Reducing Truck Camper Sway

[mikEXpat]

I watched Enigmatic's video showing Will's Tacoma/Travel Lite. He installed airbags to reduce sway. I'm curious what others think. Airbags, shocks, sway bars, leaf springs or a product I just found called StableLoad from Torklift. Which do you think is the best investment?

http://www.torklift.com/index.php/products/suspension/stableload 

Thanks.
Mike

 

[Spaceman Spiff]

First choice sway bars; sway is what they are designed to control.  Air bags are (much) less effective controlling sway.  With either, you must upgrade your shocks as the shocks have more 'spring' they must control.  Stableloads and similar just engage the stock overload leaf(s) earlier and provide a similar sway control as air bags; i.e. help the squatting side but provide no resistance on the lifting side.

-- Spiff

 

[Canine]

There are a TON of options out there; not possible to cover every option available on one thread. Overloads are common and work great when the truck is completely empty or has a heavy load. Unfortunately, when the truck is half loaded (like me sometimes) then the truck bounces on the overloads. That makes for a terrible ride! I'm ditching my overloads and putting something else on. Not sure what that will be because of the plethora of options, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. The stock suspension on mine is stout, but unacceptable. I want a better ride over a range of conditions.

 

[highdesertranger]

for controlling sway, sway bars are the way to go. after all that is what they are designed for. highdesertranger

 

[Gary68]

i've been hoping one of the pro's here that can write a proper paragraph with the proper words would do a quick write up on how suspension work,i have seen a few post here like my rear is sagging,answer more spring,my van leans in corners,answer more spring and that is not how it works,your springs need to be matched the the weight you are carrying with proper range of motion so those shock absorbers can absorb those shock,
ride height=more bow in the springs,shackles,blocks
sway=sway bars

a van dweller/rver will be hard pressed to get the weight you need to get a 1-2 ton spring pack to work properly
you really shouldn't notice small washboards

 

[mikEXpat]

This article does a pretty good job of explaining suspension.

http://www.trailerlife.com/trailer-how-to/trailer-tech/suspension-upgrades/

This video from Torklift explains the differences in suspension options also. Might be biased of course.

http://www.torklift.com/video/stableload/stableload.php

 

[Goshawk]

https://www.etrailer.com/Anti-Sway-Bars/Roadmaster/RM-1139-143.html

I like the link above responses from the company selling kits. Each is specific for the model of frame suspension system in the vehicle. Overall a $1000 experiment that needs to be kept in perspective about the results. Seems like a difficult decision.

 

[highdesertranger]

let me try to clear things up,
1. springs, are meant to support your load and to cushion rough spots in the road. if your vehicle sags you have worn out springs or you are overloaded.
2. shocks, are meant to dampen(slowdown) the movement of your springs. shocks are not meant to support anything and should not be used as such(there are rare exceptions). the harder a shock works the hotter it gets, causing it to fade, this is where heavy duty shocks come in. this is especially noticeable while driving off road.
3. sway bars are meant to control sway while cornering. the more weight you have higher up the more you need sway bars. a side note sway bars also cut down on the articulation of your suspension, but for us this really doesn't matter, this is more for heavy duty off roaders.
4. air bags and extra large urethane bump stops are meant to supplement your springs. they relieve some of the stress on your springs. they do not allow you to carry more weight. air bags also make up(a little) for worn out springs, however this is not ideal.

so to recap if your vehicle sags it's the springs or it is overloaded. if it sways while cornering you need sway bars or have to much weight up high. if your vehicle continues to bounce after hitting a bump your shocks are worn out. hope this helps. highdesertranger

 

[29chico]

I have the Roadmaster Active Suspension on my one ton extended Savana van.  It actually acts like a swaybar, my van corners much flatter now.  They also claim that your ride quality when unloaded and lightly loaded will improve.  I seriously doubted that, but it does seem to help the ride then as well.

It is pretty easy to install.

http://www.activesuspension.com/

 

[Canine]

I have the Roadmaster Active Suspension on my one ton extended Savana van.  It actually acts like a swaybar, my van corners much flatter now.  They also claim that your ride quality when unloaded and lightly loaded will improve.  I seriously doubted that, but it does seem to help the ride then as well.

It is pretty easy to install.

http://www.activesuspension.com/

I am giving that more consideration than others. I really like how the spring is a variable rate, which is a big plus. Instead of a sudden, several hundred pound jump in spring capacity with overloads, the Roadmasters spread that out giving a much better ride. They are simple- no air lines to fail or freeze up. No maintenance. Much less expensive than air bags. They are super easy to install. They can't do some of what airbags can do, but they do a lot more than what an airbag can't do.

Am glad to hear the sway diminished. If it does give a lighter feel with no load, I'm sure that is minimal; anything to keep my kidneys happy, though. Thanks for the info!

 

[SternWake]

I put on firestone ride rite helper springs to assist my worn out leaf springs and was impressed how much they helpe handling. tirning flatter, and reducing the amount the 18 wheelers passing me would push me around the lane.

I found I need more psi in the drivers side than the passenger to level it out perfectly on a level surface.

I put the schrader valves inside my van so I can change psi from within with my air compressor.

100psi curb side bag and 0 psi street side bag really levels out parking spots when street dwelling.

I once took off my front sway bar to pain it and replace bushings. I was surprised that handling did not deteriorate more than it did.

I think Ideal is the correct leaf spring for the load, assuming it does not vary much, and a thick metal sway bar tying the two sides of the suspension together, trying to keep the vehicle flat.

Ideal is rarely achieved. I'm happy with my airbags and their adjustability, and KYB gas a just shocks.

 

[mikEXpat]

I'm guessing the combination of leaf springs, coils, shocks, and sway bars is what we should think about. Determining the center of gravity plus weight distribution and tire type (E) and pressure combined with driving conditions make for the best ride. Does that sound right?

 

[Canine]

How a rig is is loaded makes an enormous difference. Keep it low, forward of the rear wheels, and balanced. You probably won't be able to load your truck perfectly because the door will be in the way, water and propane tanks probably shouldn't be stored in the same box as the batteries, etc.

Having loaded trucks for lots of years and having had a couple preventable accidents because of poor loading, I now spend a lot of thought and effort toward loading the best way I can.

I have replaced springs on an old car and it helped the ride quite a bit. The ride was softer and it lifted the car an inch or two. I might just get new springs for mine because the ride quality in my rig is such a bummer. Hard for me to say if that will help with a 3/4 ton, though.

 

[masterplumber]

On my last truck, '95 F350 , it came from the factory with auxiliary overload leafs that would only make contact when the truck was loaded. Since it was always loaded and needed some help I added air bags and quality shocks. At first I had enough air in the bags that it wasn't touching the overloads while sitting still and level. It actually swayed more so I let enough air out so that the overloads were in contact - much better and still gave me a little extra support on rough roads etc... Only issue was the bags always leak a little, some more than others, but I didn't have the built in compressor so I would have to add air about once a week.

New truck, '12 Ram 2500. On this truck I didn't want to have to deal with the leaking issue, and I'm still always loaded. Also, this truck didn't come with an auxiliary overload pack like the last one, even though they have exactly the same GVWR. So I added Timbrems, which are more or less solid rubber pieces that go between the axle and frame. They look like large bump stops but with the load on my truck they are in constant contact and slightly compressed. I also added quality shocks - in this case Bilstiens. Both trucks came with sway bars front and rear from the factory.

Also, don't overlook the importance of tires in the equation. Make sure you have a quality 10 ply or load range E tires. You can also go to a slightly larger tire foot print, but you have to be careful there, as you will quickly reach a point where you will actually hurt more than help. General rule of thumb is one size larger than stock, but that's very general.

Last but not least, remember what you're driving. A full size crew cab 4x4 with a camper will never be a sports car. It will always have the handling characteristics of a large school bus. ; )