Anyone try Sumosprings instead of air bags

[Garyl53]

Hi,
I recently upgraded to a ‘19 GMC 3500 Dually from a ‘11 Ford F350 SWR w/ Air bags. My ‘11 sagged quite a bit under the load of the Redwood so i added air bags to handle sag and improve ride as much as possible. The ride still was pretty rough so we planned to go to a newer dually. Well the ‘19 handles the weight pretty good and when loaded with the Redwood it just starts to sit on the overload springs so the truck is pretty level. However the ride is not nearly as good as we expected and we are still getting jolted about when towing. The side-to-side motion is much better due to the DRWs but the road imperfections are really harsh. The unloaded ride is much better than the ‘11 F350 surprisingly.
Anyway i need to improve the ride while towing so i was looking at air bags again but also came across Sumosprings. They are described as an airless air bag and a basically the same air cell technology as used in the Comfort-Ride Hitch which many here like. If anyone has tried these i would be interested any opinions good or bad. Thanks much!

[travelin' texans]

I had the Timbrens, similar to the Sumo Springs, on my '13 GMC & they worked as advertised while towing, but like you I was just off the overloads when unhitched which made for a harsh ride on particularly rough roads. If I were to do it again I go with the air bags to keep it off the overloads all the time..
On my '05 I removed the stops from the frame so the overloads were actually doing nothing, had no sag, truck/rv sat level & much better ride loaded & unloaded. On the '13 I wasn't able to do this due to the boxed frame.
Personally I'd go with the air bags, just my .02 cents!

[Garyl53]

Thanks for the feedback. In my case i am off the overloads when unloaded so the ride is not bad surprisingly. Based on what i read about the Sumosprings they appear to cushion and absorb the hits more so than either an air bag or Timbrens, which tend to have a large rebound. Of course that is what they claim but I have not found many people who would tried them in actual use. One disadvantage over the air bags is that they are not adjustable but since I don’t have a sag issue the adjustability may not be as important.

[VittoZ]

I have been using Sumospring Solos for the past three years. Great ride I loaded and loaded. Buying a 2020 3500HD AT4 and will be installing them again. Install only takes 20 minutes. They are currently running $150 on Amazon, $20 cheaper than I paid in 2016.

[XCMARK]

Vitto , what version of the rubber springs did you install? they sell one for every day heavy haul and one for part time heavy haul ???

[VittoZ]

I have a SRW Denali 2500HD that had squat and bounce issues. Changing the shocks to Ranch 9000s helped. Installing the Sumo Solo 1500 totally fixed the problem. Running on the edge of weight on this truck. Ordered a 2020 3500HD AT4. First thing I did was order Sumo Solo for it.
SSR-207-47 | SumoSprings Rear
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00PZSHRQW..._yNCdEbGK3H8VT
They are currently just under $150 on Amazon.
The Chevy/GMC install is simple, pop or the standard bump stop insert with a screw driver and twist/press in the Sumo’s.
I believe this is the same part for the DRW, but you can check their site to be sure.

[Garyl53]

Hi, I was the OP and I purchased the 2-piece Blue Summospings (model SSR-203-40-2 ) on my '19 GMC 3500 dually after some consulation with the manufacturer. I did some test rides with and without the Summosprings and with and without the OEM overload springs engaged. The best ride I found was to install the Summosprings but disable the OEM overload springs. I did this by removing the overload spring rubber pad stop assemblies from the GMC frame as they are just bolted together. In my opinion the overload springs and the rubber stops create a very harsh ride when they engage or disengage over bumps, etc. The Summosprings are much more progressive and do not create as much jarring over bumps, or at least not as much as the overloads springs. In general I am very satisfied and have now towed this past year about 4000 miles with them. The great part is no maintenance, no air compressor required and no adjusting air bags between towing and not towing. So far so good.

[dave737]

Hey Gary, I have a 2017 36RL towed with a 2019 Chevy 3500 DRW. Just got back from a long trip. The ride was rougher than I thought, especially over expansion joints. Loaded I am just touching the overloads. You have same setup, what did you end up doing to your rig? Are you happy with it? Do you have factory suspension on RW?

[Garyl53]

Hi,
I have been on several long trips with the Summosprings and so far we like them. They are just a little less jarring over the expansion joints than the stock overload springs. If you are bouncing on and off the overloads you may find the Summosprings provide just enough improvement to make it tolerable. I recommend that when you install them you first remove the overload spring stops from the frame as they just bolted on. That way the overloads won't be in the way and it allows the Summosprings to apply their progressive spring rate instead of the harsh engagement of the overload springs. The install of the Summosprings is fairly easy. Keep in mind that they cost about the same as airbags (that is, without an adjustable compressor). I often wonder if I would have been better off with the airbags since they are more adjustable but I do like not dealing with all the complexity of the airbags. I also wonder if I shouldn't just have bit-the-bullet and installed a Kelderman 2-stage suspension on the rear of the truck. It is quite a bit more expensive but likely makes a much bigger improvement. Oh well, good luck!
Gary

[travelin' texans]

Originally Posted by Garyl53

Hi,
I have been on several long trips with the Summosprings and so far we like them. They are just a little less jarring over the expansion joints than the stock overload springs. If you are bouncing on and off the overloads you may find the Summosprings provide just enough improvement to make it tolerable. I recommend that when you install them you first remove the overload spring stops from the frame as they just bolted on. That way the overloads won't be in the way and it allows the Summosprings to apply their progressive spring rate instead of the harsh engagement of the overload springs. The install of the Summosprings is fairly easy. Keep in mind that they cost about the same as airbags (that is, without an adjustable compressor). I often wonder if I would have been better off with the airbags since they are more adjustable but I do like not dealing with all the complexity of the airbags. I also wonder if I shouldn't just have bit-the-bullet and installed a Kelderman 2-stage suspension on the rear of the truck. It is quite a bit more expensive but likely makes a much bigger improvement. Oh well, good luck!
Gary

If you can get the overload stops off you may not need either the Sumo Springs or airbags, the overloads just almost touching the stops is what causes that jolt on the expansion joints.