Hi John,
I purchased a truck and camper in 2018 and had similar questions about suspension mods and stable loads. My truck is a 2016 3500 Ram dually and my camper is an Arctic Fox 990. I purchased the camper at truck camper warehouse and asked them what they recommended for mods. Their recommendation was for the upper stable loads.
I initially drove the vehicle with the stock suspension. My biggest complaint was porpoising … a small undulating input from the highway translated to large amplitude vertical travel on the rear suspension. Not pleasant.
Although my truck is mostly dedicated to hauling the camper, I also unload the camper and drive the truck for transportation, sometimes for several weeks and 100’s or even a 1000 miles at a time. The 3500 already has a stiff suspension and making it any stiffer when empty only creates a harsher ride. After researching options, I went with the lower stable loads. I like being able to engage and disengage the stable loads as needed.
I spoke with tork lift about upper or lower stable loads from a performance perspective, specifically asking if doing only one which do they recommend? Their recommendation was the lower. I too had concerns about broken springs as it appears the lower stable loads point load the springs, but I found no evidence of any reported issues based on internet searches.
After installing the lower stable loads, which in my case was simple (no drilling), I was pleased with the result. The amplitude of the rear suspension motion was greatly reduced on an undulating road input and the stability during turns was improved. We noticed drivers flashing us a night, so I added Firestone airbags to give the rear a little bit of lift. At this point I am happy with the mods I selected. I probably have 15-20,000 mostly highway miles using the system so far.
Your situation is a little different from mine. You already have an additional overload spring added to your rear axle and your camper is not terribly heavy. So your rig may be fine without additional mods. I recommend driving it as is before doing any mods. What complicates the situation – in a good way – is that the camper company is offering you the stable loads at time of delivery with no charge. Perhaps you can drive your rig first and then decide. If that isn’t practical, I would probably lean to the lower stable loads for several reasons. First, given the drilling is required on your truck, it is easier if you let the camper company do it in the comfort of their garage with the truck on a lift. Second, if you find you don’t need the extra help from the stable loads, you can disengage them and forget about them. Third, your current plan is to leave the camper on always, but plans sometimes change and then you have the option of engaging or disengaging the stable loads if needed. Fourth, take a good look at where the upper stable loads mount … on my RAM they would be simple to install. If that is the case on your truck you can easily add them later if needed though I doubt you will need them.
I hope that helps.
CMack
