Truck camper and boat towing

[mainekneeboarder]

Nice looking rig.

If you keep the air bags and lines totally separate from each other it will help with side to side load. But keep the bags connected by an air line and when you go around a corner the outside bag you put more pressure on pushes the air to the inside bag because it has less pressure on it ,which in turn lifts the truck even worse on the inside, and puts more pressure on the outer bag, pushing more air to the inner bag making the condition even worse.

[G-Mack]

Nice looking rig.

If you keep the air bags and lines totally separate from each other it will help with side to side load. But keep the bags connected by an air line and when you go around a corner the outside bag you put more pressure on pushes the air to the inside bag because it has less pressure on it ,which in turn lifts the truck even worse on the inside, and puts more pressure on the outer bag, pushing more air to the inner bag making the condition even worse.

+1.... must be separate.... I have airbags on my dually... they also help a lot with bouncing... the other upgrade is a heavier duty shock but less important that just getting the bags installed.

[jk13]

Really nice. Like the guys said keep L/R bags on separate air lines and you'll be good to go.

Also check into upgrading the stock sway bars or at least the bushings and links. Most lifted guys ignore them because they want greater articulation or just expect a more wallow-y ride, but in your case I would recommend them.

[TheHardWay]

Thanks. You guys are much more helpful than the yahoos on the RV forum.

JK, are you talking about the front sway bar? My truck never had one on the rear end. I considered getting an aftermarket rear sway bar, but I think where the traction bars bolt to the axle would interfere.

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[wakesetter8796]

Wheres your exhaust pipe? Lol<br />6.7 or 5.9?

[jk13]

Yes I meant rear. Goes behind the axle and mounts pretty far inboard on the axle so it shouldn't interfere with a trac bar I'd hope.

Hellwig Big Wig for heavy loads. Scroll down and click on #7266:

http://www.hellwigproducts.com/customer-care/download-instructions/

May have to use longer links, I'd call them with exactly what you have to see if they have a bolt on solution for a lifted truck. My lowered truck has suspension components for at least 3 or 4 different vehicles working together, plus some spacers and other custom fitment fixes. Joys of customization.

[TheHardWay]

Wheres your exhaust pipe? Lol

6.7 or 5.9?

I have the exhaust dumping towards the ground where the pipe arches over the axle. It's a 5.9.

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[wakesetter8796]

Rollin coal! What mods you got and what kind of power and torque #s?

[TheHardWay]

Rollin coal! What mods you got and what kind of power and torque #s?

Power-wise, I've done intake, straight piped exhaust, boost elbow 3600# DD clutch, and EFI Live tuned. I haven't had it on the dyno since I switched to EFI Live, but when I was running a Smarty tuner stacked with a MP8 pressure box, it put down 523/1046 at the wheels.

[malibu2004]

I would get AirBags. Make sure your AirBags are not plumbed together so you don't get the roll. Each one needs it's own air supply. Your going to roll a little bit with the lift.

Also make sure your tires are E rated and heavy duty. You don't want to get a flat with that sucker on your truck.

Those guys on some of the RV sites are complete idiots. You don't need a 1 ton dually diesel to pull a 5000 pound trailer. Like some of the guys say.

Edited March 3, 2014 by malibu2004

[Mountainvelo]

You don't need a 1 ton dually diesel to pull a 5000 pound trailer. Like some of the guys say.

Some of the threads on this forum would make you think the same thing. I get a little truck inferiority complex every time I read them. Then Ms. Mountainvelo talks me down, I hook up to my half ton, pull to the lake, and forget about it.

[Bcloutier]

That's a great looking camper! We have an Eagle Cap 850 with a slide on our truck and we tow the boat with it on. We have a 6" extension as the boat trailer tongue was already quite long and the camper overhang isn't that great.

We originally had a SRW, one ton F350 with a 6" lift and 35's, so a similar setup. It's completely doable, but you need to be smart in the corners. The recommended speed signs are there for a reason. If you don't drive it like a race car you won't have issues. Ours gets close to 3.5-4k loaded and it wasn't an issue.

We did upgrade to a dually after only one year, though. It's stock ride height and there is almost no body roll. I can power through any turns and road conditions with complete confidence. I'm never worried about it tipping or anything like that.

When launching the boat we generally keep the camper on, especially at our local lakes and nice gentle boat launches. The only place I take the camper off at has a very steep boat launch with a drop off at the end. I don't want that much weight on that steep of an angle so I drop the trailer, remove the camper and put the boat in. We stay there for a week at a time anyways so it's nice to have the camper on the ground and the truck by itself if needed.