Towing with Timbren's

[SCSCampers]

Hi all,
New to the Forum & RV Camping. We recently purchased a 2016 28BHBE and intend to tow it w/ our 2013 Ford F150 FX4 w/ Ecoboost & 3.55 rear end.

In preparation for getting the trailer I have upgraded the front and rear shocks / Struts to Rancho 9000Xl (rear) & Rancho Quick Lift 9000 (front). I also added the Timbren SES to the rear.

My question is has anyone towed using any of these parts, I've heard the Timbren's make a world of difference. They were also considerably easier / cheaper than an airbag system.


Thanks in advance everyone.

[ecksdude]

The benefit of the Timbrens is that it significantly reduces sag on the rear of the vehicle. It does tend to make things in the truck a bit "bouncier" in my experience.

I honestly haven't used them very much yet, just one short trip with them, but they do the job. I don't really have anything to compare them to at this point, however.

Careful with your weights. That's a heavy trailer for a 1/2 ton...

[norty1]

I have Timbrens on my truck and they do not affect the ride except when towing.

Not to start a feud but none of what you mentioned will increase the towing capacity of that truck.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by ecksdude

Careful with your weights. That's a heavy trailer for a 1/2 ton...

The CAT Scale is your friend.

[FashaPa]

Timbrens do not increase your towing capacity. That capacity is decided by the engineer that designed the tow vehicle. Capacity considers suspension , engine and braking. Timbrens only function is to help level the vehicle.
The Rancho 9000 will help you keep from bouncing all over.

[goducks]

The main thing you want to do is make sure you have a very good WDH with built in sway control. Read your owners manual for proper WD setup. You need to return the front of the truck to the proper ride height for weight transfer. Relying on suspension upgrades will do nothing if you don't set up the truck and TT right.
JMHO but that TT is almost too much for you F150. 33+' long and with a loaded weight of 7,500-8,000lbs I think you're in for a surprise when you hit some windy travel days.

[Fire_Instructor]

Rear Timbrens were the first mod that I made on my RAM 2500. I had them on my previous RAM 1500, as well! I put them on the 2500 long before I ever needed them, because I wanted to do it while the truck was new and the bolts hadn't rusted in place. The Timbrens in my 1500 only required 4 bolts. Three were easy, the last one took almost 4 hours, because it broke in the frame.....

[fielro]

Welcome aboard and congrats on new TT

[jsallman1]

Welcome.

I will echo the advice, visit the CAT scale with your trailer and some gear before you do too much, understand your payload and axle weights and be comfortable with them. Many articles here on that.

As far as my experience, if your still running P rated tires on the truck I think your best improvement for your money will be investing in some LT tires, I found a lot of the bounce came from squishy tires. Adding air to my P rated tires to near the max pressure on the tires gave a far better result than any of the upgrades to the rear suspension.

You might look into the Roadmaster Active Suspension as well, very easy install, and even has some cornering/handling benefits when unloaded. I went that route on my old truck as opposed to Timbrens as I didn't have a lot of squat with my WDH adjusted correctly.

[TWP723]

I have air bags so I really can't give advice on them. But what I've heard (friends), they work great. Hopefully, they work as good for you!


Happy Camping and welcome aboard!!!

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by Fire_Instructor

Rear Timbrens were the first mod that I made on my RAM 2500. I had them on my previous RAM 1500, as well! I put them on the 2500 long before I ever needed them, because I wanted to do it while the truck was new and the bolts hadn't rusted in place. The Timbrens in my 1500 only required 4 bolts. Three were easy, the last one took almost 4 hours, because it broke in the frame.....

Don't mean to hijack, but what year is your RAM?

My truck handles the load just fine, but I have a marginal hitch, and often thought about Timbrens on my new truck to settle the rear-end down some.

To the OP's post; I chose Roadmaster Active Suspension on my GMC 1500 and it made a world of difference, especially unloaded. I agree that LT tires might be a worthwhile exploration. My P-Rated tires on the GMC always felt "squishy", and I'm confident that LT tires along with my RAS would have made a pretty significant difference. About the only other thing I would have done to that truck would be to add higher end shocks, and maybe a beefier sway bar. But I traded the truck before I got that far...

[Fire_Instructor]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

Don't mean to hijack, but what year is your RAM?

My RAM is a 2014 2500 with the rear coil springs.

[IceOnFire]

Originally Posted by SCSCampers

Hi all,
New to the Forum & RV Camping. We recently purchased a 2016 28BHBE and intend to tow it w/ our 2013 Ford F150 FX4 w/ Ecoboost & 3.55 rear end.

In preparation for getting the trailer I have upgraded the front and rear shocks / Struts to Rancho 9000Xl (rear) & Rancho Quick Lift 9000 (front). I also added the Timbren SES to the rear.

My question is has anyone towed using any of these parts, I've heard the Timbren's make a world of difference. They were also considerably easier / cheaper than an airbag system.


Thanks in advance everyone.

I am in the same position as you, as we've ordered a 2016 BHBE and we are also contemplating towing with an F-150 EcoBoost. From many threads I have read of others experiences with 1/2 ton towing of this kind of weight, all signs point that we should probably upgrade to at least a 3/4 ton. I'm curious to find out the report on the effectiveness of your enhancements.

[gtsum2]

I use timbrens on my ram 3500 and they help with sag a lot. Also reduced chucking on cement roads. They won't help with payload but can give a better loaded ride and more level setup

[SkyBound]

Your truck will be overloaded with that trailer. Since you have 3.55 gears in your '13 F-150 you do not have the heavy duty payload package or the Max Tow package, meaning your GVWR is likely 7200lbs. Depending on your trim level, your payload (which can be found on the sticker inside the driver's door jamb) is likely around 1200-1500lbs. The tongue weight alone for that trailer can be that much. Your hitch is also weight limited - probably around 1100lbs of tongue weight. The 28BHBE is 3/4+ ton truck territory.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gtsum2

I use timbrens on my ram 3500 and they help with sag a lot. Also reduced chucking on cement roads. They won't help with payload but can give a better loaded ride and more level setup

I'm interested in the chucking you speak of. What kind of weight are you putting on that RAM 3500? Do you have enough load to compress the Timbrens at all?

I don't have a lot of sag with my truck, but I'm thinking Timbrens might help to decrease my "chucking" some. It's not severe by any means, just enough to get me to wondering if I can make it better. And if I can do it for the cost of a set of Timbrens, I'm willing. Granted, I'm dealing with a coil sprung RAM 2500 as opposed to the leaf sprung 3500, but I'm still curious about your results with the Timbrens.

[gtsum2]

Originally Posted by Camper_bob

I'm interested in the chucking you speak of. What kind of weight are you putting on that RAM 3500? Do you have enough load to compress the Timbrens at all?

I don't have a lot of sag with my truck, but I'm thinking Timbrens might help to decrease my "chucking" some. It's not severe by any means, just enough to get me to wondering if I can make it better. And if I can do it for the cost of a set of Timbrens, I'm willing. Granted, I'm dealing with a coil sprung RAM 2500 as opposed to the leaf sprung 3500, but I'm still curious about your results with the Timbrens.

2014 Ram 3500 SRW with 4074lbs payload per sticker and cat scale. Have about 3300 on the pin (toy hauler without RZR in back...with RZR in back it is about 3000 on the pin) so it certainly compresses the Timbrens when loaded With family and dog in the truck and hitch, etc, I am right at 12,400 truck weight (sometimes 100 over or so...12400 is GVWR). About 26k going down the road combined.

Without Timbrens, I had a good amount of sag when loaded up. Truck settled maybe 4 inches when hooked up. I still had 8-9 inches bedrail clearance so I got the Timbrens (easy to install) and adjusted hitch a bit and now sit almost level with about 7 inches of bedrail clearance. Truck settles about 2 inches or so now.

The chucking is not bad, except for a few bridge overpasses and can it get going on an expansion joint cement interstate. On normal roads there is no chucking. If the chucking was a 5 (0-10) without the Timbrens, it is now a "2". I think they helped with any porpoising that might have been happening when hitting the expansion joints. I had to take my Mor Ryde pinbox off because I am using a Sidewinder, so I am sure if I would have left that on, I would be down to a "0" on the chucking. Hope that helps.

Also, the ride is not changed a bit when unloaded since the timbrens are not engaged without weight on them

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by gtsum2

2014 Ram 3500 SRW with 4074lbs payload per sticker and cat scale. Have about 3300 on the pin (toy hauler without RZR in back...with RZR in back it is about 3000 on the pin) so it certainly compresses the Timbrens when loaded With family and dog in the truck and hitch, etc, I am right at 12,400 truck weight (sometimes 100 over or so...12400 is GVWR). About 26k going down the road combined.

Without Timbrens, I had a good amount of sag when loaded up. Truck settled maybe 4 inches when hooked up. I still had 8-9 inches bedrail clearance so I got the Timbrens (easy to install) and adjusted hitch a bit and now sit almost level with about 7 inches of bedrail clearance. Truck settles about 2 inches or so now.

The chucking is not bad, except for a few bridge overpasses and can it get going on an expansion joint cement interstate. On normal roads there is no chucking. If the chucking was a 5 (0-10) without the Timbrens, it is now a "2". I think they helped with any porpoising that might have been happening when hitting the expansion joints. I had to take my Mor Ryde pinbox off because I am using a Sidewinder, so I am sure if I would have left that on, I would be down to a "0" on the chucking. Hope that helps.

Also, the ride is not changed a bit when unloaded since the timbrens are not engaged without weight on them

Thanks for the info!

I'm just afraid I don't have enough load to compress the Timbrens. My sticker says 3k, and I'm running a load probably around 1200-1500 lbs max, including tongue weight. If they're not compressed slightly when loaded (at least as far as I've read) then they'll bounce off the axle and create a worse ride than what you started with.

Oh well, I guess I'm back to optimizing my hitch first... Then we'll see what happens.

[SCSCampers]

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I will tow the trailer home and see how the truck performs before jumping into to $60,000 truck market. One last question though for those of you who have a 28BHBE, how may roof vents are there in the trailer? need to order Maxx Air's and don't remember how many vents there were in it.


Thanks again.

[Camper_bob]

Originally Posted by SCSCampers

Thanks for the advice guys. I think I will tow the trailer home and see how the truck performs before jumping into to $60,000 truck market. One last question though for those of you who have a 28BHBE, how may roof vents are there in the trailer? need to order Maxx Air's and don't remember how many vents there were in it.


Thanks again.

Mine has only one vent, over the bathroom.