Recommended Suspension Upgrade/Enhancement for 5th Wheel Towing with 2022 Ford F-350

Question:

I plan on towing a 5th wheel with my new 2022 Ford F350, I want to use a suspension upgrade to combat the squat the rear of the truck will experience from the pin weight of the 5th wheel but there's so many options. The truck will mainly be a dedicated tow vehicle, I have a beater truck I use for hauling. Would air springs work best? How about the jounce replacements like the Timbren product. Or the Tork Lift stable load?

asked by: Albert W

Expert Reply:

Since you're not planning on using the truck for hauling, the load applied to the rear suspension of your truck will be consistent, which means that you won't need the adjustability provided by air helper springs, so we can rule those out from the get-go.

The TorkLift # TLA7311 StableLoad features a swing-out tab that allows the overload springs to engage earlier which is a pretty clever device, but the problem is that you'll need to reach under the vehicle with a ratchet to engage and disengage the StableLoad which would be inconvenient. Also, the installation involves drilling into the leaf springs which can be a bit of an undertaking.

A jounce bumper replacement such as the Timbren # TFR350SDJ would be a great option, as it won't come into play unless the rear suspension is compressed by the 5th wheel's pin weight. When you're not towing the ride quality will be completely unchanged, and no adjustments will be necessary.

I have an ever better suggestion for you, though. The Timbren product offers up to 8600 lbs of support, which is more than twice what's needed to counteract the pin weight of a typical 5th wheel. Going this route wouldn't provide the best ride quality when you're towing, so instead I'd recommend going with the SumoSprings from Super Springs. These are jounce replacement springs similar to the Timbren product, but they're made of a more pliable material for a better ride quality. If you have a bump stop perch over the axle, you'd use part
# SSR-128-47-2. If you DO NOT have the perch, use # SSR-129-47-2.

expert reply by: Mike L