First off, I've got the smallest lightest Lance camper, the 805. When it was on the 06 Tundra (with airbags) it was rock solid. minimal sway and solid stable feel. The Tundra crapped the bed so I bought a new Chevy Silverado 1500 (with airbags) ....the camper is now wild in the back. It rocks and sways like crazy.....all the solid feel that the Tundra had is gone. The setup is exactly the same on both trucks.....
Any suggestions on how to return to the confident feel of the Tundra with the Silverado?
2009 Chevy Silverado 3500 dually D/A, Supersprings, Stable Loads, Bilstein Shocks, Hellwig Sway Bar, Front Timbrens.
2010 Arctic Fox 1140 DB, 220 watts solar, custom 4 in 1 "U" shaped dinette/couch, 59 interior and exterior mods to date and still adding
Possibly too much air in the airbags, or they were not installed with separate air lines. If they are both filled from one line then the air can transfer back and forth creating a lot of sway. Sounds like you might not using your springs to capacity and rockin back and forth on the airbags , how much air are you running in the bags ?. Just my opinion, hope you find the problem.
Springs support payload. If the truck is sagging excessively with the camper in the bed, you don't have enough spring support. Supersprings, airbags, overload springs, etc. can address that problem. Be aware though, that running high psi in the airbags can have undesirable effects on the handling as well. They may be leveling the truck, but they can make it feel too bouncy when the pressure is high. If your having to use a lot of air to level the truck with the camper loaded, you'd probably be better off with heavier steel springs.
Shocks dampen up and down movements that are induced by hitting bumps, potholes, dips in the road, etc. Getting the stiffest, most controlling shocks you can find is usually best for truck camper hauling.
Rocking and swaying suggest to me that the truck doesn't have any anti-sway bars, or they are light duty bars. I'd be looking for the heaviest bars for the front and rear I could find.
Finally, look at your tire ratings. Going to a higher load rating on your tires can give you stiffer sidewalls, which improves the handling when the truck camper is loaded.
You might have to take an "all of the above" approach to get the ride where it's acceptable to you.
* This post was
edited 04/30/12 06:26pm by NRALIFR *
GMCPU53 wrote: Possibly too much air in the airbags, or they were not installed with separate air lines. If they are both filled from one line then the air can transfer back and forth creating a lot of sway. Sounds like you might not using your springs to capacity and rockin back and forth on the airbags , how much air are you running in the bags ?. Just my opinion, hope you find the problem.
Joe
Yes...psi too high in the airbags.
I run 20psi drivers side...40psi passenger side.
You likely had the overloads fully engaged on the other truck and they are not engaged on the new truck.
Good luck,
B
2006 Chevy D/A CC
Adventurer 810WS
25'Airstream Excella
"Good People Drink Good Beer"-Hunter S Thompson
GMCPU53 wrote: Possibly too much air in the airbags, or they were not installed with separate air lines. If they are both filled from one line then the air can transfer back and forth creating a lot of sway. Sounds like you might not using your springs to capacity and rockin back and forth on the airbags , how much air are you running in the bags ?. Just my opinion, hope you find the problem.
Joe
Yes...psi too high in the airbags.
I run 20psi drivers side...40psi passenger side.
You likely had the overloads fully engaged on the other truck and they are not engaged on the new truck.
Good luck,
B
The OP is addressing the difference between two 1/2 ton pick ups. As far as I know, these low capacity trucks dont have overload springs.
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