tallzag

Going to be towing a 25 foot enclosed trailer from Olympia, WA to Las Vegas, NV in about two months with a 4,000 pound car in it and think my truck needs a little more rear suspension. I towed the trailer about 300 miles two weeks ago with an easy-lift on it and the stinger was only about 2 inches off the ground, little low for my taste. Truck has plenty of power to tow it (well, after I get my tranny cooler installed), but not so sure about the suspension.

What are my options to beef it up a little? New springs? Overloads? Air bags? Obviously trying to do this as cheap as possible. It towed it fine as-is, but going 2,400 miles is a lot different than 300 miles.

Don't have these installed yet but plans are for pyro, boost, tranny temp gauge, tranny cooler, and 3200 spring before the trip. Any suggestions on tranny coolers?

Shadetree Ltd

Mine is a 4x4 but I installed airbags from pacbrake and with 5000 pounds in the bed it just makes contact with the overloads that come with the truck, plus I like being able to fill themaccording to my needs. The bags from pac brake weren't bolt on, they required some drilling. They cost me $225 CDN but Firestone's were $400 CDN.

99globalwarmer

air bags with my soft ride lift i needed air bags to stop from looking like i was throwing out the anchor. for sure get air bags. pac-brake has some really nice bags. withe the billet aluminum caps.

http://www.pacbrake.com/index.php?page=air-suspension

brainfade

Might take a look at Timbrens. Basically an extended bump stop the goes in place of the OE stop. Cheap and fast. Can't find the website at the moment...

Shadetree Ltd

When I bought the truck it was missing a rear bumpstop so I replaced them with timbrens. The truck with factory overloads and timbrens rode pretty rough empty but did ok with the weight. With the airbags both the Timbrens and overloads don't come into contact until I hit a large bump and the truck rides a little smoother empty with the bags.

tallzag

Thanks for the advice. Dumb question time, is an onboard compressor necessary? Looks like the base kit is $240 but I really doubt that includes a compressor. Going to be hauling a bunch of parts in the back of the truck as well for a swap meet (have a Hemi Super Bee in the trailer, can't put parts in the trailer with it!), just need that little extra lift. It is not hitting the bumpstops but it is getting close. The drop hitch seems to be the biggest ground clearance issue.

Micaiahfied

tallzag- I have firestone ride rite bags on my wife's d250. I also installed an Air Lift compressor with 2 gallon storage tank. I'm very happy with the system. I think I've still got the pictures in my gallery where the bed is LOADED with sheetrock, not to mention the 60+ extra sheets on the trailer. They say to never run the bags empty, if that's the case then I don't know why they sell them without the compressors. There is NO WAY to keep them from leaking down over time. I usually run with about 5 psi. The onboard air makes it easy to just flip the fill switch and get them right where you want it. it also makes it easy to add an air horn, lol, it's my wife's favorite thing about her truck.

Shadetree Ltd

The compressor isn't required but would be very nice to have for sure.
It is not included. Right now there is a $25 mail in rebate until the end of the month.

ofcmarc

Try a load distributing hitch.

csramsey640

I had ther same issues, and stock springs, the trailer will prob sag the rear. I have a heavy-car/equip trailer, and with a 4000+ lb car it sagged the rear. I had 2 extra leaves made per side, and they recommended that I do 1 new one under the main, factory one, then another new one. I had them a little bit thicker too. This made for a decent ride empty, and a good level when loaded

When I got my 40' Gooseneck, it wasnt enough, so I went hog wild, and now have 12 springs per side, no overloads. Loaded they work great, but empty its not cool, and it sucks because there is no give. If you plan to do springs and want to really give a boose, go with some overloads, that way you wont get the extra spring capacity until your loaded, and the empty will ride the same, air bags would prob be easier to install, and wouldnt be hard to fill when you plan on towing, or deflating when you plan on running empty.

If you get a tranny cooler from Napa, etc just go with the biggest one available. Coolers are universal and usually sold by weight ratings. Bigger is always better than smaller. The 3200 Spring is also great when pulling, and youll love it with the air resistance that trailer has

Everything else you mentioned is also a good idea, since itll get a workout.

whereswaldo250

I just got some factory overloads (4 extra per side) for my truck so I could haul more but till have the same ride when empty. I need to get some u-bolts made so I can put them in, hopefully soon. Should work great, easier then airbags IMO