Building new truck, 16000 or 18000 lb front springs

This is mainly for the heavy haul and dump truck guys, but I am building a new flatbed truck for dedicated work grossing 60K lbs. Going to be a tandem with a single pusher and a heavy steer. Right now we have the temporary spec set with a 20K lb axle and brakes with 18K lb springs on a 315/80, all with a x15 sitting over top. Today I've been going through and looking to see if I truly need 18K capacity up front. most of my work will put the front end around 14500 to 16000 so I plan to stick with my 315s. But because of a few states that require a lower lb per inch tire such as Ohio, I know I wont always be able to run 18K lbs on the 315s. So Im wondering if I should drop down to 16K springs and let that be my max

My question is for the guys with 16 and 18K front ends. How's the ride quality for you guys between the two? I know the 16K will be a 2 leaf pack and the 18 will be a 3 leaf and because my weights can range from 14,000 to 16,000 on the steers, I dont want to have something that is super stiff. But Id love to have the 18K springs so that I can use the full capacity for those off days if the front end gets heavier than expected. This is again only for states that dont have a strict lb/in tire rating.

 

sorry for the late response guys. To clarify again, the front axle is rated at 20K and this is going to be a flatbed truck. Not a dump truck (yes I used to drive dumps as seen in my PF picture). Im choosing between 16K and 18K front springs. Right now Im probably going with the 18K just to have the capacity when needed. Rear suspension is the kenworth 400L 40K rears. Most of my machines I haul is around 16,000 to 24,000lbs. The truck will be over kill for the majority of my freight but I'm building heavy to be able to haul up to 30K on the truck for off days of general freight and to cover any surprise heavier hauls. Over all im guessing the ride quality wont be much different between 16K springs and 18K springs up front when empty as they will both be pretty stiff Im assuming
I did think about 14600 springs and doing and axillary airbag up top, which is what I have right now on my current rig. But that I found to be harder to find the sweet spot for ride comfort. One of the differences Ill have though which will be night and day is the fact that Ill have an air ride cab. My current truck is a fixed cab to the frame, so I feel everything