Need help with a truck/camper suspension upgrade

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Very true with regards to stability, and the reason I suggested he run bags along with new leafs.

He already has the bags, is already over budget, and is nearly in the dog-house .



Bags will also allow for some ride height adjustment WHEN the leafs start to soften and sag.

They all wear out eventually.
 

Jeep

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And that is probably a very deciding factor at this stage Idasho.
 

IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
As for the front mounts, I still find these extremely suspect.

There needs to be some sort of lateral bracing. Some kind.

As minimum there should be gussets from the top of the chassis to the mounts.


Ideally, the front mounts (left and right) need to be tied to each other.

Like shown...

Take a close look at the middle mounts, which serves the same purpose as the front mounts for the OPs rig.

3point.gif




View attachment 335643
Front upright tacked to the outside of the truck rails.
Yes it is cantilevered.
View attachment 335644
Front upright welded to truck frame with wooden block to support the aluminum bed.





With all that said, and running the weight you are running, I would keep close tabs on the chassis right where those front mounts are welded.

I fear the welding has created a stress point and may be your prime failure point.
 

rrliljedahl

Observer
Guys, thanks for all the help.

Crawled under the truck and took these photos of the two front uprights.
In my phone, the pics are oriented correctly. I do not know why they are tipped horizontally.
You are looking at the bottom welds of the vertical front two mounts.
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IdaSHO

IDACAMPER
Looking at the very last photo, are the two mounts tied together in a way that isnt shown in the previous photos?

I see one small gusset welded to something...
 

rrliljedahl

Observer
Here is a different question.
Anti-sway bars have been mentioned but in the rear I have a pivot mount with a pullout drawer mounted beneath the pivot.

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Would a rear away bar be appropriate for my situation?
Would it need to be disconnected when riding off pavement?

Thanks
 

pugslyyy

Expedition Vehicle Engineer Guy
My opinion - yes, a rear sway bar is appropriate. You can install pins so you can disconnect it, but I doubt you'll end up wanting/needing to.
 

rrliljedahl

Observer
Looking at the very last photo, are the two mounts tied together in a way that isnt shown in the previous photos?

I see one small gusset welded to something...

Horizontal steel bar was welded between the tops of both front vertical mounts with gussets added on inside corners.
1 inch thick HDPE was placed in top of the horizontal bar to support the flatbed across the front.
image.jpeg

image.jpg
 

rrliljedahl

Observer
Yes. 2 point front suspension bolts that were not sleeved. My second fabricator who helped me finish everything that my first fabricator screwed up thought I was over engineering everything. He felt that the rear pivot was strong and stiff enough after reinforcing the aluminum rails, cross bracing , rear pivot being sleeved and having bushings placed that the front 2 bolts of my aluminum bed would not be moving from side to side. Again, I am not an engineer but have relied upon the opinions of others.
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This pic is not my truck. Would welded vertical supports like this help stabilize my camper on my truck or is the problem the attachment of the front of the aluminum bed to the truck rails? Presently there are 6 bolts holding my camper to my aluminum bed. These went thru gussets or sleeves that went thru the aluminum which were simply inserted but not welded in place. They are there to keep from crushing my aluminum bed tubing.
image.jpeg

All of this I found out after the final installation of camper on flatbed.
 
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