get older (and deal with a lot of bumps).

2015 Backpack SS1500
1997 Ford 7.3 OBS 4x4 CC LB

Posted By: Lorenz on 07/06/17 10:25pm

If the camper is on more than 50% of the time it would be worth looking at specifically valved shocks. Calving and shocks control the load spring and spring rate hold it up. You have a control issue not a spring rate issue.

http://lorenzindustries.com/Suspension-System-Fox-camper.html

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