citation1050
washington
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Joined: 11/01/2005
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I am a new member and recently purchased a citation1050 model, had airbags and tiedowns installed. The first trip I took I encountered
bouncing and a sort of porpoising up and down driving down the highway. Going over a big bump, the cabover slammed my rooftop and caused a slight dent. What's the deal and how do I prevent the camper from bouncing up and down. My dealer/installer told me to fill my airbags to 80, and have my E rated tires at max pressure. I have a F350 crew cab SRW long bed. I know I probably need new shocks and sway bars, but should I use 4x4 wood instead of the 2x4 wood that the dealer threw in my bed for the camper to sit on? Any help would be appreciated, I feel miffed at the dealer/installer for not making me aware of this and the dent that is now on my rooftop.
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Retired Coastie
Eugene, OR, USA
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Joined: 10/08/2003
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Your new camper weighs 3375 lbs dry with no accessories. With accessories and water/propane/batteries/gear, etc. you are likely pushing 5K lbs. That's a lot for a SRW one-ton'r. Look in your glove compartment and see if there is a recommended camper weight listed. That's something your dealer should have discussed with you. Should have, but most of them don't. They just focus on the sale. Do a search on this forum for upgrades. Many of us use Rancho shocks. Also, more is not always better when it comes to air bag pressure. You may wind up needing bigger tires.
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RRUGG
Newaygo, MI,USA
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If your camper bounced enough to hit the roof of your truck, did you have rear tiedowns? For some reason I neglected to put mine on one time. Not doing so can be nasty.
RRUGG
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Horseplay
NC
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I went from 2x4's in the bed, to 4x4's. I didn't have an issue until I took a trip on bumpy NY hwys! LOL The cab and bed flex, and if you have running lights like I do, they cause it to hit. I didn't ever dent though.....
Check those back tiedowns, but also make sure you aren't overtightening the front ones causing the rear to rise easier. You wouldn't ever "see" this by eye, but if you hit a bump..You will! You want even pressure holding down the camper.
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vanbikehorse
Green Lane, PA
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Joined: 10/29/2003
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Probably yes to 4x4's. Shoot for 3" above the cab. Re shocks - Yes get them; in particualr, Rancho 9000x's have 9 dampening settings. I set mine at 3 front and 1 rear unloaded and 8 and 8 loaded. I am putting my air bags at 60 and probably going lower; searching for that combo of smooth freeway ride and comfortable back road handling around the curves. With such a heavy camper, you should probably stick with 80, but the springs (air bags + springs) are overpowering your stock shocks. If you can wait until next season, May is usually 4 for the price of 3 time.
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citation1050
washington
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Joined: 11/01/2005
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Thanks all, for the advice. I had asked the dealer if my truck could handle the citation and he said " oh heck yeah, that' why they made this model, so that srw trucks could haul this ". Anyways, I'm stuck with it and I will be installing rancho shocks and sway bars, plus new bigger wheels, e rated of course. I am also going to put 4x4 wood in the back but wonder about if there could be too much height in the back. I tighten all my tiedowns by hand every time I make a pit stop and they don't feel like they are overtightened. I will adjust my air bags , so that my overloads do some kind of work. It seems like the entire camper is teeter totting on the airbags. It appears now I need jack leg extensions, as my truck is very high off the ground and with new bigger wheels on the way.... Anyone ever heard of a cabover tip over accident from someone?
* This post was
edited 11/02/05 07:16pm by citation1050 *
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DmaxCamper
Brush Prarie, Washington
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Do the shocks first because you need them for the weight of a camper that size. Get the 4X4's for the clearance over the cab. If you still have uncomfortable porpoising I would recommend cab struts, the longer the truck frame the more flex it will have, cab struts dampen the harmonics of the frame flex with out limiting it. My experience is they (cab-struts)do more for ride quality than any other modification, but I still say do them after all other upgrades.
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rodeofamily
Santa Fe New Mexico
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I have a Lance 1040 and I too have experienced this sometimes. the only thing you can do is raise the camper off the bed by a couple of inches. I did this by installing two sheets of 3/4 inch plywood to the bottom of the camper. This will give you enough clearance from your cab although on severe bumps at low speeds it might touch a little, though not enough to dent the cab or break the cab lights. On the new Fords this mod or some other method of rasing the camper is a must.
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sasha_j
Cape Hatteras National Seashore, NC
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Joined: 12/16/2004
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Just this weekend, I crossed a rail grade at too high a speed and the cabover slammed into my rooftop as well. Got a dent and 2 clearance lights out, but not broken.
I run both a Penda rubber mat and a 2nd smaller rubber mat in the bed. I'll be looking in to the addition of one or more pink insulation sheets sandwiched inbetween the mats to raise the camper even higher.
The dent bums me out and I felt stupid for not slowing down at the grade crossing. Expensive lesson, but the camper is fine.
Haven't yet taken it to a body shop for estimate.
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whizbang
Kenmore, WA
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Joined: 08/20/2003
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We have the same truck, a F350 Crew cab Long bed SRW.
What tiedowns do you have? Gas or diesel engine?
You should ignore the 4x4 suggestions. It will make your basement style camper way too high. Start with a 3/8" or 3/4" piece of plywood. I use 2x4's with a 3/8" sheet.
What do you mean that you tighten your tiedowns at every pit stop? Why are they coming loose? I have gone "off-roading" for 9 days at a time of rough roads and not had a tiedown come loose. Don't you have stop nuts to lock the tiedowns in position?
At your earliest opportunity, you are going to want to fully load your truck and weigh both axels. Fully loaded, we hit 11400#. Your rig will be heavier.
The shock suggestions are right on -- Rancho 9000's are the way to go.
If you are near North King County, drop me an e-mail if you'd like another set of eyes on your situation. Good luck.
Whizbang
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