EricHarmon wrote:

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I picked up my 2019 Ford F350 Diesel Dually 4.10 FX4 truck Friday afternoon. We haven't tried towing with it yet, as we have not yet picked up our DRV Mobile Suites from the dealer. However, we took the truck out Saturday for a few hours - out I-40 to a state park. This is the first truck I've ever owned, and I was not prepared for how rough the ride is! I don't recall the ride being anywhere near that rough when I test drove vehicles, but come to think of it, there wasn't a Ford dually available to test drive, so I test drove a SRW.

I've been told that the ride will get more comfy when we're actually towing, but our lifestyle is going to be such that we're only towing a small percentage of the time (as in, 4 or 5 hours every week or two). I'm just curious as to whether anyone has any suggestions for improving the unloaded ride? I checked the TPMS, and it says there are about 61 pounds in the rear tires, and I think about 70 in the front tires (I need to double-check the front tires this afternoon as I can't recall exactly). Someone told me online that they run the rear tires at 50 psi when unloaded, but that seems awfully far under the recommended 65 psi. I'm not sure why it came from the dealer with roughly 60 psi in the rear tires if the recommended setting is 65 psi, but I'll ask the dealer that question when I'm back there in a couple days.

Short of artificially carrying a load, which someone recommended to me but I'm not keen about doing, is there anything I can do to improve the unloaded ride, or is this just something I need to learn to live with, with a SuperDuty?

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 Changing the recommend tire pressure for a better ride is a really bad / unsafe idea.  Besides, it won't work.  The only way to have a good solo ride and still have the rear axle capacity for the trailer is to remove the rear springs completely and put in a full air-suspension system.  It's expensive, but works.  I have one.  This is not air-bag helpers.  It is a full replacement of the rear suspension system.

 

 

olderthandirt wrote:

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Bill and Linda wrote:

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EricHarmon wrote:

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I picked up my 2019 Ford F350 Diesel Dually 4.10 FX4 truck Friday afternoon. We haven't tried towing with it yet, as we have not yet picked up our DRV Mobile Suites from the dealer. However, we took the truck out Saturday for a few hours - out I-40 to a state park. This is the first truck I've ever owned, and I was not prepared for how rough the ride is! I don't recall the ride being anywhere near that rough when I test drove vehicles, but come to think of it, there wasn't a Ford dually available to test drive, so I test drove a SRW.

I've been told that the ride will get more comfy when we're actually towing, but our lifestyle is going to be such that we're only towing a small percentage of the time (as in, 4 or 5 hours every week or two). I'm just curious as to whether anyone has any suggestions for improving the unloaded ride? I checked the TPMS, and it says there are about 61 pounds in the rear tires, and I think about 70 in the front tires (I need to double-check the front tires this afternoon as I can't recall exactly). Someone told me online that they run the rear tires at 50 psi when unloaded, but that seems awfully far under the recommended 65 psi. I'm not sure why it came from the dealer with roughly 60 psi in the rear tires if the recommended setting is 65 psi, but I'll ask the dealer that question when I'm back there in a couple days.

Short of artificially carrying a load, which someone recommended to me but I'm not keen about doing, is there anything I can do to improve the unloaded ride, or is this just something I need to learn to live with, with a SuperDuty?

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 Changing the recommend tire pressure for a better ride is a really bad / unsafe idea.  Besides, it won't work.  The only way to have a good solo ride and still have the rear axle capacity for the trailer is to remove the rear springs completely and put in a full air-suspension system.  It's expensive, but works.  I have one.  This is not air-bag helpers.  It is a full replacement of the rear suspension system.

 

 I also have a new special order 2019 F350 Dually rated to 14k lbs. Mine is a 4x4 designation, not the FX4, since I opted for highway tires (plus skid plates) instead of the off road tires. I made sure that my f350 did not have the 'Snow Plow' upgrade to the front suspension. I also added a manually controlled Air Lift rear suspension that I currently have set to '0' since I am not yet towing. This combination seems to feel relatively smooth for highway driving. It does ride somewhat rougher than my previous Silverado 2500HD but that's to be expected for a larger truck. Long story short, I agree that replacing your rear suspension (costly) would help. Getting highway tires may also improve your ride.

 

Hans

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It would be better for the air bags to have a little air in them.  I use 10 PSI, but 5 PSI would also be fine, doing that protects the airbags from getting pinched and would likely add a bit of softness to the ride.  FWIW, my dually with 65 PSI rides better than my previous SRW truck with 80 PSI. 

Ron, sounds like a good suggestion and will inflate up to 5psi. BTW, do you use the 5 setting as a baseline (height measurement) when determining how much to pump up the air bags when hooking up your fiver?

 

Hans

Bill and Linda wrote:

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EricHarmon wrote:

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I picked up my 2019 Ford F350 Diesel Dually 4.10 FX4 truck Friday afternoon. We haven't tried towing with it yet, as we have not yet picked up our DRV Mobile Suites from the dealer. However, we took the truck out Saturday for a few hours - out I-40 to a state park. This is the first truck I've ever owned, and I was not prepared for how rough the ride is! I don't recall the ride being anywhere near that rough when I test drove vehicles, but come to think of it, there wasn't a Ford dually available to test drive, so I test drove a SRW.

I've been told that the ride will get more comfy when we're actually towing, but our lifestyle is going to be such that we're only towing a small percentage of the time (as in, 4 or 5 hours every week or two). I'm just curious as to whether anyone has any suggestions for improving the unloaded ride? I checked the TPMS, and it says there are about 61 pounds in the rear tires, and I think about 70 in the front tires (I need to double-check the front tires this afternoon as I can't recall exactly). Someone told me online that they run the rear tires at 50 psi when unloaded, but that seems awfully far under the recommended 65 psi. I'm not sure why it came from the dealer with roughly 60 psi in the rear tires if the recommended setting is 65 psi, but I'll ask the dealer that question when I'm back there in a couple days.

Short of artificially carrying a load, which someone recommended to me but I'm not keen about doing, is there anything I can do to improve the unloaded ride, or is this just something I need to learn to live with, with a SuperDuty?

---

 Changing the recommend tire pressure for a better ride is a really bad / unsafe idea.  Besides, it won't work.  The only way to have a good solo ride and still have the rear axle capacity for the trailer is to remove the rear springs completely and put in a full air-suspension system.  It's expensive, but works.  I have one.  This is not air-bag helpers.  It is a full replacement of the rear suspension system.

 

 

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 OK, understood. Definitely something I wouldn't want to do on a whim, so I'll drive it for 10,000 miles or so, both towing and not towing, and see how I'm feeling at that point. Thank you!

it may be obvious but nobody has said it... if you are coming from a world of smaller, on road, non towing vehicles... then yes the ride in a one ton truck is going to be a bit unsettling. At first. This too will pass as you become become used to it. It is what it is. So yes you can do some things to "soften the ride" as has been stated previously. 

Let me suggest an alternative... consider having a second vehicle, a small SUV perhaps. Drive that for your everyday trips and leave the truck for the towing. This solution does not work for everybody, your mileage may vary as they say. The fuel and wear and tear saved on the truck will mostly cover the cost of the gas, maintenance and insurance on the "scout vehicle". Just a thought. FWIW.

EricHarmon wrote:

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BiggarView wrote:

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it may be obvious but nobody has said it... if you are coming from a world of smaller, on road, non towing vehicles... then yes the ride in a one ton truck is going to be a bit unsettling. At first. This too will pass as you become become used to it. It is what it is. So yes you can do some things to "soften the ride" as has been stated previously. 

Let me suggest an alternative... consider having a second vehicle, a small SUV perhaps. Drive that for your everyday trips and leave the truck for the towing. This solution does not work for everybody, your mileage may vary as they say. The fuel and wear and tear saved on the truck will mostly cover the cost of the gas, maintenance and insurance on the "scout vehicle". Just a thought. FWIW.

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Hi! I do appreciate the idea, and we currently have a Toyota Prius C (I traded in my Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for the truck). It's not so much an issue right this moment, when we can keep the Prius. The issue will be in a year from now, when we retire and hit the road full-time. At that time we'll be selling the Prius C. I'm also investigating things ranging from putting a Vespa in the back of the truck to pulling a small SmartCar or Spyder or something behind the 5er. I'm just trying to explore all my options.

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 We are about a year away from launch. We are weighing whether to keep our 2018 Elantra in the role of scout vehicle. Like you, our first trip in the one ton dually was a bit of an eyeopener but not a complete surprise since I had a half ton PU once and we've driven some class C RVs and rented 20' box trucks for moves. I am already used to the ride and it's size. I am guessing this will happen for you too.

EricHarmon wrote:

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BiggarView wrote:

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EricHarmon wrote:

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BiggarView wrote:

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it may be obvious but nobody has said it... if you are coming from a world of smaller, on road, non towing vehicles... then yes the ride in a one ton truck is going to be a bit unsettling. At first. This too will pass as you become become used to it. It is what it is. So yes you can do some things to "soften the ride" as has been stated previously. 

Let me suggest an alternative... consider having a second vehicle, a small SUV perhaps. Drive that for your everyday trips and leave the truck for the towing. This solution does not work for everybody, your mileage may vary as they say. The fuel and wear and tear saved on the truck will mostly cover the cost of the gas, maintenance and insurance on the "scout vehicle". Just a thought. FWIW.

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Hi! I do appreciate the idea, and we currently have a Toyota Prius C (I traded in my Toyota RAV4 Hybrid for the truck). It's not so much an issue right this moment, when we can keep the Prius. The issue will be in a year from now, when we retire and hit the road full-time. At that time we'll be selling the Prius C. I'm also investigating things ranging from putting a Vespa in the back of the truck to pulling a small SmartCar or Spyder or something behind the 5er. I'm just trying to explore all my options.

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 We are about a year away from launch. We are weighing whether to keep our 2018 Elantra in the role of scout vehicle. Like you, our first trip in the one ton dually was a bit of an eyeopener but not a complete surprise since I had a half ton PU once and we've driven some class C RVs and rented 20' box trucks for moves. I am already used to the ride and it's size. I am guessing this will happen for you too.

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I think you're probably right about that. My wife and I are driving up to upstate NY (in about 3 weeks), swinging by MD to pick up my older sister on the way. I was thinking we'd take the truck, and it'd be a great way to help break it in. After that first couple-hour ride, I thought "Hmm, maybe not so good for 13 hours up and 13 hours back. I found out last night that I can rent a 7-person SUV, and that plus gas will be more or less the same as the cost for diesel to drive the truck up. So I'm going to rent instead, and that'll fit the three of us, suitcases, cooler, etc.

Once we full-time, our plan is that on travel days we're going to drive no more than about 200 miles per day (then stay for a week or two, then travel again). That, and getting used to the ride, is probably all I'll need. That said, I would have been kicking myself if there were a $500 gizmo that could have been added to the truck to make the ride 30% smoother or something!

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 Not for 500 dollars. The Kelderman air ride that Bill alluded to runs about 8500 dollars. All reports suggest the truck drives like a Cadillac or Lincoln if that turns your crank. LOL

I won't use the multi-quote function so things don't get too long here...

1) 1-ton DRW trucks are not intended to be cushy passenger vehicles - they're made for towing and carrying heavy loads. That said, I've used our truck for trips without the fiver and didn't find it objectionable at all. It's all in what you're used to and willing to accept.

2) We've been full-time for 3-1/2 years now and have kept a "scout car" the whole time. We started off with a Toyota Corolla and upgraded to a new Honda CR-V last spring. My wife loves traveling in her own vehicle on travel days (driving time = less than 2% of our total time in a year) and listens to her audio books, music, etc. If we don't want to make lunch in the rig on travel days, she'll drop by Chipotle or Subway and bring lunch to the Walmart parking lot where I've parked the rig. She also uses the car to scout a space when RV spaces aren't pre-assigned. When the rig is set up, we then have a comfortable, economical, easily maneuvered and parked vehicle with which to shop, sight-see, and run back and forth to the grandkids, etc. I believe Howard and Linda did things this way the whole time they were in their fifth wheel. Works well for some - may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Rob

We have the AutoFlex system installed on our 2012 F450, had it installed in late summer of 2013 and it has truly helped with the ride. It's not a cheap option, over 5K to install in 2013 so not sure what the price is now. But, it has helped considerably, both when we're towing and when we're driving without the 5ver.

Note - our truck is our only vehicle so having a reasonable ride was important to us as we did not want a second vehicle. We like traveling together and started out with a car, only took us a trip across Montana to decide we didn't like driving separately.

olderthandirt wrote:

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Ron, sounds like a good suggestion and will inflate up to 5psi. BTW, do you use the 5 setting as a baseline (height measurement) when determining how much to pump up the air bags when hooking up your fiver?

 

Hans

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 5 psi won't change your ride height at all.  I actually use the trailer to determine air to add.  When my truck sits unloaded it is pretty level, when I hook up the 5er it sags a bit (2-3 inches).  This makes the truck "tail low" and the trailer "tail high" ... by adding air to the bags, it raises the truck rear end back to level and also levels the trailer.  I also have a Hensley air ride hitch which is another source height adjustment (most don't have that, but I do).  FWIW, I run the air bags in the Hensley and the air lift on the truck both at 80 psi.  This gives me a perfectly level ride and air cushioning for the pin box.  You'll just need to experiment to get your airbags to the right pressure to level your set up ... 80 psi is higher than most use, but it's what is needed to get ME level.  If I were you, I'd start with 50-60 psi and take measurements to ensure you get level.

Terry and Jo wrote:

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Eric and Ali,

Jo and I also keep a second vehicle, but we do RV'ing differently than anyone else here on the forums.  When we move, we stay in one area for a longer period of time (think months and years) and use our second vehicle, currently a 2017 Ford Expedition EL (extended length) SUV for seeing the sights and transporting family and friends.  It has proven to be extremely beneficial for us when we haul family and all our luggage to go somewhere, perhaps to visit other family.

By staying in one place for longer periods, it gives us time to see more of the attractions (natural and man-made) that are in an area before moving on.  In addition, the wife follows in the SUV and keeps an eye on the RV from behind.  Also, when in city areas, when I turn on a turn signal, she generally moves to that lane first, allowing me room to make my transition.  That has worked every time but once.  (Don't do Salt Lake City during rush hour.)

Terry

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We may find that we transition into months/years later on, but for the first year we decided to do a week or two at a time, as we've lived on the east coast all our lives, and we're going to be RVing on the east coast, mainly so if we experience any difficulties, we'll be fairly close to civilization. We'll stay 6 weeks or so in the Williamsburg area in the fall because we love that area, and a few months in Florida for the winter. In 2021 our plan is to make our way west and we'll probably be at least a couple weeks in each location, if not a month. After we've gotten the first few years under our belts (third year being Alaska and Canadian Rockies), I'm pretty sure we'll be slowing down the pace.

I understand completely what you're saying about her driving behind you. I used to ride a Honda Goldwing motorcycle, and whenever riding in a group, the tail bike would switch lanes first to secure the lane, and then everyone else would move over once the lane was secure. It's a good system and works well.

We decided to keep a car that my wife drives when I am pulling with the truck. For us the convince to drive a car vs the truck when driving around town more than makes up for having the two vehicles. Our initial plan was like yours, sell the car. Then we met a full-timing couple who also had a car. We decided to try it with the car when we started figuring we could sell the car if it didn’t worK. 2-1/2 years later we still have a car.

-- Edited by ROPeach on Sunday 10th of March 2019 11:41:28 AM

-- Edited by ROPeach on Sunday 10th of March 2019 11:42:24 AM

I'm curious if replacing the stock shocks with aftermarket ones will improve ride quality.

Neil and Connie wrote:

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Unlikely as the ride comes from suspension components. Shocks mostly serve to dampen the shocks out after they happen. 

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 I believe you meant springs. The official explanation of shocks are that they are there to help control spring oscillations. 

A couple of things. First the suggestion for replacing the springs with air bags is probably the best, although not failure free, method of softening the ride. It is also the most expensive. Air bags, by their nature, are progressive springs, where the first inch of travel takes less force that the last inch of travel. However, air bags are an "all or nothing" spring and if they get punctured you will not have any rear suspension at all. This will leave you sitting where you are until they are repaired. Not that this is a particularly likely thing to have happen, but it's also not impossible. If leaf springs break it is usually just one leaf and you can limp into somewhere to get it repaired. Just some things to think about. One solution is to carry an extra airbag with you so it can be changed on the side of the road. You would also need a supply of air but you should have an air compressor with you anyway, if it isn't built into the air ride system. Ya pays your money, and you takes your choice.

As to the shocks softening the ride I wouldn't count on them changing it much. As Neil and Connie stated the purpose of shocks is to dampen spring oscillations after you hit a bump. While there may be some incremental change depending on the compression rating of the shock it wouldn't be too much.

Adjusting the pressure in the tires will affect the ride somewhat. Just like airbags tires, act as a spring, the higher the pressure the harsher the ride. However, you need to temper this with the weight on the tire. If you get the air pressure too low you will get heat buildup in the tire which is the number one cause of tire failure. So what's the answer? Weigh your truck, as you would drive it around town, and find the proper air pressure for the tires from the manufacturer's chart and adjust them to that pressure when unloaded. Then load your rig with your trailer as you will be pulling it, tanks filled, propane filled, food and clothes loaded, you get the idea. Weigh the truck (and for good measure the trailer) and adjust the tire pressures to the weight with your trailer hooked up. Does this seem like a lot of work? Sure does but that's the only way to get the best ride while staying safe.

Even with all of the above, this is a one ton truck and it will never ride like a car.

Best of luck.