Bouncing....Need Airbags?

[KEG]

Hello,

I have a 2017 Ford F350 Diesel Crew Cab Dually towing a 2017 Montana 3820FL with a pin weight of 3000 +. The truck on smooth roads handles great however when we are on the interstate and hit dips and bridge abutments the overload springs load up and launch the unit into significant bouncing normally 3 -4 good bounces before it settles down. In addition on the really bad ones the unit will bottom out. The truck is very close to level and the Monty appears a little nose high. I am considering purchasing Airlift air bags to see if they will correct or reduce this issue. Please chime in and let me know your thoughts and experiences.

Thanks for your responses
KEG

[Montana Man]

Shocks are supposed to keep the bouncing to a minimum. Perhaps heavy duty shocks would help. Airbags in my experience improve ride height at the expense of ride quality.

[WeBeFulltime]

Originally Posted by Montana Man

Shocks are supposed to keep the bouncing to a minimum. Perhaps heavy duty shocks would help. Airbags in my experience improve ride height at the expense of ride quality.

I agree that OEM shocks aren't what they should be. Maybe a set of Bilstein shocks will help. I actually installed Air Lift bags for the sole purpose of ride improvement and it works for me. I only air to 45 psi while hooked.

[1retired06]

I found it necessary to install airbags on my Ford dually because the rear would drop to an unacceptable amount, eating the rubber bumpers at the rear springs. The drop also caused a sporadic slight shutter of the transmission when first starting out because it effected the alignment of the two piece driveshaft. Diesel Forum reflected others were noticing the same thing when towing. Both issues gone with the Airbags. Have no bouncing.

[richfaa]

We use airbags and heavy duty shocks not to mention the trailersaver BD3 hitch and the Mor ryde IS . We do a lot of miles on our wonderful interstate system and a smooth ride is important to us and also expensive to get.

[Hblick48]

My F250 with trailer package has overload springs like the F350. I was considering airbags or timberin springs. My rear would drop 3 1/2 inches and front would raise 2 inches when hitched.

Instead I installed Super Springs SSS-3 Super Stops. They replace the factory overload spring bumpers with thicker rubber base (and spacer) so the factory overload springs are always engaged when hitched. Now when I hitch my rear drops 2 inches and the front raises 1/2 inch. I also have a Reese 5th Airborne pin box.

I just completed 1,800 miles and the ride in the truck is better than ever. Things stay in place on the counters inside the Montana, so it's riding fine.

Very happy with the setup, no maintenance. Less expensive than airbags or timberins.

[Doberman]

Like some of the others, I also added Air Bags a few years ago and that helped a great deal. Recently, I changed the shocks to the Bilstein 5100. Shocks and the Air Bags made a great combination to improve overall ride and really helped with the hard bounce with pot holes and big dips.

[Yoquedo]

I have a 2017 F350 cc srw and air bags solved the same problem you are experiencing.Get them!

[phillyg]

Transition joints at bridges can be awful. I added Firestone airbags to get the truck and FW to ride level, and they do. I was hoping shock absorber action improved; it did not. I got new shock absorbers; there was only a very slight improvement. I think the bottom line is that our roads need to be improved.

[STIHLNTIME]

I believe you would be well served with adding air bags. I had the same issues with bridge abutments. I added Air Lift 5000XL bags and it has helped tremendously. Regardless of the tow vehicle I use in the future it will have air bags installed, I am convinced they take a lot of physical stress and shock that would be normally transmitted to the trucks suspension and components. The only additional comment that I would have is utilize an onboard compressor so that you may deflate the bags down to their lowest recommended inflation rating to have a better ride when unhooked and the ability to re-inflate when needed. Best of luck!

[wandering retirees]

added the Firestone air bags on my Chevy 3500 dually and think that it improved ride quality. I also opted for the onboard compressor to better fine tune ride as needed

[Sandra_David]

We have a GMC 2500 and I installed the airbags and wireless compressor. The ride is much improved and it's easy to adjust.

[JWSwick]

I had the same issue... added airbags and 70-80% reduction in bounce... keep at 5 when not towing and keep at 50 or so when towing... I have a 2015 GMC K2500 duramax and my Monty has 3K hitch weight... get the bags, I love mine!!

[laverdur]

I agree with WeBeFulltime. Ditch the OEM shocks and install a set of Bilsteins. IMHO, they go a long way to controlling the bounce and will last longer than any OEM shock. I switched to Bilstein at about 20K miles on my 2013 F350 PSD, Supercab, SRW. I also have an Airlift self-leveling air system on the rear. I find that unlike what others havea said, the air bags improve ride quality if you bleed a little air out of them after the TV is level. Yes, bleeding air allows the rear to drop a little but far less than without the air bags.

[terrydwaters]

I had the same problem. I don't think Bilsteins will do it. I've had them before. Heavy duty shocks, overload springs and airbags didn't solve it. What finally tamed it was installation of Rancho 9000 XL shocks. I run them on the #5 setting normally and #9 when I tow a heavy one. And 50PSI in the airbags.

I deliver new campers for a living with my Ram 2500 and own a 36' Montana with a 3k pin weight.

[paulinbaja]

I have air bags but to level the load. I suggest you do a very complete weigh making sure you have enough weight on the pin. Shocks are for compressing the bounce, maybe new ones would help.

[Tewickh]

I also have a 2017 F-350 CC DRW diesel and experience no extra bounce pulling my 2017 Montana 3820FK. I installed AirLift 5000 bags to level headlights at night. They create a stiffer ride so I just keep them set at the minimum 5psi during daylight hours.
Perhaps your shocks have worn out prematurely or your fifth wheel hitch is not mounted with the pin weight just in front of the rear axle.

[Ram Montana High Country]

I ordered the RAM Factory ride level - does a very nice job - short coming is, only two ride heights / good news, no air compressor required - so I still need on for TrailAir and tires - never ends

[kjmcdowell77]

We have a 2017 Chevy 2500HD diesel and it has the Z71 package with the Rancho shocks. We just bought a new Montana HC 321MK and drove it across Iowa I80 (bad road) and it performed nicely. I was used to pulling a travel trailer and maybe the 5er is so much better in and of itself I'm not noticing anything alarming about the ride over humps and bad pavement. Our Montana has a pin weight of about 2500 lbs. and it only squats the rear end about 1.5 inches. The trailer tows almost completely level.

[robertwy]

I have a 2018 Chevy 3500 SRW Diesel. The trailer before the Montana I just purchased had a pin weight of 3200 pounds. I added the Firestone air bags which really smoothed out the ride.

I put less air in them for the Montana which has about a 700 pound lighter pin weight and about 2500 pounds less dry weight than the Lifestyle I had before.