Suggestions for improving towing in an F150?

[rhetthughes]

Hello good people! I’m looking for some suggestions on if I should do anything to kind of beef up and support the stock suspension in my truck. Here is what I am working with: I have a 2014 F150 SCrew with eco boost and the max trailering package. I’m pulling a 35 foot travel trailer, with our gear and all it’s about 7500 lbs, and 800lbs on the hitch. We have a family of 4, plus throw gear in the truck bed, etc etc. I have the equalizer WDH. My max towing is 11,200, my max hitch weight is 1120, and my max cargo weight is 1960. I’m well within the limits, but would like to offer my truck a little support.

That said,I have searched forum after forum and read about people doing one or more of the following to give their truck a little help in towing: airbags, extra leaf spring, timbrens SES, LT tires, and better shocks (likebilstein shocks). I’m curious from those who have tried various combinations of those things to see if there is a general consensus about what combination of things worked best? It SEEMS like upgrading my tires from the stock Michelin tires to more of a truck tire and adding firestone airbags into the rear seems to give the best results in helping to eliminate the little bit of extra sway that the Equalizer doesn’t quite prevent and to give a bit better ride when towing. I just hate hitting those bumps on the highway and feeling like the truck is “bottoming out”.

So my questions: 1) do you think given my specs on the camper and truck that adding anything like air bags would be beneficial, and 2) if so, what combination of things would y’all suggest I add? Thank y’all very much for taking the time to read and respond!

[RinconVTR]

LT tires and a Hensley (or Propride) hitch is all you need here.

You'll never look back and wonder why you didn't spend the money sooner.

[atwowheelguy]

My four year old truck with all original stock suspension parts tows well with no problems. I did take it across the scales four times to get the WD hitch adjusted properly and the load in the trailer properly located. The tongue weight varied from 700 to 920 and from 10.5% to 13.6% of trailer weight. It ended up at 780 and 10.8%. The truck is at 94% fGAWR, 92% rGAWR and 95% GVWR. 89% of lifted weight is returned to the front. A trip to the scales helps get it balanced.

[Samsonsworld]

lawrosa wrote:

When these p rated tires wear out I am going to an LT tire.

P rated tires load rating does not change with air pressure. 32-35 psi is the norm. I do air my tires to 40 psi though to try to maintain a stiffer side wall..

Going to an E rated tire and 60+ psi made a world of difference on my f150.

[ktmrfs]

One way to improve ride quality IF your within payload etc. is to use a air safe air hitch. really uncouples the trailer movement from the truck. frost heaves, expansion joints, etc. are hardly noticed. After I got ours first ride was on a road to the coast full of frost heaves I'd driven before. Had I not known better I'd have sworn they repaved the road.

Now for the downsides. It is HEAVY, around 100lbs or more which makes putting it on or removing it from the reciever, a chore, and likewise to move it around. Mine is a class VII for a 2.5" reciever and in addition to the air bags has two shocks on it as well.

Second, it isn't inexpensive. you pay for what you get.

But it works and is completely compatible with most WD and sway control setups. I say most because not sure it would work with a Hensley or similar hitches.

[aftermath]

Rhett,

First of all, I think you should weigh your trailer to get the real readings. When you say "about" 800lb TW you might be surprised as to the real weight. My trailer has a GVW of 7500 and and a published TW of 800 or so. I have weighed my setup twice now and find the the actual TW is just a few over 1000 lbs. I have two batteries, two full tanks of propane and a spare tire on the tongue.

I use an Equalizer and have set it up so everything is level. You probably can't return 100% of the weight to the front wheels and even Equalizer says so. They shoot for getting as close as you can. My trailer rides pretty nice but I did notice some "squishy" behavior on turns. I replaced the P Radials with some LTs and it made a huge difference.

I think you should be fine by making adjustments to your hitch, getting LT tires and even upgrading your shocks especially if they are getting old. I am not a fan of air bags. If you are under your capacities you shouldn't need them. If you are not, adding air bags might just be masking other issues. How are your axle ratings?

[lawrosa]

demiles wrote:
The OP didn’t say he was experiencing any handling issues, he just wanted to improve the ride quality. In my own experiences the Equalizer hitch gives a much stiffer/harsh ride then the basic Round bar Reese hitch it replaced. I’ve used the Equalizer for 8 years now and things are starting to wear, for ride quality I’m going back to old but more forgiving design. Can someone comment on the Blue Ox vs Equalizer for ride quality?

Ive only had an old brophy hitch for over 15 years... Its like the standard blue ox , bit the blue ox bars are whippy.. Then bend a lot it looks like..

And WOOOO pricey for all these fancy hitchs..

Ive never had sway issues. Either its the coachmens ive owned or I get the weight down pretty good.. Im 14% now..

Basically I have this in a 1000 pound bar .. But same exact thing.

Whats funny is I looked around and you cant get 1000 bar anymore. The pro series shows it but forced to buy friction sway control with it...

https://www.reese-hitches.com/products/Husky_Round_Bar_Weight_Distribution_Kit__1_200_lbs,31423

[demiles]

The OP didn’t say he was experiencing any handling issues, he just wanted to improve the ride quality. In my own experiences the Equalizer hitch gives a much stiffer/harsh ride then the basic Round bar Reese hitch it replaced. I’ve used the Equalizer for 8 years now and things are starting to wear, for ride quality I’m going back to old but more forgiving design. Can someone comment on the Blue Ox vs Equalizer for ride quality?

[handye9]

rhetthughes wrote:
The dealership set up the weight distribution and while this may not be perfect, measuring the ground to the top of the wheel well, the back end sank 1.5 inches and the front end sank 3/4 of an inch. So after reading some thoughts here, Am I correct to understand that one thing I want to do is adjust the WDH to get that front end to sink about the same as the back end - so I need to do adjust it so it presses the front down a bit and lifts the back a bit. Would that be correct?

For front wheel well measurements, the goal is for WDH to return the height as close as you can, to what it was before you hitched up. The rear will take care of itself. The theory behind this is, if the front wheel well gets returned to original height, lost front axle weight must also be restored, and your headlights aren't pointing up in the trees.

There are many tow vehicles that have helper springs, air bags, and automatic leveling systems. They help in returning the wheel well to original height, but, they do nothing for lost weight restoration. With these, wheel well measurements wouldn't tell you much about restoring front axle weight.

Scale weights will tell you in pounds, what your axles (front and rear) weigh without the trailer, axle weights with WDH applied, axle weights without WDH, and loaded trailer weight. With these numbers you can see how many pounds are lost on your front axle, how many pounds your WDH is restoring, and calculate actual tongue weight and it's percentage.

Check your owners manual (truck), some manufacturers recommend 100% weight restoration, and some recommend as little as 50%.

When you drive onto the scale, you'll see it is broken up into three sections (plates). You want to stop with your axles, each on a separate plate. The button to call the weigh master is located up high for the big rigs. Bring a broom stick or something to help you reach it. You may want to go in to talk with weigh master, before you drive on the scale, about how he / she likes to do the multiple weights.

[lawrosa]

Oh the major improvment I saw was high speed lane chage and sudden turning.. The long bed and going to florida with all that weight the body rolled more.. With the sumos and towing that roll is gone. I can whip that truck/trailer left and right with firm planting. Most noticeable as described above but also on high speed off ramps too. many times coming off a highway a bit too hot the trailer would push the rear in that turn and fear of loss of control was always on my mind. Now I have no fear to get on the pedal and take turns with no or minimal body roll..

The second pic above was after sumo springs and loaded exactly the same with our other major trip to PA for a week..

Loaded in the bed in both pics are generator, solar panel, compressor, 4 crates of camper pads, hosed, etc etc.gas can, two 15 gallon water totes, and 5 gallon bucket of stuff.

300 lbs?

Wife and kids are in the truck in both pics

500 lbs

800 lbs plus 740 TW = 1540 lbs. I only have 1430 lb payload, but the WD puts to my front axles ( which is oversized 200 lbs..Plow truck set up I assume) And the rest to the trailer.

Example of my cat scale weights..

rear axle from sticker on door
Front 3925
rear 3750


GVWR 6900 lbs


Scales
Driver 200 lbs full tank 34 gallons fuel truck only

steer 3300
drive 2300

= 5600

Truck /trailer no WD engauged

steer 3020
drive 3320
trailer 4560

= 10900

Truck trailer WD engauged

steer 3160
drive 3100
Trailer 4680

10940

( Missed restoring to original by 140lbs. As I said head is max tilted and bars are up level. This is the best I can do. But also 140 lbs was sent to front with WD engauged.)

( 120 lbs sent to trailer)

How to get TW?????

Truck trailer scale weight no WD but add truck only..


steer 3020
drive 3320

= 6340 minus truck alone 5600 = 740lbs Tw

[lawrosa]

rhetthughes wrote:

handye9 wrote:

APT wrote:
Spend $15 at a CAT scale and adjust your WDH to restore 100% lost front axle weight. That will likely improve handling greatly. I don't recommend rear suspension aids combined with a WDH.

When it's time to replace your tires, get light truck load rated tires, not passenger.

I'll second that !!


Some things to consider:

Tires - Passenger (P) rated tires are designed more for passenger comfort and have softer sidewalls than truck (LT) tires. This allows more side to side flexing.

Recommended tire air pressure - Also designed more towards comfort, the number listed on your loading sticker is lower than what your pressure should be for hauling a heavy load. Passenger tires, with lowered air pressure, are much more susceptible to sidewall flexing.

WDH setup - If your distribution hitch is not restoring enough weight to your front axles, you may experience some steering and handling issues. Air bags and helper springs may improve the appearance of level towing and may give you a softer ride, but, they do not restore front axle weight, nor do they increase any towing and carrying ratings.

Average tongue weight is 12 - 13 percent of loaded trailer weight, and, it is not a constant number. It goes up and down with every load and during every trip. Depending on location (in relation to the trailer's axles), storage areas and holding tanks can have a significant impact on tongue weight. Looking at your floor plan, your trailer has a front pass through storage area. Most of that weight goes directly onto your tongue weight.

Average camping load (pots and pans, dishes, camp chairs, BBQ equipment, groceries, water, etc) is 800 - 1000 lbs. Ten to fifteen percent of this, adds to tongue weight.

Your trailer started out near 6800 lbs, empty. That doesn't include dealer installed options, propane, and quite possibly a battery or two. With an average load, it could have a loaded weight around 8000 lbs and tongue weight in the area of 1100 lbs. Add 100 lbs for your distributing hitch, and your trailer could be eating up 1200 of your 1960 payload. Now, subtract weight of any aftermarket accessories, your family, and cargo. Are you still "well within" your payload?


Scale weights will give you a better picture of how well your truck and trailer are matched, how well your weight distribution is setup, and a more accurate picture of loaded trailer weight and tongue weight. If you do this, do it while on a camping trip. Get your scale weights with family, cargo, groceries, and water on board.

Fist pass - truck / trailer with WD applied
Second pass - truck / trailer without WD applied
Third pass - leave trailer in parking lot and weigh just the truck with the family and cargo on board.

First time hitting the scales, has been an unpleasant surprise for many of us.

When manufacturers determine their "max tow" rating, they have no way of knowing what or who the consumer will be carrying in addition to the trailer weight. The consumer needs to adjust those "max towing" and payload numbers, accordingly. IE: If manufacturer says your max tow rating is 10,000 lbs and you put 1000 lbs of people and cargo in the vehicle, it's max tow rating becomes 9000 lbs.

Manufacturers will also tell you, your individual "max towing capacity" is limited to the weakest link in your overall towing systems. In most cases, that weak link is either payload or the hitch receiver, but, it could also be tires, axles, wheels, brakes, power train, drive train, or suspension.

Also note... None of us have 100% of the info needed to give you an exact fix. We don't know the size of your family, we don't know the condition of roads you are driving on, we don't know the weather you're driving in, and we don't know what your cargo may be.

A while back, we had a gentleman ask about matching up his truck and trailer. With all the information provided, his numbers looked like he was slightly under his specs. He purchased said trailer and came back with questions about handling issues. Turned out, one of his passengers was handicapped and he was carrying 500 lbs of wheel chair equipment. With the added cargo weight, he was overloaded.

This is all great info. Thank you for that. Now to find a nearby CAT scale... The way I came up with my figure (and when I said 800, I miss typed and should have typed 900, but I still may be way off) is as follows: the sticker on my camper said 650 dry hitch, the stuff in the front pass through plus inside bedroom cabinets, under bed, etc is no more than 200 lbs. My WDH with bars is about 100. I have two 20 lb propane tanks and one battery. I then figured some of that front pass through weight gets distributed to the trailer axels. So roughly 900 lbs. The dealership set up the weight distribution and while this may not be perfect, measuring the ground to the top of the wheel well, the back end sank 1.5 inches and the front end sank 3/4 of an inch. So after reading some thoughts here, Am I correct to understand that one thing I want to do is adjust the WDH to get that front end to sink about the same as the back end - so I need to do adjust it so it presses the front down a bit and lifts the back a bit. Would that be correct? Thanks again for yall’s time and help in making sure I get it right. Truthfully, I want to upgrade to a F350 SRW, but that is not an option for our budget at this time.

The idea for WD is to get the front to original ride hight without going over. Or as close as you can..

Sometimes it is what it is.

I have my hitch head at max angle, and bars chained up level. Thats the best I can do. The front is restored 70-80%. I think 160 lbs back to front The rear is what it is and the trailer got about 80 lbs.

You need to get the 3 weights with the truck and trailer at the cat scale.

Use this calculator..

http://towingplanner.com/ActualWeights/TravelTrailerCatScales

My TW is 14%.

I get no sway..

When these p rated tires wear out I am going to an LT tire.

P rated tires load rating does not change with air pressure. 32-35 psi is the norm. I do air my tires to 40 psi though to try to maintain a stiffer side wall..

LT tires have more plys in the side walls and weight ratings change with pressure..

Since I am cheap, I can get the uniroyal laredo tour LT tires for $130 a tire. 265 70 17 with 60 k mike warranty and 2436 lbs @44

https://www.uniroyaltires.com/products/laredo-cross-country-tour.html

[lawrosa]

rhetthughes wrote:

lawrosa wrote:
Hers before sumos fully loaded before.. and after

Thank you for those pictures and thoughts. I have been leaning towards bilsteins and something like the sumos as the way to go. My sag is not quite that much as you are showing prior to adding the sumos, but I tell ya, when I hit a pothole on the road with my back tires, it is a jolt like something fierce! So I figured I was close to my suspension’s limit and wanted to offer it a boost. You mentioned the Sumo springs. Do you prefer them over the timbrens for any reason? I have read that timbrens will help level the load but will also makenthe ride fairly rough when towing. I’m not looking for some sort of glamorous ride when towing, but I also don’t like the feeling I get hitting those potholes. Hope to find something that provides more support and a bit of give to take the “shock” out of those rough roads. I95, I26, I20 are all a disaster here in South Carolina.

the tims are harder and from what I read will give you a hard hit. And when unloaded. I think they sit right on the axle. I like the sumos becuase they sit 1-2" off the axle. Only come into play with a load.

I have a 740 lbs TW. I went to florida fully loaded as in the first pic without the sumos. The truck sagged as shown, and the leafs did a good job, but hitting bumps I was at or near my bump stops.

1500 springs are weak IMO and having a long bed is no help.

So the sumos start touching the axles with about 200-250 lbs on the rear. They are 900 lbs capacity. The rear is more firm when bumps are hit, or over bridge aprons.

My other option would of been super springs. That would of lifted the rear some, but the ride unloaded would be firm probably and I didnt want that..

The super springs are a bolt on add a leaf..

I got the sumo springs cheap with a coupon code. I believe they were less then $130 bucks..

[elivi8]

I upgraded to the E rated tires. Made a big difference. I also upgraded the shocks to Bilsteins and added airbags. I would say that biggest difference was the air bags. It added some stability and lifted the truck up to be stable. The key is to make sure you don't have a dip between the truck and trailer.

Ryan

[rhetthughes]

handye9 wrote:

APT wrote:
Spend $15 at a CAT scale and adjust your WDH to restore 100% lost front axle weight. That will likely improve handling greatly. I don't recommend rear suspension aids combined with a WDH.

When it's time to replace your tires, get light truck load rated tires, not passenger.

I'll second that !!


Some things to consider:

Tires - Passenger (P) rated tires are designed more for passenger comfort and have softer sidewalls than truck (LT) tires. This allows more side to side flexing.

Recommended tire air pressure - Also designed more towards comfort, the number listed on your loading sticker is lower than what your pressure should be for hauling a heavy load. Passenger tires, with lowered air pressure, are much more susceptible to sidewall flexing.

WDH setup - If your distribution hitch is not restoring enough weight to your front axles, you may experience some steering and handling issues. Air bags and helper springs may improve the appearance of level towing and may give you a softer ride, but, they do not restore front axle weight, nor do they increase any towing and carrying ratings.

Average tongue weight is 12 - 13 percent of loaded trailer weight, and, it is not a constant number. It goes up and down with every load and during every trip. Depending on location (in relation to the trailer's axles), storage areas and holding tanks can have a significant impact on tongue weight. Looking at your floor plan, your trailer has a front pass through storage area. Most of that weight goes directly onto your tongue weight.

Average camping load (pots and pans, dishes, camp chairs, BBQ equipment, groceries, water, etc) is 800 - 1000 lbs. Ten to fifteen percent of this, adds to tongue weight.

Your trailer started out near 6800 lbs, empty. That doesn't include dealer installed options, propane, and quite possibly a battery or two. With an average load, it could have a loaded weight around 8000 lbs and tongue weight in the area of 1100 lbs. Add 100 lbs for your distributing hitch, and your trailer could be eating up 1200 of your 1960 payload. Now, subtract weight of any aftermarket accessories, your family, and cargo. Are you still "well within" your payload?


Scale weights will give you a better picture of how well your truck and trailer are matched, how well your weight distribution is setup, and a more accurate picture of loaded trailer weight and tongue weight. If you do this, do it while on a camping trip. Get your scale weights with family, cargo, groceries, and water on board.

Fist pass - truck / trailer with WD applied
Second pass - truck / trailer without WD applied
Third pass - leave trailer in parking lot and weigh just the truck with the family and cargo on board.

First time hitting the scales, has been an unpleasant surprise for many of us.

When manufacturers determine their "max tow" rating, they have no way of knowing what or who the consumer will be carrying in addition to the trailer weight. The consumer needs to adjust those "max towing" and payload numbers, accordingly. IE: If manufacturer says your max tow rating is 10,000 lbs and you put 1000 lbs of people and cargo in the vehicle, it's max tow rating becomes 9000 lbs.

Manufacturers will also tell you, your individual "max towing capacity" is limited to the weakest link in your overall towing systems. In most cases, that weak link is either payload or the hitch receiver, but, it could also be tires, axles, wheels, brakes, power train, drive train, or suspension.

Also note... None of us have 100% of the info needed to give you an exact fix. We don't know the size of your family, we don't know the condition of roads you are driving on, we don't know the weather you're driving in, and we don't know what your cargo may be.

A while back, we had a gentleman ask about matching up his truck and trailer. With all the information provided, his numbers looked like he was slightly under his specs. He purchased said trailer and came back with questions about handling issues. Turned out, one of his passengers was handicapped and he was carrying 500 lbs of wheel chair equipment. With the added cargo weight, he was overloaded.

This is all great info. Thank you for that. Now to find a nearby CAT scale... The way I came up with my figure (and when I said 800, I miss typed and should have typed 900, but I still may be way off) is as follows: the sticker on my camper said 650 dry hitch, the stuff in the front pass through plus inside bedroom cabinets, under bed, etc is no more than 200 lbs. My WDH with bars is about 100. I have two 20 lb propane tanks and one battery. I then figured some of that front pass through weight gets distributed to the trailer axels. So roughly 900 lbs. The dealership set up the weight distribution and while this may not be perfect, measuring the ground to the top of the wheel well, the back end sank 1.5 inches and the front end sank 3/4 of an inch. So after reading some thoughts here, Am I correct to understand that one thing I want to do is adjust the WDH to get that front end to sink about the same as the back end - so I need to do adjust it so it presses the front down a bit and lifts the back a bit. Would that be correct? Thanks again for yall’s time and help in making sure I get it right. Truthfully, I want to upgrade to a F350 SRW, but that is not an option for our budget at this time.

[rhetthughes]

lawrosa wrote:
Hers before sumos fully loaded before.. and after

Thank you for those pictures and thoughts. I have been leaning towards bilsteins and something like the sumos as the way to go. My sag is not quite that much as you are showing prior to adding the sumos, but I tell ya, when I hit a pothole on the road with my back tires, it is a jolt like something fierce! So I figured I was close to my suspension’s limit and wanted to offer it a boost. You mentioned the Sumo springs. Do you prefer them over the timbrens for any reason? I have read that timbrens will help level the load but will also makenthe ride fairly rough when towing. I’m not looking for some sort of glamorous ride when towing, but I also don’t like the feeling I get hitting those potholes. Hope to find something that provides more support and a bit of give to take the “shock” out of those rough roads. I95, I26, I20 are all a disaster here in South Carolina.