TV F450 & 30 Ft 2006 classic. Overkill ?

[F450Harley]

To the TV gurus on this forum:
-----------------------------------

I tow with my F450 Harley Davidson ( a.k.a the beast) and have been reading about overkill, AS frame separation & TV / TT wt ratio for the past 18 months.
Need all of your opinion/s on below options: a) Soften the F450 ride with kelderman air ride or Sulastic rubber spring. b) Replace the TV with GMC 2500 Dmax, 3500 Dmax SRW or 3500 GMC daully.
c) I love F350 but dealer think that I will experience same rear end bounce as in F450. d) reduce the F450 leaf spring to F350 spring configuration. MPG is also a consideration.
I use Hensley on the 30 ft classic and have 100gal aux tank & Honda generator, total of 11,000 LB plus about 500LB wt of people & camping gear = approximately 11,5000 LB.. Last inspection today revealed zero crack or bend on the frame and rivets are in place . Prevention is better than cure so ladies and guys of the AS Forum and Truck enthusiast , let it rain and thank you for your anticipated great expertise. ( F450 is 18 months, 15,000 miles , also $15,000 to replace/ trade)

[27fb2freedom]

Does it bounce that bad? My 250 with x springs doesnt unless the road is real apbad and im going real fast.

Keep in mid a "loaded" 3/4 ton probably wont have much over 2000lbs carrying capacity. You have 750lb hitch and 1500Lb of stuff in TV. You would be cutting it close on a 3/4 ton.

Or take the advice of getting a 1/2 ton (or smaller) loaded 2250lbs on its 1500lb capacity is somehow better/safer?

[F450Harley]

Bounces when empty off pavement-which is expected but I'm not worried about when empty. It's the vibration it transfer to the AS that I'm worried about . Thanks for your feedback.

[dznf0g]

Originally Posted by F450Harley

To the TV gurus on this forum:
-----------------------------------

I tow with my F450 Harley Davidson ( a.k.a the beast) and have been reading about overkill, AS frame separation & TV / TT wt ratio for the past 18 months.
Need all of your opinion/s on below options: a) Soften the F450 ride with kelderman air ride or Sulastic rubber spring. b) Replace the TV with GMC 2500 Dmax, 3500 Dmax SRW or 3500 GMC daully.
c) I love F350 but dealer think that I will experience same rear end bounce as in F450. d) reduce the F450 leaf spring to F350 spring configuration. MPG is also a consideration.
I use Hensley on the 30 ft classic and have 100gal aux tank & Honda generator, total of 11,000 LB plus about 500LB wt of people & camping gear = approximately 11,5000 LB.. Last inspection today revealed zero crack or bend on the frame and rivets are in place . Prevention is better than cure so ladies and guys of the AS Forum and Truck enthusiast , let it rain and thank you for your anticipated great expertise. ( F450 is 18 months, 15,000 miles , also $15,000 to replace/ trade)

Short answer....YES....3/4 ton is perfect for the Classic 30'. Sorry, but I've worked the other way. Several 1/2 ton platforms upward. Not necessary in any way, shape or form to go heavier.

Edit: Unless it's a 30' slide....then MAYBE a 350/3500, depending on bed load....never a 450/4500.

[Lumatic]

Check out an Air Ride for Air Safe hitch for stiff suspension TV

[SteveH]

If it were mine, and I liked the truck and I did not really need the weight capacity of the F450 for other things, I'd go to a junk yard and get some F250 rear springs, and change them.

But, I do stuff like that.

[dznf0g]

Uh, if you ABSOLUTELY cannot trade, I'd go Air safe hitch before I'd mess with the rear suspension. Way more technical/safety issues with that route.

[F450Harley]

Thank you for the responses.

[slowmover]

The Kelderman Air Ride is the way to go, IMO. Your truck, your trailer, your gear and your passengers will all benefit. An F450 is a "big" truck for any travel trailer of this type so I assume it has duties beyond just towing a TT. Plus, the KAR is a big re-sale plus: very well-known and well-engineered.

I'd also consider the R4Tech system (and use the 9000's on the front as well).

I'd go with Centramatics (or BalanceMaster [driveshaft also]) all around on TT/TV wheels, too.

Cutting NVH to a minimum seems of obvious benefit.

[Airstreamer67]

The AirSafe hitch is exactly what you need.

It will very effectively isolate your towing Beast from the towed Beauty via the Firestone air bags located on the ingeniously designed hitch.

If you look on the AirSafe site, it will describe all the benefits. These attributes are exactly what you and your Airstream need. I say this after five years of using my AirSafe from coast-to-coast.

[RET-HOBO]

hi i just got a 2011gmc 1500 xcab with a 5.3l v8 and 3.42 gears 6speed tran
will i be able to pull a 2005 30 ft classic with it thanks for any help

[dznf0g]

It'll pull it, albeit slowly. You will be over GCWR and probably RGAWR if you put much of anything in the truck. Won't be satisfactory in the mountains and just OK on the flats. Been there, done that with an Avalanche which had same powertrain as your truck.

[Snedwid]

For those using the "Airsafe" system: Do you also have a weight distribution and or sway control?

[Silver Goose]

Originally Posted by Snedwid

For those using the "Airsafe" system: Do you also have a weight distribution and or sway control?

The Air Safe cushions the vertical movement at the coupler. The need for weight distribution and sway control is unchanged based on the TV/TT combination. If anything, the Air Safe moves the ball further away from the rear axle of the TV theoretically increasing the need for sway control.

I use the same WD hitch and sway control as before. The primary difference I've experienced is a noticeable reduction in the harshness of freeway hop on concrete highways when towing.

[handn]

I softened the ride on my 25 Safari in a noticeable amount by changing its tires to P 235 75 R 15 XL Michelin's.
Inflation on my old tires ST load range E was 70 psi and on the new ones it is 50. The Michelins are a more flexible tire.
With my old tires over whoop de doos and rough road sections, my rig (tow vehicle 2000 diesel Excursion with new shocks) would hobby horse. There is none of that with new tires.
The Michelins are load rated for over 2000 pounds a tire enough capacity for your triple axle trailer.
Before you trade tow vehicles or spend lots of money for air rides ect, try cheaper solutions first.
The ride of a stiffly sprung truck can be softened by putting a load in the bed. A heavy truck will burn more fuel, but this is chump change compared to the cost of a new tow vehicle.
Newer Airstreams are tough. I towed mine with the old tires lots of miles (many in Mexico where the roads are really rough) with no frame problems or other damage except for the usual pulled screws in the cabinets.

[jdalrymple]

We have the Airsafe hitch and like it. Around 10K miles, and I can tell it makes a difference. The contents of the trailer move around at lot less than without the Airsafe.

I use the standard Reese dual cam, and have no issues with distribution or sway.

As mentioned in a post above, tire pressure can make some difference. Knowing the axle weights of your rig is important. Keep in mind, if the weight on the tires is less than the maximum rating, the maximum air pressure is not required. See your tire dealer or search the web and find the correct pressure for the weight you are loading the tires with.

I don’t think I would trade the truck simply for the sake of the trailer, but if there were other factors to consider…….

[lylesgl]

I have an F350 dually. The AirSafe hitch breaks the harshness of the tow. Had the hitch over a year; no popped rivits or other issues since I've been using the hitch. I also use a Reese Dual Cam weight distribution system with 800lb bars.

[Aage]

You want overkill? Here's

overkill

.

[Bluto]

Originally Posted by jdalrymple

We have the Airsafe hitch and like it. Around 10K miles, and I can tell it makes a difference. The contents of the trailer move around at lot less than without the Airsafe.

I use the standard Reese dual cam, and have no issues with distribution or sway.

As mentioned in a post above, tire pressure can make some difference. Knowing the axle weights of your rig is important. Keep in mind, if the weight on the tires is less than the maximum rating, the maximum air pressure is not required. See your tire dealer or search the web and find the correct pressure for the weight you are loading the tires with.

I don’t think I would trade the truck simply for the sake of the trailer, but if there were other factors to consider…….

X2 on everything said above. Even down to the amount of miles on my Airsafe and I tow a 27FB with a Chevy 3500 Dually.

[Lumatic]

Originally Posted by Snedwid

For those using the "Airsafe" system: Do you also have a weight distribution and or sway control?

Yes and yes. But not all models will take a WD hitch. My Airsafe is a type V to which my WD hitch is directly mounted.

Another point on an Airsafe type hitch. The Airsafe also makes the spring bar rating of a WD less critical. My WD Husky has 1000# bars which would be to stiff for my 500# tongue weight otherwise.