AirBag Question...Do 2006/7 Ford PSD Still Have Problems?

1) I am debating between a 3/4 ton and 1 ton truck for a BigHorn I'm considering (3055). Am I correct that the installation of air bags will provide more rear axle weight capacity, thereby allowing me to get a 3/4 ton instead of 1 ton?

2) Will air bags also "soften" the ride when not towing? I know these trucks will never ride like a Cadillac, but I do want the ride to be as comfortable as possible for my family when we're out driving around away from the campground.

3) I was planning to get a new 6.0L Ford PSD. But yesterday I started to read (on various forums) that these 6.0L Ford diesel engines have been notorious for having problems. Question to owners of recent (2006 or 2007) Ford 6.0L PSD - is this true, or are reports of problems overblown? I'm trying to figure out if 1 person out of 10 has these type of problems, 1 person out of every 3, etc. - in other words, how frequent is the problem?

Thank you and happy camping!
Gary

Gary,
Here is a link to a Ford Forum that is pretty active, there are some issues but all the makes have some; http://forums.thedieselstop.com/ubbthreads/postlist.php?Cat=0&Board=2003Drivetrain1

I am also in the market for a new truck. Here's what I have found. Some of this is net rumor so take it with a grain of salt.

I don't have a lot of info on the GM products, for no logical reason. I did drive one the other day and really liked their Allison transmission.

Ford and Dodge are both coming out with a new engines soon, so if you want a known engine better do something soon. After Jan 07 new fed emissions go into effect on new trucks built after that date. The new trucks HAVE to burn low the new sulfur fuel. And they are going to have all kinds of new emission hardware on them.

If you want the best engine get the Cummins. That is Dodges strong point. I have had two and had transmission issues with both.

Our kids have a Ford F350 Duramax, and the Cummins will out pull it on a hill loaded heavy, but equal. But their transmission is way smoother than mine, and it has a bigger back seat, and some other things I like better. They always show up a few seconds after we get to the top, but I do enjoy passing them.

On our 3400rl our pin weight goes from 2700 to 3500 lbs. Yours should be a tick less. I wouldn't think of putting that in the back of any 3/4 ton. But a lot of people do. In my opinion it better to have too much truck, rather than wishing it was bigger. Especially when your coming down that mountain pass, the brakes are getting hot, your knuckles are white... and then, god forbid, you have a blowout.

There are still a few 06's floating around with factory incentives. But the picking is getting slim. I think we can get an 07 ordered and built before the end of the year and still have the old known engines.

We put air bags on our 3500 Dodge. It did smooth up the ride a bunch. What it did was allow it to stay up off the overloads. The air bags we put on will add 5000 lbs of weight lifting capacity. They wont, however increase you axle capacity. Your tires will proabably be the limiting factor. I may be wrong, but I dont think the 3/4 tons have overloads, so it might not effect the ride quality as much as it did for us. But it will pick up the rear end and level it out.

So what kind of response did you get from the Dodge guys forum when you asked about the Duramax? I bet it was all good.

Happy shopping, its giving me a headache.
Let us know what you end up with.
TimK

PSD Diesel and Airbags

TimK - thanks for the info and advice. I've not heard from anyone on the Cummins area yet. I'd delete my post there if I could. Decided it would be better off here.

Maybe I should get the 1 ton (instead of 3/4 ton) in that case. I was originally leaning toward the 3/4 ton for the following reason: Butch at RVs4Less told me a 3/4 ton with air bags should be fine for my 3055 and that a 1 ton would ride alot rougher. He said he tows himself with a F250 4x4 PSD with air bags/compressor. But what you said about the tires being the limiting factor makes sense.

The liked Ford (over Dodge) for two basic reasons:

1) The GCWR, GVWR and payload were higher in the Ford
2) The short bed version of the Dodge is approx. 6 inches less than the short bed Ford. Since I wasn't planning to get a slider hitch (due to BigHorn nose design), I thought this extra 6 inches would give me extra safety margin to reduce the potential for collision between the truck and Bighorn when turning/backing. Do you have a short bed in your Dodge and, if so, do you use a slider?

Thanks
Gary

GaryB
I have a Dodge Quad cab with the short bed (3500). I have not had an issue with the short bed. I have a slider, however I have not really needed it. I have used it, but that was in areas where most people would have kept on driving. The cummins engine is amazing when it comes to power. I have out pulled most trucks in the east coast mountains of PA, WV, NY, etc. I do like the straight 6 over the V8. More lowend torque!

Gary,
A one ton will ride a lot rougher. Our kids F350 is stiffer than our dually. If your thinking one ton short bed, I would get ready for a real stiff ride.

I think your right about the extra 6". I pulled a new Alpha home for a friend of mine, the other day. So he could have some extra time deciding what hitch to buy. We took measurements from our Dodge, and he was worried. After measuring his ford, it didn't seem so bad. But he did get the slider. But that was the Alpha. Before you decide for sure on the hitch, go measure the pin to corner distance on your 5ver, then go find your truck, mark a spot in the bed where the pin will sit and see it your ok without the slider. It would be pretty embarrassing to get in a pickle one day where you had to re-hitch to get out of a spot you were in.

Our dually is a long bed, so we dont have the issue.
TimK

There's not a lot of money difference between a 1 ton and a 3/4 ton...When you opt for the diesel option a lot of things become the same Re: the 1 ton and the 3/4 ton..tires ,brakes ,radiator ,batteries,U joints, Diff,transfer case and so on. What does not become the same is the rated GVW.. That having been said , I would pay the small amount extra and get a 1 ton..Like timk said . better to have too much truck than not enough..
Ride quality can is about the same on all makes . I keep 80 lbs in the tires in the summer and you can feel the potholes etc.. In the winter I reduce tire pressure to 55 or 60 and ride is greatly improved....
BTW the 3600 doesn't make the truck sag enough to touch the overloads.
All 3 engines would be fine as no manufacturer would build a bad product.and it come down to personal choice..My personal choice is a cummins as I have had a lot of years experience with them..All trouble free

Thanks all for the advice. Being new to trucks and RVs though, there was one thing that I did not understand - it has to do with the idea of "overloads" in conjunction with air bags on 3/4 ton or 1 ton trucks. Can somebody please explain this me?

Thanks again
Gary

Gary,
Overloads, from the factory are another leaf spring or two attached to the frame that don't get used, until there is a large load in the truck, pushing the frame down to contact the springs. Air bags are just an aftermarket thing that can be added for ride leveling or quality, or if you just like spending money.

TimK

Gary,
check out this website, it talks about the new 6.7 liter Cummins. Notice the WATER COOLED Turbo Charger "No more cool down Timers" and an exhaust brake is built into the turbo Charger, all you will need is a switch in the cab. The 2007.5's will have the new engine and heard the buzz on TDR that it is supposed to have 700 ft lbs. of torque. They are claiming 610 to start. This was the first light truck engine to meet the new restrictions. The others are right, you have issues with all of them, look at the TSB's since 2003 and you will see that International has 78, Duramax has 8 and Cummins has 3. I love the Duramax also, can't bring myself to buy a Japanese Engine though, they already own too much intrest in the US. "imho" Cummins is the oldest privately owned engine manufacturer in the US. Chech out the Links below.

http://list.priceweber.com/cummins/td/ram_chassis.html
http://www.turbodieselregister.com/

Thanks,
Wes

Hi Gary, For what it's worth this is what I did. I pull a 3055RL, pin weight is high, about 2500 to 2900# depending on where and how long we will be gone. I also have a Trail-air pin box. On my 04 GMC dually D/A crew cab long bed, with the 5er on it, the overload springs were about 1 inch from hitting the brackets on the frame. This gave it a harsh jolt and noise when hitting bumps, dips and rough places. I removed the overload spring brackets from the frame of the truck and installed Ride-right air bags. Now the overloads do not contact anything and I use the air bags as overloads. It gives a nice smooth ride with no harsh jar or noise from the overloads. I carry about 3 to 5# of air when not hooked up and about 30# when towing the fiver. I choose a dually for towing because of the added stability and better payload. I would not recommend adding air bags to try and increase your load capacity, as this is governed by axle rating and tire load rating. You might be able to set level with more load by installing air bags, but you cannot increase your axle rating or tire rating.

Hi Jim

Thanks for the info.

Question - WITH the air bags installed and properly inflated, will the ride of the 1-ton be just as good as the 3/4 ton? And will the ride be much better than without airbags (both while not towing and towing)?

I don't mind getting a 1-ton, I just want the truck to ride as softly (i.e., car-like) as possible, since my family and I want to be able to ride around comfortably while unhooked and away from the campground.

Sounds like air bags (and maybe an air hitch, whatever that is ) may be the way to go.

Thanks
Gary

Gary,

Ive got to think that the one ton will still be a bit stiffer loaded and unloaded. Of course were comparing apples or oranges. If you can find some concrete freeways nearby, go take a test drive. The segmented concrete seems to be the worst case scenario. But its not a bone jarring ride, just stiff. I like my truck, however I do get the occasional look from the passenger seat.

TimK

I just traded in my 2004 F-350 crewcab shortbox 4x4 SRW on a 2006. You should go and test drive some 1 tons as Ford changed the front end and the ride is way better. We loaded up our 3600RL with wife, kid, cat and dog and filled water tank. Stopped at scale and weigh in with a GCWR of 23600lbs, which is 600lbs over. So I apparently can't haul with the water tank full. We went from Banff to Radium Hot Springs and home and with the transmission brake I went down an 8 and an 11% grade without touching the brakes and the Ford has the factory trailer brake control which is the nicest controller I have used. I always get the 1 ton for the extra $800. Safer is better.

Did you have to lower your 4x4 1-ton???

Thanks all for the info. I have heard that the 1-ton 4x4's often need to be lowered to increase the clearance between the truck bed rails and the trailer. Has anybody had to do this? I'm trying to understand how common this issue is, and what is involves.

Thanks
Gary

You also have to check the tires cause some 3/4 ton truck tires are not rated to carry as much weight as some of the 1-tons.

Trap

GaryB, I think that you would need a 4" or better lift kit to have bed rail problem. Just about everyone I know who has a 5th wheel drives a 4x4 and no problems.

Gary, as far as ride comfort, the one ton dually will never ride quite as good as a 3/4 ton, air bags or not, but they do help. You have a little heavier springs and twice as much tire surface area on the road on the rear, so you will feel the bumps a little more. But for the difference in overall comfort and safety, and load carrying capacity, I would go with a one ton dually every time.

Airbags

Thanks Jim, but I was not considering a dually. I was interested in comparing the ride quality between a 3/4 ton and 1-ton single rear wheels. I've never even driven a big truck before, and so something as wide as a dually scares the daylights out of me

Tow vehicle and air bags

Hi Guys,
I do not have a Bighorn but we do have a Cyclone 3795 which is 38 ft long tri axel and dry weight of 12230lbs. We pull it with a 2006 Ford F-350 4X4 DRW 4door.with 4:30 rear end. The whole rig loaded weighs in @ 24420 lbs. The 6.0 Power stroke is a power house. It pulls the rig like it not back there. I saw where one of the guys said the cummins pulls better than the Power stroke. But I have a friend with a new Dodge,37 ft toy box also and we went to Tenn last week and went up a 6% grade and we ate that Dodge up climbing the mountain. We top the moutain @ 60 Mph he just could not keep up. Has for the ride of a dually they ride like a truck not a car. I would not pull a big rig with out a dually. They handle better,carry the load better. Do better in the rain, higher load rating.( It is always better to have to much truck than not enough truck ). We are so glade we got the daully over the single rear wheel F-350.