Stiff suspension Towing Rig

[Larryheadhunter]

I am in a quandry so I will turn to any of you that may have an answer to this question, about soft but firm suspension in my tow truck. I thought I was buying the right suspension and springs in my new 2008 Ford F-250 6.4 dual cab diesel last year. The ride even with lowering tire pressure is bumpy and stiff to say the least. I ordered the truck with camping and towing suspension, bought the Mohr/Ryde hitch pin cushion, the pullrite super glide 18K and I still have a rough and bumpy ride unless the road is smooth as silk. It's not the clunking, but rather with my bad back, I need a smooth ride, with and without towing the rig. I have traveled with many of my fellow Heartlanders in their TV and it's like driving a car. I can see my knees shaking, and I have followed every instruction for the least bouncy ride. Some friends tell me to go to a special suspension or spring shop, and have the Ford ride softened so that I can enjoy the ride. Or is it as I suspect, the Ford Super duty itself, that always rides rough? My DW and I were in Arthur LaMontagne's truck and I never felt anything. Does it have to do with the dual cab or the tires? I am at my wits end and would like any and all solutions to my problem, the less expensive the better. I would be very upset if I have to sell the Ford for a Dodge, GMC or Chevy, as the depreciation would be enormous, but I am in a quagmire. Tell me truck gurus, if you were in my shoes, what actions would u take. And yes I have air bags in my truck as well. I do have only 19,000 miles on it so is their a breaking in period for a smoother ride?

 

[boatto5er]

This is a real quandry Larry. We also have a 2008 F250 w/ the camping package and tow command, very similar to yours but ours is a 4x4. My wife drives it everyday and loves the ride. We put a set of "SuperSprings" on it to help the ride when pulling the trailer. Otherwise, no changes to the original.

 

[rumaco]

It is afterall a truck

F250 and F350 SDs are trucks and ride as such, especially the 4X4. Mine has air rides / stabalizers and rides like, well, a 2X4 over a goat trail. I have not seen my knees shake but maybe that is because my head is doing all the bobbing! I have gotten used to it and try to stay away from bumps. I have found if I lower the pressure in my tires and the air rides I get to much bounce and sway. I pull a Bighorn with a 2200# Pin weight and a 16,000# trailer weight.

 

[bill40]

Larry, my wife has a very bad back, as you can see from the profile we have a one ton Chevy. For some reason she can handle the ride empty but had a real problem towing till I installed the tri-glide pin hitch. I think the truck rides rough on highways with expantion joints but the seats seem to help. Before changing trucks hopefully someone can give advice on some kind of seat that would help your wife. Beleive me we drove a lot of trucks before we settled on this one. Good luck I wish I could have been more help. Bill

 

[sealman]

From experience Fords ride rougher than GM trucks. Long wheel base vehicles ride better than short ones. Long wheel base vehicles are easier to drive on open roads, they just need more room to turn in. Our Chev 2500 4x4 Z71 handles great and the gives a very smooth ride.
John

 

[Elder1]

Larry I love my dodge but a smooth ride is out of the question (it ridess like a TRUCK) unless I'm on a nice smooth road. My last truck was a 2002 F250 Power stroke and it rode like a car so ford must have changed something. I don't know the cost but was told that air ride seats can be installed and they take all the bounce out of the ride. Sorry I could not add more.

 

[2010augusta]

Larry you might try to upgrade just the seats, Our custom has the Excalibur leather seats in the front and the are just as comfortable as a la-z-boy. it really saves my back and has allowed us to tow the landmark over 550 miles in a day a few times. Jim. B should have the same seats in his truck and can probably attest to the comfort. It appears that they are a product of Superior Seating of Elkhart. Both Utility Bodywerks and Chariot Hauler use them as an option.

Our F-450's ride is okay, not a caddy, but better than I would expect a 1.5 ton truck to ride, but it has the Kelderman Airide suspension system too.

 

[jmgratz]

When we test drove our 2010 F350 LWB King Ranch Crew Cab it rode like a dream. After buying it and driving it off the lot I checked the tire pressure and found it only had 20 pounds in each tire. (A dealer trick to make a truck ride better). I put the required 80 pounds in the tires and it now "rides like a truck", but the leather seats make it tolerable. Since you have air bags on your truck be sure to lower the air pressure in the air bags to about 15 pounds when not towing. That will help the ride. But remember you are driving a truck so chances are if it rides like a car you cannot tow what you need to.

 

[kakampers]

There are only two solutions that I'm aware of...

1 - Air seats...already suggested.

2 - Air for the Cab...will separate the cab from the frame, eliminating the rough ride of the suspension being transferred to the cab. Check Link air-ride...they make the bags for the cab.

 

[2010augusta]

Link, does not appear to make a system for the 350/3500 and under trucks, nor any of the modern Ford lineup. They have a system for your Kodiak.

 

[caissiel]

We had a 2500 GM extended cab Standard box. It was great with the trailer on but the back was rough with no trailer, but at no occasion that it jumped as much as my neighbour's 1500 Dodge 4x4. The springs on the back were actually much softer then I ever thought. To me this truck was as smooth as any 1/2 tons. I once left a WD40 can on the rear bumper and it was still there after 2 miles. One time I left the digital Camera on the rear bumper and after I travelled to town and back I noticed it still on the bumper.
When I bought this Ford the previous owners installed 2 additional spring plies on each side (one long and one short) in the back, in addition to the camper package helpers. Being a long wheelbase it was not so bad empty but it realy bucked hard when the trailer was hooked on, it realy pushed hard on my back and neck at every pavement lumps or cavities. I drove it like that for 2 years until on l found a broken ply on one side. I travelled across canada with it broken and the ride was a bit improved. Well I replaced the broken ply and removed a long added ply and left a short ply, and took a drive with my new BC. Within a few miles I noticed the truck was way to loose, and the trailer was causing the truck to sway. to much for my liking, but the ride was great. So I went home and replaced the long ply and removed the short ply and voila the truck rides great loaded or empty, and the sway is gone. I have no air ride pin on my trailer because I rather have the truck ride smooth then the trailer smooth, and the truck jumpimg like a jackrabbit against an air ride hitch. When the truck is smooth, the trailer helps in keeping the ride smooth.
My setup is a F250 with one additional spring ply (free to me) just next to the main ply, shocks with 100,000 Miles, Solid pin on the trailer, and the truck riding level with the helper ply just touching on the rubber, not loaded, It drops around 1 3/4'/2" when I put the trailer on. I feel I now have my truck set right for loaded or unloaded ride comfort. Actualy we have a Toyota Matrix that gives a rougher ride then my truck on any road.

 

[kakampers]

Link, does not appear to make a system for the 350/3500 and under trucks, nor any of the modern Ford lineup. They have a system for your Kodiak.

Thanks Alan...didn't know they did not make a system for regular pick-ups...we are, however, considering it for the Kodiak. You want to talk about a rough ride....

 

[Dale and Jen]

Hey Larry,
Dale said that if you ordered this truck with camper and towing suspension, you're going to have a rough ride. Our one ton 350 Ford crew cab, 8 ft bed, rides like a rock on some freeways that have the 10 ft paved sections. Our truck is a Lariat, camper special, with front axle and rear axle anti sway bars, which are very large, plus the extra spring suspension for hauling a camper, which would weigh in the vicinity of 3 to 4,000 lbs. You mentioned that you bought a 2008 Ford..I believe that is the year Ford went to A frame front suspension, as opposed to beam axles. That should give your a comfortable ride. However, a truck is a truck is a truck and will ride like a truck, regardless. When you order a truck with camper and towing suspension, even though it's an F250, you probably have F350 suspension underneath it. On our F350, I recline the back of the seat, which helps my bad back and hips. When we are pulling our BigHorn, with a 2800 lb pin weight it rides like a cadillac. Unhitch it and it rides like a truck! The suggestion by 2010Augusta about custom seats is a great idea. You also might be able to locate some air ride seats such as the semitrailers have in their trucks. Good luck!

 

[Delaine and Lindy]

Air ride seats......

At one time we had a 2006 Chevy Kodiak 4500 that was upfited by Chariot Vans Inc. in Elkhart (6 box Hauler bed). Had the Link Air ride suspension, Air ride seats. One of the options with the hauler bed was a dump valve by dumping the air from a switch it would lower the rear suspension about 5 or 6 inches. Its my experience that the air ride seats is were you get the ride from. The Link air ride suspension did absorb the shock from the road that was transferred to the hauler bed. The Truck we have now has all air system, air ride suspension, air ride seats, air ride cab, dump valve and the seats have the oscillating options. The oscillating system really takes the pressure off the back. I would recomend you check to see if you can get air ride seats, I checked on them in 2005 and they weren't available for the GM 3500's. DW had gotten to the point she couldn't ride in the GM 3500HD's. Now she doesn't have a problem. Good Luck on your search. GBY.....

 

[jimtoo]

What I did to improve my ride was to install Firestone Riderites. Then, because most of the heavy duty (in my opinion) shock or rough ride comes from the overload springs. I took the overload spring brackets from the frame, so that the overload springs have nothing to hit and bounce on. When I tow my BH I use about 30-35# air pressure and that makes me level and I get a great ride. When not towing I just keep min pressure of 5# or less just to keep them inflated. I do have a 1 ton dually and my pin weight is about 2700# and when BH was hooked on the overloads were about 1/2" from touching the brackets, so when you hit a bump, the overloads always came into play and hit and made for rough ride.

Also,,,, I do have a GMC ,,,, not a Ford.

Jim M

 

[slmayor]

Larry, we have a family of truckers and they all say the air ride seats are what save them. They all drive 10 hours at a time. Our 350 dually rides like a buckboard wagon with square wheels when it's empty, but OK with the trailer hooked up. We have a solid pin, no other air, but we're looking to add airbags to the rear of the truck just for a little more leveling.
I'd sure look into the seats if I had your back issues. For certain, it would take the hard jar out of the bumps.

 

[rick_debbie_gallant]

I have an idea spinning on th back burner right now. Use ready would be one of those gel filled cushions that wheel bound folks have for thier wheelchairs. Or perhaps some egg crate. Stillthinking. Heck maybes even a childs blow up swim ring. Wat ya think?

 

[buckeyebob]

chevrolet.

 

[jmgratz]

The reason the Ford rides rougher is because it is a REAL truck not a wanna be

 

[2010augusta]

The reason the Ford rides rougher is because it is a REAL truck not a wanna be

So true Jim, So true.