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Old 02-01-2014, 06:06 PM   #1
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Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: Missouri City, The Republic of Texas
Posts: 5,063
Question My new '13 531RLTS - got a Q

Hey folks!
Sorry, no pics - yet.
We picked up our new 5th last week and have 1 night to sh for it. Coming from the X23B all I can say is "BIG!".
So, on to the Q - I've measured the squat and the trailer drops the rear 2.25". This was with a minimal load (no #'s yet). We pulled it from Mesquite, TX to Missouri City, TX (240-ish miles) and had no issues at all. We had the wind at about 20mph on the nose and from the beam the whole way. Impressed by how stable it was. What are your opinions regarding air bags? I figure loaded the squat will be a bit more.
We have a short trip planned for 13 Feb and with a short drive I plan to stop at a CAT on the way and get some #'s.
So far I'm thinking I can do without bags but thes no sub for experience.
All that said, an on-board compressor would be nice.
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2013 F-350 CC SB 2WD 6.7PS
2013 Eagle Premier 351 RLTS
-SOLD- 2012 X23B
-SOLD- 2003 Ford Expedition 5.4, Bilstein shocks
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Old 02-01-2014, 07:16 PM   #2
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Quote:
I've measured the squat and the trailer drops the rear 2.25".
Redhorse, the squat is a common complaint on the Ford truck forums. It seems Ford went to a softer spring pack to enhance ride quality on their HD trucks 2011 and up. I don't have a 5th wheel, but I had to put Timbrens on my F-250 to help with squat towing my 1400lb tongue weight travel trailer. The Timbrens work great with WDH, but with a 5th wheel I don't think you could go wrong with Firestone Ride Rite air bags. We were looking at that particular model [and I think you meant 351RLTS] but the unloaded pin weight [2300lbs] exceeded our F-250's payload capacity. You should be fine with the F-350. You stated that it towed great, so basically you just want to level out the rig. I believe you'll find your answers at your CAT scale visit. Good luck and congrats on the new trailer.
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Old 02-01-2014, 07:56 PM   #3
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TCN,
Thanks for the info! At the dealer the tech preferred air shocks. Opinions?
The popular solution seems to be bags.
I'm not sure I need either. We didn't have any handling probs on the trip (FLAT) band the truck didn't bottom the suspension. Next trip is in the TX hill country so that will be a little different. Life's good!!!
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T_

2013 F-350 CC SB 2WD 6.7PS
2013 Eagle Premier 351 RLTS
-SOLD- 2012 X23B
-SOLD- 2003 Ford Expedition 5.4, Bilstein shocks
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Old 02-01-2014, 09:09 PM   #4
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Join Date: Jul 2013
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Quote:
Originally Posted by RedHorse1 View Post
TCN,
Thanks for the info! At the dealer the tech preferred air shocks. Opinions?
The popular solution seems to be bags.
I'm not sure I need either. We didn't have any handling probs on the trip (FLAT) band the truck didn't bottom the suspension. Next trip is in the TX hill country so that will be a little different. Life's good!!!
Redhorse, You can see from my signature what I have and what I pull with. I don't notice much lowering when I lift the landing gear even without the bags inflated but I have noticed that when on choppy pavement the ride smooths out noticeably if I up the pressure in the bags. As far as on board air, my compressor would be woefully inadequate for much beyond inflating the bags.
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Old 02-02-2014, 11:06 AM   #5
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I pull with a 2009 GMC 3500 with DRW. Sitting by itself, it sits high in the rear end. Hooking up my 2013 321RLTS squats the rear end several inches (never measured exactly how many) and basically levels out the entire rig. Rides well with no sway or "porpoising". I have never felt that I needed air bags on my one-ton duallys.
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