Hi all,

I have a 1999 3500 Cummins 4 X 2 which I use for towing. I can buy a 2004 3500 Cummins 4 X 4 for sale in my area and I would like to get some input on the maximum amount that this 4 X 4 can be lowered front & rear.

Let me know if a kit is made or if I am on my own to find softer springs in front and whatever the rear will take (shackles, lowering blocks, springs, etc.).

The 2004 is a 6 speed with stock size tires and wheels (17").

Thanks,
Bob

 

Sorry about that

 

I take it you are worried about trailer height? Most people flip the axles of the trailer to make it higher instead of taking the truck closer to the ground.

My skin crawls every time I see a lowered truck, especially a lowered one ton. If you are using the 3500 for what it was designed for, you may need the ground clearance.

 

Hi Tray,

I don't plan to use the 4 X 4 off road. I am moving back to snow country and need a truck that I don't have to chain up or use a stepladder to get into.

The trailer height is not an issue.

Just getting the ride height back to that of a 4 X 2 would be OK...but a little lower would be better..

Thanks for your reply,
Bob

 

ride height is not going to be a factor for the need to chain. tall or short, if you need to chain you will have to chain. lowered trucks are a pain to do chains on because of getting the inside hook done up or crawling up under it to get it hooked.

 

All I would like to know is if anyone has lowered a 3rd generation 4 X 4, how much lower and what it took to get it done?????

Going from a 4 X 2 to a 4 X 4 pretty much eliminates the need to chain up on the highway.

Thanks for your interest in solving my problem,
Bob

 

I have not seen anyone start a thread about lowering a truck. I believe that is because lowering kinda of negates the point of having 4wd. Have you considered side steps possibly a cheaper option the lowering.

 

well the only amount you can go safely is about 3.5 inches before the front diff gets to the point of hitting the pan during suspension compression and it starts to ride like a board. the front bump stops are not far from the axle as it is. the rear is another story. Depends on how low ya wanna go. C notch frame etc. Try a set of V10 coils up front to see if that will get ya low enough. Nobody makes a drop kit specifically for your truck being a 4x4 so you will have to do the work yourself. then once the front is done, then you can determine how ya wanna do the rear to level things out.

 

Thanks for input....

My partner in our racecar is disabled and can get into the 4 X 2 with a little help, but this 4 X 4 won't work unless I get it lower...

Looks like I will buy this 4 X 4 and make it work..

Thanks again,
Bob

 

I think your problem will be clearance issues with the front axle. I would think that you would have to do some major frame work to make it happen.
Personally, if it wasn't such a hassle I would do the same thing. I like the stance of a 2wd truck much better than a 4wd but I would rather own a 4wd so I deal with it....

 

Try air bags on all 4 corners, the setup I was looking at would allow the truck to kneel right down to nothing and then air back up to the height you want. I did research on a site, don't think I can list it here with being muted since they are not a vendor but their bags are some heavy duty units. Those are the bags that will be on the back of my 3500 within the week, I also am removing some of the "heavy duty" leafs and letting the bags work. Timbrens will be removed and offered up for sale in the classified section shortly.

 

I saw a guy lower a second gen 4x4 dually years ago. He chopped exactly 1 coil off each front spring, then located rear lift blocks that were 2 or 3 inches shorter than the stock ones, and it worked perfectly. Not sure if the same will work on a 3rd gen; can't remember if they have blocks in the rear, but I would think you could come up with something.

 

Wrong!
Kelderman Air Ride is one option.
Their front end kit (bags & shocks) is adjustable from -1" to +1.5".
Likely you would also be able to deflate the bags, while stationary, to allow for easier entry. The rear 4 bar kit allows you to maintain the same ride height no matter what the load is. It does not say what that ride height is, but it can be automatic. Again, I would expect you could deflate for ease of entry.

On that note, a local 4X4 shop, that does a lot of suspension work, does not recommend removing the leaf springs altogether. They prefer to remove some leaves and add bags to supplement the load capacity.
I'd say, go with the 4 bar and bags, add a thick sway bar (such as avail. from Roadmasters). You get infinitely variable ride height, load capacity and a smoother ride. One side note, I have heard that the bags act as an isolated, keeping a lot of the roughness in the ride from ever reaching the chassis. Just watch a semi with an air ride cab, the chassis feels the jolts while the cab floats ong in it's own plane of existsnce.

 

Fabricate a front CV axle and go as low as you want to go. There is a one ton Dodge 4x4 dually runnin around here slammed using this very method. It's not for me, but it sure does look cool.

 

I am correct. I should have added that NOBODY makes a kit to get him the desired drop he is needing with the height of a 4x4 compared to a 4x2. yes you are correct that kelderman makes a kit but -1" is not enough especially trying to get his handicap racing partner into the truck.