How to deal with side to side sway?

svinyard

Active member
I've got a 2005 F250 V10 gasser with a 1750lb Scout Kenai on the back. I have Torklift Stabiloads on it that sit between the normal leaf springs and the overload springs. Suspension works great and my rig is level with that.

Only issue is that I get some side to side sway when driving on a badly potholed road and one tire drops into a big pothole (dirt road).

What's the best way to handle that? I'm guessing a nice sway bar perhaps (brand?). I'm new to all this so any advice is welcome. Some have mentioned airbags, but my rig is already level and I dont want to lose my suspension capabilities.
 

svinyard

Active member
is there a particular one that's awesome? Do you think I should add an extra leaf spring in there? I'm keeping the camper on the truck for most of the time.
 

NOPEC

Well-known member
is there a particular one that's awesome? Do you think I should add an extra leaf spring in there? I'm keeping the camper on the truck for most of the time.
I had a Hellwig "Bigwig" on my previous 2500HD GMC with a camper heavier than yours. Made a huge difference. I understand the rear sway bar does affect your off road performance a bit but I didn't do much hard stuff so it was not a big hinderance to me.
 

svinyard

Active member
I'm not hardcore 4x4ing anything. Just some bad roads and the occasional drainage trough in a road.

Where would I notice the swaybar limitations?

I had a Hellwig "Bigwig" on my previous 2500HD GMC with a camper heavier than yours. Made a huge difference. I understand the rear sway bar does affect your off road performance a bit but I didn't do much hard stuff so it was not a big hinderance to me.
 

NOPEC

Well-known member
There are lots of folks on this forum who have way more knowledge about sway bars than me but I felt that it reduced the solid rear axle's lateral movement up and down. (probably that is what it designed to do...)

For example, with the sway bar installed and crossing a narrow water bar ditch diagonally, it seemed the trailing rear wheel (high side) couldn't drop as far as it did without the sway bar. But, for me and probably you, that isn't a big deal, you just may have a short span of having one wheel off of the ground a little longer once in a while but with limited slip or a rear locker plus 4WD, traction is a pretty much a non issue in non-gonzo applications.

The one I had was very beefy and I never had the feeling that, as long as I took things easily and slowly, I was going to damage either it or any parts of the drivetrain. I did a ton of FSRoads over 10 years with that set up and an 1800 lb. camper with no issues.

As far as messing with the spring pack, you might give this option a try first and also ensure you have really good shocks. I had adjustable shocks which I kept cranked up all the way, as like you, I left the camper on most of the time.
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Sway bar is decent, but if you need articulation, youd better look for a way to disconnect the sway bar.

IMO, if you want stability and articulation, the only real option is bags with cradles.

Personally, I run bags, and choose to deal with the limitations.
Our rig has a factory rear e-locker though, so articulation in the rear is pretty much a moot point.
 

David_h

Member
The factory rear sway bar on my 2008 F250 is smaller diameter than Hellwig aftermarket sway bar that I put on previous F150. Smaller maybe helps with articulation when off road. I have an ARB rear locker so will always have traction even if one wheel lifts up too high.
 

rruff

Explorer
I've got a 2005 F250 V10 gasser ....Only issue is that I get some side to side sway when driving on a badly potholed road and one tire drops into a big pothole (dirt road).

You have a very flexible frame... which means the frame will twist if front and rear wheels are on a different plane. Your camper will then shift sideways. A swaybar cannot fix this because it only keeps the suspension from articulating... which is sometimes a nice feature on the highway, but *not* offroad or even on rough or uneven surfaces. It might help a little in your case but I think it would be worse overall.

ethans-f250-jpg.408724


world-ready-rig-articulation-flex.jpg
 

simple

Adventurer
I had a similar setup 1996 ram 2500 with 1800lb camper with spring loaded tie downs. I swapped out the overload springs for airbags and it was a noticeable improvement. I drove the combo for a few years and what sway was left I got used to.
 
D

Deleted member 12023

Guest
Shocks with more rebound damping help big time. Factory shocks don’t really cut it when off-roading with that much weight up high.
 

svinyard

Active member
I dont have shocks in the rear but leaf springs. I could swap those for airbags. What are the real world Cons of going with airbags? Its that weight being so high that's creating the Sway.

It's not a huge problem at all right now, especially on normal gravel roads. It doesnt sway hardly at all on corners etc. Its just when I get into a rough potholed road. I'll drive slow (in my 4 runner too) and I'll just get some side sway when a tire drops into a hole. Not sure it's worth dumping a ton of money into but I'd do it if it really was ideal. thanks everyone btw.
 

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