(We weep, cry, pull our hair and gnash our teeth when we’re off camera.) We do try to roll with it, but some days, when presented with $4k repair estimates, we struggle mightily. A cold drink, chips and salsa helps tremendously!
We've debated about airbags a lot. Many of our fellow TC friends have air bags and don't like the sway. We don't have a lot of sway, but boy do we ride rough. It's comical driving down the road w/o a load. God help the poor sap who tries to drink a cup of coffee.
Add a sway bar to the rear and install air bags for sure fir best results. Plus I'd go to a 4x4 shop to build a bump stop pearch for timbrens to hit something flat. They will wear better and spread the load to timbren better. Love the rig and thanks for sharing, people gotta learn about fixes options.
Yes! The Timbrens folks reached out to us when they saw our video. We shared our pictures and they sent us replacements for free! Great customer service. It was the RV dealer who told us there was no warranty and charged us for replacements that did us dirty. 😀
I believe Timbren sells a shorter stiffer spring specifically for full time bed campers as a severe service spring. I think the shop sold you the wrong one.
Could be. We got in touch with Timbren directly. Actually they got in touch with us after seeing the video. They’ve sent us replacements. So we’re going to treat them like consumables since we almost never remove the camper.
I thought timbrem had a lifetime warranty for the original owner who installed it on the vehicle I put timbrem on my truck For how often I have my trailer on I wish I had gone with airbags for ride quality as timbrem make contact just going over small bumps
They do. And they actually left a comment on this video to tell us that. They’ve sent us replacements, plus a spare set for future use. We’re now treating Timbrens as consumables since we keep the camper on the truck full time.
I noticed the Timbren kit you showed is their standard kit, but if you go on their website they also sell a severe service kit. Maybe that is what you actually have, if not that is the one Timbren recommends for hauling truck slide in campers.
@@CupcakeChroniclesTC Also I was wondering if you had a flat plate attached to your axle with u clamps. If it would give a better place for the Timbren to sit, instead of bent over the axle.
As you found out from being around others who have truck campers, the struggle is real when it comes to these heavier "top heavy" campers that in all honestly tax the suspension of a one ton truck, there is a reason why some have adapted 5500 trucks to haul the largest of campers. Never the less if you are not over either your front or rear gross axle weight rating nor the maximum gross vehicle weight ( and as you have proved ) a one ton dually can do the job with some goodies thrown at the suspension. After seeing the experiences my brother went through with his ford dually and camper ( probably not quite as heavy as yours ) , the first things he did was have a spring shop add two leaf springs per side and then he had air bags added at the same time. Yes it lifted up the rear end of the truck as it was completely unusable with the factory suspension but the air bags as he found out were actually a detriment to the sway handling but it took a while to realize the quirks of airbags. To try and explain this, as the pressure in the airbags were increased that raised the truck some and so rather then the springs doing as much work, now the airbag was doing more work and the springs less work. It was scary in unpredictable cross winds and an uneven road surface that would initiate a sway or going around curves etc. So then he decided to try the stable loads ( they are stupid expensive for one what one gets of course ... ) both the lower ones that help engage the use of the thick lower overload spring and then the taller pads for the upper overload pack. That definitely did help, more so the lower wedges and stacked in all of them to get as soon a contact with the lower overload spring as possible. With that setup he now carries very minimal air in the air bags and he like you has a bit of a lean to the right so he puts a bit more air into the right air bag but over all the springs are what is doing the majority of the work to carry the load. If he was to do it over again he would not have put air bags in, possibly timbrens instead but with a spacing so the timbrens were not working over time so to speak. I have a feeling your timbrens are carrying more than their share of the load, that is my impression from what I see. So that was the carrying aspect and yes those lower stable loads did help some with handling but it still wasn't enough. I said get the larger aftermarket swaybars and put them both front and rear, go all out ( his truck came with swaybars front and rear from the factory ). For his vintage of ford the hellwig company did not make the largest swaybars out there, in fact it was roadmaster that made a slightly larger size so that was the company he went with and yes it was rather pricey. In any event he got them and I helped him swap out the factory units with these and that truly was a game changer to its scary handling, its far better now in being able to withstand fairly stiff side winds and buffets from a semi passing on a two lane road and going around curves. His camper is always on the truck so there never was really a concern about empty ride but without a doubt with the two extra leafs per side, its not a smooth ride compared to factory when driven empty, that is the downside of adding leafs in a pack or as you showed the add a leaf bolt on system. Bolt on systems like that certainly work as a do it yourselfer way of adding a leaf vs all the work in pulling out the spring packs to add leaf so I won't knock them but its a cleaner install to have leafs added into an existing pack for sure. Now if one is using the truck some for hauling a camper and also driving it empty extensively and wanting that cadillac ride, I don't know if there is really a good answer for that one. As an interesting side note, I have seen some truck owners who have used those plastic tree falling wedges and mounted them on top of the lower overload spring, sounds funny but apparently they do the job and also sourcing rubber blocks that bolt onto the upper overload pads that are more cost effective then the stable load pricing. One question, does your truck actually have a factory swaybar on the rear axle ?
Hi Charles. Thanks for sharing your experiences. It helps us learn as we hear how others handle all this! One of our goals this summer is to edit our belongings yet again, in an attempt to drop more weight. We started collecting stuff again so it’s time to let stuff go. That does help with some of the top heaviness we experience. So our son was watching our video this week and he said he thinks we already have a couple leaf springs above our factory pack. He thinks we have a factory sway bar too. Next week he’s going to check it out with us and give us some more thoughts on our next steps. It sounds like you and your brother have tried a lot of options trying to make the ride better. And I agree that it can be comfortable when the truck is loaded but a rough ride if it’s not. For us, we rarely unload Cupcake, so we’d rather a smooth ride with her on. StableLoads are a super option since they work so well to get that earlier contact. They’re a really good product. Too bad we can’t afford to just have all the awesome products. But I’m glad we have a mostly level rig again. Noelle
@@CupcakeChroniclesTC Definitely dragging around weight you don't need to have with doesn't help but the fact is those campers are very top heavy off the show room floor, and just plain HEAVY !. While I am "assuming" the Dodge dually comes with a standard rear and front sway bars respectively as do most of the big three company one ton trucks, there are no guarantees unless one visually confirms its not only there but that one of the end links isn't broken as that sure can happen and the sway bar does diddly when an end link snaps off. Also the rubber bushings on the end links can hammer out as well as the clamp around rubber bushings on the axle to sway bar and if all those bushings are well worn that substantially diminishes the effectiveness of a swaybar. And then like I mentioned and this is the reason why companies like Roadmaster and Hellwig sell their version of those swaybars, they often upsize the diameter as well as the material the swabar is made out of to boost the effectiveness. Also its happened with used trucks that someone had the "bright idea" of removing one of the swaybars. With my brothers truck he just about threw the kitchen sink at it to get it to where its at now and it literally is like night and day compared to the factory setup. The only thing he did not do is install new shocks as they seem to be doing the job yet but that is an item that also plays a a fairly major roll in stability and if you feel yours are getting tired, to install new units all the way around. I know its rather confusing talking about overload springs because their is the lower overload spring in the main pack, then your's being a dually usually come with the upper addon overload spring ( two leaf packs in your case ) and the associated frame mounted pads that contact those springs. The problem in both cases is that the main pack over load spring on the bottom is ineffective until the truck is just about bottomed out ( if you never had the timbrens ) , and the upper overload spring tips are just sitting in midair far from the frame pads. The problem is these manufacturers make the newer trucks so they will ride nice with no load and by not allowing these overload springs ( lower or the upper system ) to come into play until your rear bumper is just about dragging on the ground !. Because you almost always have your camper on, that is the easier usage to work with as any added leaf springs, wedges etc will tailor your truck to the weight rather then a compromise for a loaded/unloaded truck. I don't want to see you spend money on anything that won't benefit you either and when you mentioned the idea of putting airbags on the truck at the beginning of your video my reaction was NOOOOOO, don't go down that road and yes I still stand by that view point. By the way what year is your truck as I would be curious to see what the swaybar offerings are on your model year.
@@charlesb4267 our truck is a 2005. I hear what you’re saying about the sway bar connection. Steve and our son, Matt, will be crawling under there to check it all. It’s also interesting about the leaf springs. I’ll make sure Matt reads this thread too. We learn so much from the people who watch our videos and I’m sure grateful for your input. We both very much appreciate you!
TIMMMMAAY!!! Thanks for covering the options. I have larger bump stops on uppers only and air bags. So far so good but will definitely be looking at airbag replacement or alternatives since Firestone says they need replaced every few years, I'm on year 8.
If you got 8 years out of your airbags that’s a definite win!! It was really stunning to me to drive our rig again with the new Timbrens. I had no idea how rough it had gotten! Glad to be level and somewhat smooth again! Noelle
Guys, I will need to watch this video again because I've had too many beers, plus when Noelle started talking suspensions I totally lost it and could stay focused. This isn't a bad thing, but I need my faculties about me to understand. She blew my mind... Here hoping that on Sunday I'll be sober enough to enjoy.
I have a 2004 Ford F-350. I have a Northern Lite 10-2. I have added 3 leafs in the rear and two in the front. I added a Hellwig heavy duty sway bar in the front and rear. (Yes my truck had stock sway bars, but they are not as stiff and a smaller diameter then the Hellwig. And yes Hellwig makes standard and heavy duty models). I upgraded to Bilstein shocks all around. I added Firestone airbags (the heavy duty model with individual side control). I also welded these to the axle tube as I found under heavy load the U bolt brackets would rotate on the shaft no matter how tight you made them. Also welded on an additional angle support bracket as the supplied bracket was very undersized. I also upgraded my rims and tires to a greater load rating then stock. Also added the Roadmaster Active Suspension. Also added dual Bilstein steering stabilizers. I have done many many more upgrades to the truck and if anyone wants some photos just IM me, but these are the main suspension upgrades. I know this is a lot of changes but she rides like a dream now with the truck on or off.
Holy crap! Sounds like we need to park our rig at your house for a few suspension upgrades. Your truck must ride like a dream! We laugh out loud at each other if someone tries to drink a beverage when we're driving with the camper off. Lord have mercy, it's a bumpy ride. Come to think of it, it's a bumpy ride with the TC in the bed too!
@@CupcakeChroniclesTC Well it has been a journey but I couldn't be happier with the end result. Empty or carrying a lot of weight she is now a pleasure to drive. Good luck with yours!
@@CupcakeChroniclesTC Thank you we did. Went down to NC and celebrated with two of our boys. Missed two others, but having two active duty in the Army always makes it hard to get everyone together at the same time. I hope yours went well too!
FYI : We did the same analysis and decided to go with the blue Sumo Springs and Steve could install them himself as we did. We also upgraded our shocks to Biltstein . This has worked very well on our 3500 dually
The blue Sumo’s get super ratings. So it sounds like you made a great choice. Especially with Dennis being able to install them for you guys. I haven’t looked into shocks really but guess I should! Noelle
Forgot To Say Thanks For Mentioning Payload. Those Numbers Are Often Misunderstood/Confused With Towing Weight. Both Are Very Different !! Not Always Clearly Posted/Listed By The Truck Manufacturers !! Just Remember To Keep An Eye Out For The Weight Police. They're Out There Watching 😳 Peace ✌️
This is interesting on how this happened. I'm scratching my head because you have a dually in general. I recently bought a 2007 AF 990 and was a bit bigger than what I wanted (weight wise)... my truck is a 2007 chevy 2500 hd and for my truck camper venture I decided on Timbrens and also the Roadmaster Active Suspension and I've had no problems so far other than the camper does favor the slideout side a bit. When I started with this I didn't want to pump all kinds of money into airbags so that's why I did the Timbren. Now the RAS is basically like an add a leaf, sway bar and anti axle wrap all in one set up. Truck doesn't sag with camper on it. Since the camper does favor the passenger side a little bit I still have to get to the RAS spring on that side and tighten it up more...s similar concept to having extra air in an airbag to compensate. I'm not on a full time travel schedule tho and the camper is only on the truck for trips and back off when we get home so I'm sure that plays a big factor. Guess I'm only screwing up my truck 20% of the time 😂🤦♂️
It is interesting! Sounds like you’ve got a good setup, yourself. We’ve talked with the guys at Timbren and your comment reminded me I still need to send them our weight. Anyway, they’ve agreed that perhaps since we’re full time and rarely have Cupcake unloaded that we should consider our Timbrens consumable. They sent us another set to put in storage. We’ll check them regularly and change out as needed. Timbren will send us replacements whenever we need them. AND they didn’t ask us to tell anyone in exchange. Of course we will since it’s good customer service. But that raised our thoughts about them considerably. We’re still debating adding SuperSprings or RAS or equivalent. It’s good to hear your experience with the combination. So we’re glad to hear from you. Thanks!
We are so sorry for all of your repairs. I hate to mention but you forgot the other 1000.00 dollars to fill up your tank.😳 Thanks for the update. If you need extra money you could always have Steve open up a bug zapper repair shop!! Steve... we will never let you forget that one, not that you ever will.
In south ppl weld up there rear axles poor man's lockers works well free cheap too. Should be a way to go the cheap free way like that when it comes to wagon slide i problem too.
Blank sheet they quick & easy come out new & best thing about these ever no traveling much don't carry it much brilliant unless your home not hidden like van in plain sight either Huge deal/factor. God likes a blank sheet if given option for better suspension or otherwise.
It’s designed that way. We have a long bed truck and the AF 990 is for long bed trucks. We raise our eyebrows at short bed trucks with long body truck campers! Thanks for watching!
That is best diff truck, best way work out problem, 2nd Excursion no leaf springs or wagon. 3rd air sure no doubt but oil coming on fast real deal, 4th is change slide in design.
Real problem is slide in design core of the problem mostly 60s-70s era over build trucks & slide in's didn't get driven or lived in full time unless homeless poor or hunting & camping. I like my childhood era & those campers but they were always parked mostly.
There is a guy who upgraded his old excursion from leak s[rings to modern suspension. Not sure the wt limits of his upgrade but just adding more leaf spring is old as the wagon cheap & simple & works every time.U get more old school riding leaf hd truck w.more leaf though no tech cheap & works.
This is darn interesting. In addition it makes me…again…reflect on the viability of this mode of life for our family. It simply wouldn’t work, but at the same time I totally feel like I’m missing out on this adventure. Envisioning K and I on the road (with plenty of money for yet-to-be discovered suspension issues) is pleasurable. But then I remember that she thinks she wouldn’t like it. More importantly we have our two joyful Picassos that we are responsible for (and adore). But the fantasy continues, so I watch your experiences and wish, and wish and wish some more. But I’d never make the trade. Don’t you just hate not being able to have it ALL?
We just chatted with some friends about this kind of lifestyle. Our thinking/recommendation was to rent a RV and hit the road for a few weeks and see how they liked it. (Mind you, we didn’t do that. We just jumped in like the foolish people we are. ) When we’re traveling we don’t miss the sticks and bricks life. When we’re back in Portland, I’m near proximity to our family and our stuff, we miss a sticks and bricks kind of life. We’re certainly trying to have it all!
The cool genius excursion manufacturing type improvement aside other newest best system is also costliest mostly bc so new, oil based fully adjustable like air but no failure, way to go if poss from class A or super C or slide in on down market is going that best way starting pricey stuff down unless u just buy it. It is the right way to go if u want cheapest wagon full proof 200 yrs + design, rides 1 way hd truck only though.
That is God magic trick simpest work around inplain sight that will get a million view for sure, or just get a pull behind, some new1s r great too but not van coolest & stealth.
Add a leaf spring kits are a good option to beef up suspension.. the ride quality is not as good compared to air bags without a heavy load on the truck but much cheaper and more reliable..
No way to get around slide in camper bad design problem even w/450+ current stuff very pricey too. They made a special old school rig/truck few yrs back I found perfect for towing or slide in just a tiny short time beefy like a hammer built that big perfect for job but then stopped making them, b4 expensive computer era too like 08 I thing keep mint by ppl who own them.
You guys have got no idea whatsoever!... once again we have non thinkers blaming manufacturers. Having too much weight on one side of "cupcake" is what made it lean (the side overhang contributes greatly to any load imbalance), AND, your Timbren's weren't installed correctly!!!
Thanks for watching. We absolutely know that the right side is heavier than the left. How could it not be when it contains the slide, generator, and refrigerator? That’s pretty obvious. 😁 The RV dealer installed the Timbrens and if you read through our comments, you probably saw that Timbren got in touch with us. They stand behind a good product and spent quite a bit of time discussing our setup with us. Not sure why you think they’re installed wrong, but we’d be happy to hear, since you’re the first person, including the manufacturer who thought that.
Howdy Folks, Truck Camper Compadre Here First Off... That Was A Great Episode Very Informative And Entertaining As Well 😁 The Way I See It... There's So Many Variables That Come Into Play With Truck Camper Combo Setups. No Two Are Alike, So What Works On My Setup Won't/Doesn't Necessarily Work For Someone Else. So It's A Matter Of Making Your Rig Work Within The Parameters Stated On Your Dorr Jam Sticker : GVWR /Gross Axle Weight ( Front & Rear )/Tire Size& Pressure/Etc.
I think that’s the biggest takeaway. No one system is best for every rig! They all have their own needs and camper combinations. It’s certainly a matter of doing one’s own homework and setting the right course! Hope you’re having a great day 👣 (those are big feet…get it? Bigfoot. 🤣🤣) yes, I’m a nerd. N
I've got that same truck just add one over load to each side ull have 3 per side on top that way you can use the stock ubolts and bolts plenty of room I did mine for 90 bucks bought them out of a junk yard
We sure do most things ourselves when we can. Now that Steve learned this install we’ll be doing it next time! Of course, if you make that kind of money and wanna pitch in, we wouldn’t say no. 🤣🤣🤣
Take ten minutes per side out with old parts ten per side to install. Also big issue u have. You finally did it at the end. U had slide in. With it out it will cause r side to drop leverage as u know. That’s y u had more of a difference w slide out.
blank sheet change slide in's only real way to truly go b4 these style of campers leaves the market bc they stop selling bc way high for what u get & ppl stop buying them & worse they don't hold there value coming in market too. If not in love w/your slide in consider changing out NOW vs going further down rat hole. I looked & exact same wt vs ride carry haul mess biggest hurdle.
We plan to own this TC for a long time before getting rid of it. Understand that it’s a depreciating asset, but that’s ok. Many? Some? Of the TC’s that are a few years old are selling for like new prices. Crazy times.
Blank sheet more than better suspension, is make a slide in if long term use slide out & axle pull behind like normal trailer, only way to go bc can come easily in & out short term slide in or out. Or mostly out or pulling it like trailer on axle like a porch model wire cheapest trailer.
Or some thing which is a hybrid of both, say slide in only part way mostly sitting out the back of truck bed mostly out> then again axle on to the ground. The benifit of mostly out is u can still tow even if using mostly out slide in & boat or pop up or what ever pulling behind.
I see this all the time. Having to modify your vehicle to handle heavy payloads and having failures with these so called upgrades. Why not simply look for a camper that your truck can handle easily with out having to use all this special equipment. Life would be so much simpler then😜 at 65 now and have been down that road few times myself. I learned a valuable lesson.. keep it stock and it will work in your favor in the long run.
We hear you! We thought we did buy a camper that fits our truck’s payload. Sometimes we might drift to the top end of it though. Of course now we know so much more than we did when we purchased. I guess that’s partly how it goes, learning as we go. 🤷🏻♀️😀
Just don't love these unless u r not full time or travel much, old school design in very high dollar truck HD time. God, gave it a little though already.
How u make the slide in a new so it has own axle bulk of trailer time but when slide in u don't use a dully keep super single better offroad way better truck design BUT...
If a normal truck 350 super single not dually wide & axle under camper of slide in NoT sitting on bed it just looks like it.... u make independent No axle offroad set up suspension slide in camper set up out aside truck main rear tires of 250 or 350 super single design. Crazy God that is 70 south poorest guy un planet genius better than excursion guy.
Fixing all of humanities problem minus evil crowd guys running every thing Now can't b any tuffer than that & hopefully way less typing. Poor ausie guy could built it for Me I beat.
