Will my Tundra pull my camper? Or do I need to keep my F250?

hi there. They are Firestone, I don't have the onboard pump. So I just have a tire Schrader valve on the rear of the bumper next to the plate. I have it going to a T to fill both bags at once rather than have a separate valve for each. If I recall right we air up to about 30psi when towing and using the blue ox swayer. seems to work the best for me. when I am not towing I believe the manual says to leave 5psi in the bags. the ride is a bit harsh but I also have ten ply tires on 20 inch wheels, I am sure that does not help. LOL also I took the canopy off and have a backflip roll cover now, so lost the weight of the canopy.
take care, safe travels.

 

OK, last question. Did you notice a bigger difference when you went to the airbags, or the 10ply tires. I wonder if I could stay with SL tires and just get the air bags. Or do you think the 5psi in the air bags contributes more to the harsh ride than the 10ply tires?

 

Same. Except I’m not even sure what my bags are at right now. I should check. I don’t ever mess with them. My tundra rides pretty rough. I like it. 10 ply tires are a must. Your truck will pull it, up to you if you are comfortable with it. A big TT is much different than like a flatbed. If you got the f250 and don’t have to sell keep it. They are expensive to replace.

 

My SL tires were way too squishy. I ate through them and didn’t feel as stable. 10 ply made it into a truck in my opinion.

 

I know, I am struggling with selling the F250. It is a good truck, but it is a 2003 With 174k miles and my Tundra is a 2013 with only 80k original miles. For the most part, I usually just pull a tractor back and forth to my Dads and maybe haul a car here and there if I am working on a project. Only thing that will really put it to the test is the Camper. We usually only pull that a hand full of times per year though. The F250 is a 7.3 and they are legendary and very dependable. But it is still a 21 year old truck and they are a little more expensive to maintain, and put fuel in. And if you have a big repair, it gets expensive fast. I was really hoping to move to something that I did not have to work on all of the time but I know I will have a lot of trouble finding this F250 if I want it back. I really can't afford to keep two trucks though. Makes it a difficult decision really

 

I have 2WD Tundra with SOS lowering kit and SOS airbags. Drives like a car when empty.
Actually removed the SOA bounce when I went to SUA. Body sits level so it corners and handles much nicer. I drive around with
minimal 5-8 lbs of air and the new Bilstein shocks are so much stiffer than the factory shocks that it would have been a worse ride
just putting newer stiffer Bilsteins on it. I have Cooper ATS3 tires, E rated. I run a 36 psi normally.
When I load up max 1800-2000 lbs of cedar lumber or 2+ yds of wet mulch I air up to 50 psi. The truck handles normal, don't
have any indication there is a load on it except when I pull out from a light.

 

Thanks for the reply. I think the 1st thing I am going to try is the air bags. Do you have 20in wheels or 18inch.

 

Yeah I hear that. Get airbags installed, give it some test runs with the camper in real situations, be honest with yourself and see if you like it. All you can do

 

I bought it with the airbags installed and added the tires, I would say the tires made the ride rougher for sure. BUT I also say they are a good idea when towing, they helped a lot to make the truck feel much more stable on the hi ways while towing. and learn from my lesson, don't cheap pout on a good weight distribution hitch with saws control, I went through 4 before I bought the blue ox.

 

i tried the roadmaster springs, and while i liked that you didnt have to mess with them once installed, they didnt work for me. when loaded down they actually were hitting my frame. i went with firestone airbags and I also have 10ply tires. works better in my opinion. i pull about 7k regularly.

 

If I never towed again, I'd stay with my 10 ply tires. I like getting 80 k miles and I really like the puncture resistance.

Even with the E rated tires and the air bags, the truck still rides better than any 3/4 ton or bigger truck.

 

That is a VERY good point. I am going to go with the E-Rated Tires. Thanks

 

18" stock wheels

 

Might want to look at Sumo springs before going with airbags.

 

Is that what you have? Are they better than the airbags in your opinion?

 

I installed BOSS airbags on my Land Cruiser 60 series. At the same time I was looking at the front end, thinking bumpstop
upgrade when I came across an article from a 'King of the Hammers' participant who installed Sumosprings on all four corners
of his competition rig. I started to research them. Then I installed a Blue set on front of the Land Cruiser, best decision I
could have made. I'm not sure I'd want to use Sumosprings out back, I know they are designed as airbag replacement.
They are pricey and really effective. I don't know if this helps you or not. I don't think Sumosprings would be adequate
as airbags, IMHO.

 

I have yellow on my truck, they are great. Been looking at blue for up front as well, just can't decide those or Timbren.

 

I have a combo of HD leaf packs, yellow Sumo springs. Roadmaster Active Suspension HD kit, Greasable shackles, BDS traction bars, and E rated Yokohama 285/75 18's. Have loaded in excess of 3k lbs in my truck without excessive squat.

 

Is the yellow what you would recommend for pulling a camper? Are you able to maintain close to factory ride quality when unloaded?

 

I already suggested Roadmaster Active Suspension, not changing that. No, yellow Sumo springs will affect the ride because they will reduce rear suspension travel to some extent. However, they won't burst and are low maintenance. Aftermarket custom leaf packs are the best solution, RAS is second.

 

Ive never tried the SS's. Can you adjust them are they a 1 size capacity only?

I like being able to change my air bags settings to fit whatever I'm towing.

I have boats, rv's and utility trailers that all have different tongue weights. I'd think SS's would be more of a disappointment for me.

 

Dude...thats a lot of hardware under the rear of your truck.... what are you putting in the bed that weighs so much?

 

Building materials, drums of liquids, etc. 800 lbs or so in armor and tools when empty. I prefer limited squat when loaded.

 

This being one reason I can't see recommending SS for the rear. No adjustment.
For people following along, SumoSprings have different colours indicating different levels of compressability.
It's right on the front page of their website. I'm a big fan, for sure.

 

Actually I was just thinking Sumosprings might be a viable replacement of bump stop on my utility trailer