Rear Suspension Assist Options

[bborzell]

Nobody needs a weight distribution hitch; until they do.

[Jim Bennett]

I have towed many a trailer with F-250 and F-350s for 25 years, including heavily loaded dump trailers to my Escape 19 and never had much drop at the hitch, maybe a couple inches with a very heavy tongue weight. My 19 never really made it drop at all. 5" of hitch drop when connecting an Escape trailer of any size really does not sound like something that should happen.

I never used a WDH for any trailer when towing with them.

[Selkirk]

Originally Posted by dcgrout

Payload sticker shows 3205 lbs, plenty for what I do. Factory sticker shows 11,400 GVWR package. However, the Ford Super Duty Spec sheet shows 3900 lbs payload for this truck with the 11,400# GVWR rating, so I lost 700 lbs somewhere.

My guess is that 700lb payload reduction from Ford's spec sheet is due to the diesel engine option. That's about the weight difference between the Powerstroke and the gas V8. That diesel is very heavy. I know that when optioned in the F250, the Powerstroke can reduce the truck's payload down to 1/2 ton territory.

I can't conceive how the 500-700lb tongue weight of a 5000lb trailer could cause the rear end of a one ton truck with a 3000lb+ payload capacity to sag close to 5", We do our share of heavy hauling at work with a variety of modern SRW F250's/F350's, and I've never noticed anywhere near that much suspension sag for that kind of load.

Did this truck come with with some sort of lift kit or off-road suspension package? If it was my truck, I would first take it to a reputable driveline/suspension shop that was very knowledgeable with the Ford Super Duty chassis and have it evaluated.

[Jim Bennett]

Originally Posted by Selkirk

My guess is that 700lb payload reduction from Ford's spec sheet is due to the diesel engine option. That's about the weight difference between the Powerstroke and the gas V8. That diesel is very heavy. I know that when optioned in the F250, the Powerstroke can reduce the truck's payload down to 1/2 ton territory.

I owned 4 different Super Duty trucks, all with the Powerstroke engine and they all had around 7,000 or more payload capacity.

[oldwave]

Originally Posted by Centex

Shock absorbers play no role in supporting a load (they serve to dampen motion), so even if removed the truck at-rest will sag whatever amount it sags with them installed.

Air-shocks are the exception - they function as both dampers and in part as load-supporting devices. Ford does not install air-shocks as OE equipment on any F-150 / 250 / 350. Even the high-tech "CCD / Continuous Controlled Damping" shocks available as an option on the latest F-150 has no load-supporting function.

Perhaps a broken spring then

[7Gentex]

Originally Posted by Jim Bennett

I owned 4 different Super Duty trucks, all with the Powerstroke engine and they all had around 7,000 or more payload capacity.

"payload"........

Maybe on a F-450 dually and up........

[bborzell]

Just to be safe…

Not too sure about the height of the hitch. Might need to avoid overpasses.

[Perry Butler]

Originally Posted by bborzell

Nobody needs a weight distribution hitch; until they do.

My father smoked cigarettes all his life and never died of cancer.

A 3/4 or one ton truck does nothing to prevent sway. Until it happens most don't understand. We had a sway event with an Andersen hitch and our 24' Cougar camper. Terry was driving and luckily I immediately grabbed the camper brakes and got it under control. It was only one event, but it scared the hell out of Terry. I finally got someone at Andersen to admit they aren't perfect with sway, especially with larger campers. Our last two WDH's were Blue Ox that also have decent sway control.

Enjoy,

Perry

[Mike Lewis]

I recently returned from a trip to Maine. Early in the trip my Curt WDH started dropping one of its bars. I decided to not use the WDH bars for the rest of the trip. I couldn't really notice the difference. I'm tempted to not use the WDH anymore.

I have a 2013 Tacoma. I'm considering helper springs like the Sumo springs. Any advice?

[RBRV]

I really like my equalizer wdh and would not tow without it. To add to rear suspension I used Roadmaster active suspension springs that I am also very pleased with.

[Dcboyd]

https://www.ford-trucks.com/forums/1...e-package.html

It means that the truck is built exactly the same except the manufacturer's capacity stickers' values are lowered to show 10,000 GVWR and a corresponding reduced cargo carrying capacity.... merely a documentation change for legal purposes. And for legal purposes you should also abide by the reduced numbers on the documentation or you are legally considered to be overloaded. As mentioned, trailers can also be ordered with reduced GVWR such that when paired with the tow vehicle's GVWR, the GVWRs add up to a total number less than 26000 lbs such that a CDL is not needed.

[paulw]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I recently returned from a trip to Maine. Early in the trip my Curt WDH started dropping one of its bars. I decided to not use the WDH bars for the rest of the trip. I couldn't really notice the difference. I'm tempted to not use the WDH anymore.

I have a 2013 Tacoma. I'm considering helper springs like the Sumo springs. Any advice?

Hi Mike,
Same trailer, different truck.
With my Silverado, I started using a Gen-Y Glyder draw bar instead of the Anderson No Sway I bought from ETI with the trailer (I had an SUV at the time).
I replaced the rear bump stops with Sumo Springs 65FR (blue) to help with rear drop. There is about an 1" of suspension travel before they engage, so don't affect the ride when not towing.
Simple, tows great.

[Mike Lewis]

I fiddled with the Curt hitch so that my dropping leveler bar stopped dropping. This worked, and I'm using the WDH bars again.


I bought the Sumo springs, and while on a trip to Orlando with my trailer my multi-talented cousin installed them in 30 minutes. I just handed him the parts while feeling useless. On the way home I didn't really notice handling differences; the Taco has always handled well pulling the E21. But I did notice that the towing combination was level again: my headlights pointed straight ahead and people no longer flash their lights for me to dim mine. Overall I think the Sumo springs are an improvement. I should replace the shocks in my Tacoma. After 270,000 miles it's about time.

[SageRpod]

Sumo Springs are awesome. I had them on both of our Nissan Frontiers (5' bed and then a 6' bed) when we pulled our Rpod. I consider them a must for any mid-size truck even with a WDH.

[bborzell]

RAM trucks come with coil springs in order to make the ride in the rear as car like as possible. Where leaf springs can resist a significant amount of their allocated tongue weight before letting the hitch drop to a point where headlights head north and rear wheel well gaps compress, the RAM coils give in at first before they settle in and are willing to support their claimed tongue weight.

Our RAM has a tow capacity of 11,600 lbs. As such, one would think that the <500 lb. tongue weight presented by our 21C would be no big thing to the RAM. In fact, it is not a “big” thing, but it is enough of a small thing (2” drop) so as to require an intervention which is where the SumoSprings (Blue) come in.

The SumoSprings bring the truck almost level. The Blue Ox Sway Pro adds sway control to the just enough tweak to make both camper and truck totally on the up and up.

[Brian B-P]

Originally Posted by bborzell

RAM trucks come with coil springs in order to make the ride in the rear as car like as possible. Where leaf springs can resist a significant amount of their allocated tongue weight before letting the hitch drop to a point where headlights head north and rear wheel well gaps compress, the RAM coils give in at first before they settle in and are willing to support their claimed tongue weight.

Although perhaps not the intention, descriptions like this tend to make people think that leaf springs are more capable... and they're absolutely not. Light-duty Ram trucks have a rear suspension with control links, instead of depending on the leaf springs to control axle movement. That means they can use softer springs, and they do for ride comfort. They could put in coils just as stiff as typical leaf springs, and with rising rate just like a leaf pack with overload leaves, but it would ride just as harsh as a cheap leaf setup - they didn't go to the expense of the control arm suspension to get no benefit.

If you need more load capacity with the Ram suspension you can get air springs instead of coils (it's a factory option), and let the system adjust to the load, maintaining height and adding stiffness as required. Urethane springs (such as the Sumo products) are an alternative way to increase spring stiffness - with a rising rate as well - if desired.

For anyone looking for control arm and coil spring suspension, or wanting to avoid it, the Toyota Tundra and Sequoia now have it.

[bborzell]

The intent was to explain why RAM trucks settle initially under tongue weight more than most leaf springs, not to suggest that leafs are more capable.

[cpaharley2008]

Another reason why I installed "air springs" on my Ram, to make it firmer and they can be adjusted on the road with a small air compressor....

[BobG]

This accident happened Christmas morning. No one was hurt. Tow vehicle was damaged and trailer was ... I was not involved.

My vehicle manual says for best vehicle handling when towing, adjust the trailer load so that the tongue load is at the maximum allowable or slightly lower. Allowable is 770lbs.

The manual also says the tow vehicle should be loaded to the extent possible and permissible, while keeping the trailer as light as possible under the circumstances.

I do not know how the vehicle and trailer involved in the pictures were loaded but I do know they were using a weight distribution hitch.

If sway starts to happen, it seems to me that more weight on the rear axle of the tow vehicle would better hold the rear tires to the pavement and lesson the chance of skidding sideways. The recommendations in my manual correspond with this thinking.

My understanding is that a weight distribution hitch is designed to transfer weight off the rear axle of the tow vehicle and distribute it to the trailer axles and the front axle of the tow vehicle. This seems necessary if the rear axle is overloaded but really, how much weight should be taken off the rear axle? My manual seems to say, maximize the weight on the rear axle for stability.

What I am thinking is that maybe WDH adjusted too tight could result in a highly unstable distribution of weight. The sway control mechanisms build into some WDH products doesn't seem to me to amount to much protection considering the forces involved when a trailer begins to sway.

Weight distribution hitches certainly smooths out the ride.

I should probably delete this message but there seems to me to be an over reliance on WDHs as a path to safe towing. There also seems to me to be a perception by some that the WDH needs to be employed to level the trailer. If the wrong height ball is installed (too low), it seems to me that doing this could result in unstable distribution of weight and an unbalanced rig.

Food for thought. In some ways I am repeating what others have said but with different words. I hope I don't get banned or start a something not intended. I am not saying using a WDH is wrong or unsafe.

[Rossue]

In JD Gallant's excellent towing guide he explains on P 29 that "many accidents happen when a towing vehicle loses control as a result of incorrectly-tensioned spring bars....if the spring bars are rated too low, they will not respond to varied load and road conditions. However, if they are rated too high the RVer may be tempted to overtension the spring bars, which would remove enough pressure from the rear axle to cause the rear wheels of the towing vehicle to lose traction with the resulting loss of steering control."

There is a lot more to this guide, and one of the very important aspects discussed is the topic of trailer length vs. tow vehicle wheelbase.

https://rv.org/pages/about-how-to-tow-guide-safely