Cober83 wrote:
I have a 2006 F350 crew cab/short box 4x4 with the 6.0 diesel. It hauls a slide in Palomino pop up camper that is probably just over 2000lbs fully loaded. Tires are 285/70R18 Nitto EXO Grappler 10plys on factory 18" aluminum wheels.
Cober,
A few things. 1st, even with a Palomino pop up fully loaded it would be interesting to see the scales below 2500 pounds, depending on the fill level of your tanks and stuff you carry back there. Without weighing the rig one wheel or axle at a time, these numbers are just hopeful guesses. You do have a great carry-ability with a 350 and a pop up, especially if you have the upper secondary spring(s) or Stable Loads.
2nd, the 06 F-350 did not come with 18 inch wheels, so they must be take offs from a newer truck, which is good. 16 inch and 18 inch truck wheels have the best chance at fitting a tire with a high load capacity. 17 inch wheels, not so much.
Since every rig has different tires, wheels, weight per axle, the best way to find out what tire pressure to use on sand is trial and error. The significant preparation for this is having a way to reduce the pressure quickly (I use an ARB deflator which actually unscrews the valve core needle out of the stem quickly and with control lowering the pressure with a nice big dial indicator to get it down to the exact pound. The next 'must have' is a way to get the tires back up to pressure once you get back to pavement. I've used a variety of appliances, and have two approaches:
1. 25 pound CO2 tank with appropriate cold resistant hoses, hardware and gauges. We use this when airing up every single day after the sand run is complete, like at Moab for a week. I can get 28-32 complete tire fills with this set up.
2. For occasional use I now have a Viair 440 which is nice with truck tires with a 65-80 pound max inflation. They now have some with a 100% use rating. Do not get sucked into buying a cheap China Freight 12v compressor as the 3 of mine went south very quickly.What was that definition of crazy, trying something over and over and expecting a different result.
Here is my go-to inflation on different surfaces with my 10,400 pound truck camper.
1. loose dirt or sandy roads; fairly smooth surface and driving up to 40 mph: FRNT 32 pounds; RR 30 pounds. But this takes into account my wide super single wheels which can do well with less air than a narrow wheel.
2. soft sandy track or hard beach sand: FRNT 25 pounds; RR 22 pounds.
3. blow sand or dunes: FRNT 20 pounds; RR 18 pounds which is the absolute lowest I go unless my life depended on it. If images speak louder than words, here a a compilation of short vids of a trip we make with Bro John to the Anza Borrego and actually going up the great sand hill called the Diablo Drop Off. click on these for some action:Every one of these had a different tire pressure that ran the gamut above. jefe
https://www.dropbox.com/s/f0j10uxr4sn8jrx/end%20Sandstone%20Cyn%20Anza.m4v?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/9nmnfudkr1ngyj8/U-turn%20in%20sandstone%20cyn.m4v?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/xg1lwe92448ry7z/Mogols%20at%20great%20sand%20hill%20Anza.m4v?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/y9nfstvqf6hk4ab/up%20Fish%20Cr.%20Anza.m4v?dl=0
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bfj5y93wsd7vfkw/jefe%20does%20sand%20hill%20at%20dry%20wash%20of%20the%20devil%20Anza.m4v?dl=0
'01.5 Dodge 2500 4x4, CTD, Qcab, SB, NV5600, 241HD, 4.10's, Dana 70/TruTrac; Dana 80/ TruTrac, Spintec hub conversion, H.D. susp, 315/75R16's on 7.5" and 10" wide steel wheels, Vulcan big line, Warn M15K winch '98 Lance Lite 165s, 8' 6" X-cab, 200w Solar
