Rear end sag with load

[ropinfool2]

How much squat are you guys getting? I have a 03 2500 C. C. 4X4. Going to pull a 5ver with it. Was getting nervous about the hitch weight due to what you guys are saying, but hauled a 600 gal tank, weighing 650 lbs in my bed last week, didn't even sit down. Maybe this happens after break in? Love this site! John

 

[ray1933]

Timbrens

The Timbrens I received were the old model and it was apparent that they would have raised my rear end by about an inch empty and made the ride stiffer.

I emailed Timbrens and they told me they were the old style and would send me a replacement set that has the 1 inch rubber spacer that you can leave out so they will not be in contact till you have a load on the truck.

Now that is the way a good company does business.



I suggested they contact J. C. Madagin Inc or Stuff for Trucks as their website is called and let them know they are sending out the old style.

 

[Hunter1]

Ray



Am waiting to see what you think of the Timbrens, from what I have read, they stiffen things up too much!



Viagra Timbrens



Hunter1

 

[ray1933]

Timbrens

Hunter 1



My new ones should be here this week and as soon as I get them on I will post the results.



One thing I do know is that I sure like the ride now and if the new ones do not make contact with the axle till you get a load on it will be great.

 

[tgrfan2]

air bags

Since most of us tow only occasionally, air bags make alot of sense. You get a good ride empty and you add air as needed. I have them on both trucks and use them pulling a TT, equipment trailer, dump trailer, and now a fiver. I doubt you are going to save much money adding leaves and you loose the flexibility of adapting air pressure to load for proper ride height. Also my friends 2003 3500 CTD overloads "pop" with his fiver hooked up because he is in that "tweener" zone with about 2500# of pin weight. You can feel the rebound pretty hard on certain dips like at bridges, the air bags eliminate most of that feeling.

 

[Mopar_Mudder]

We talked about this before, the air bags don't work very good in the 03's. Atleast in my opinion.

 

[Prairie Dog]

Originally posted by Mopar_Mudder

We talked about this before, the air bags don't work very good in the 03's. Atleast in my opinion.

Do you say that because there's really no suitable way of mounting them?

 

[Bill Littlefield]

Sag, Sag, Sag

Vaughn,



Sorry for a late response. I've been gone hunting for two weeks.



I do notice the "Thump" now and again when my overloads contact the stops. I have not found it to be a problem but I do understand that it would be more often and perhaps more apparent if I add a spacer. I'd really like a spacer that I could turn out of the way when unloaded.



I just had a truck full of stuff and a 4 horse trailer coming home. The most annoying problem of all is what happens to the head lights when the truck squats. All the way home (until 2:00 am) I had trucker after trucker flashing high beams in my face. If they are going to design a truck that squats this much then darn it I wish they would put in-the-cab electric headlight adjustments!



From the other posts here it sounds like I should check out the mounting of the Firestone Air Bags. They were a good solution for me before and maybe they will be again. It irks me though. I bought a 3500 so that I wouldn't need the airbags this time around.



Bill

 

[ray1933]

Timbrens

Well I installed the new ones today and made funny discovery.



I mounted the rubber to the steel bracket that fastens to the frame and set them side by side and they were the very same height.



When mounted The right side had about 1/4 inch space to the axle and they left side had over a 1/2 space.



Got out a small square and from the top of the spring to the bottom of the frame on the right side it is right at 8 inches and the left side it is over 8 5/8 inches to the bottom of the frame!!



Any ideas????

 

[JHardwick]

Get a load of this !!!!

I can't say that I have followed this thread or any threads pertaning to the leveling kit. I liked all of my trucks to sit high in the rear and level with a load.



Anyway, I took my truck in today to finally get a little nasty about a running board issue, which basically can't be fixed. And a vibration I have been picking up coming to a stop. It feels like the ole days when I would come to a stop in my '79, 460 powered, 39. 5 swamper wearin ****, LOL.



After I crawled under the rack and showed them the problem with the running boards, they quickly said they would get me some new ones ... ... ... ..... how many out of place holes are they gonna drill???



I showed them the 2 piece drive shaft that wollered in the "damper" not "carrier bearing" and they said they would order a whole new driveline. Then they took it off the rack and ran it up and down the isle between bays with a mechanic sitting on a crawler holding the rear axle, lol ... ... ... . they couldn't get it to vibrate in the shop, but on the road coming to a stop they felt it too, 25 mph and below, worse at about 5 mph.



I'm glad this shop is so easy to get parts ordered, but I want it fixed in the process, LMAO.



Okay, now back to the topic. While my truck was sitting in the isle, it was basically tail gate to tail gate (@ 90 degrees) to an '03 in for transmission work with very few miles by looking at the factory GS-A's.



I said "hey, his truck sits higher than mine!"



a saleman said "he must have got the heavy duty package"



I said "mine is a 3500 DRW Heavy Duty, says so right there on the tailgate"



..... now I got the salesguy and the mechanics scratchin and looking ... ... . they determined that his was and inch to and inch and a half taller at the tailgate ... ... ... ... .



Finally I noticed the rake of the trucks. I remember mine sitting way higher in the rear when I first brought it home. After hauling horses, tractors, hay, and even a fork truck for probably 10K of the 26K on the truck, that the springs have settled (sagged) over an inch. My truck now sits almost level unloaded and the other truck still sits high in the rear.



This is gonna get interesting to say the least. At that rate, I'll have to mount casters on my rear bumper to keep the sparks to a minimum!!



Sorry so long, thought it was all worth noting ... ... ..... and kinda funny.



-Jeff

 

[Badunit]

Ray, hopefully your truck was not sitting exactly level. Maybe the front wheels were turned a little or maybe the floor or driveway you were parked on was not exactly flat?

 

[ray1933]

Rear end sag

Badunit



I thought of that so I went to the service station to get some mower gas and checked it there. Same way. I plan to put the camper on next week and haul it around some and see if the springs will settle some more.



Now if the wife was a wee bit on the heavy side I could blame it on her but she weighs less than I do.

 

[JHardwick]

Hmmmm, the fuel tank is on the what side?

 

[ray1933]

Rear end sag

left side

 

[JHardwick]

Fill the tank

 

[Hunter1]

You know, I would have to agree with JHardwick, I believe my springs have settled also, cause I do not have the high rear end rake that it seemed to have at the very first.



With my Leer Canopy, will add picture later, it slopes down at the back of the truck making the truck always look kinda low in the rear. I might be able to get by with the 2" lift. It would make the Leer look level and with the load and the trailer hooked up would still keep the headlights level, without having to install a remote headlight adjuster like someone said.



Hunter1

 

[SilverFox]

Please see my post on the Kelderman installation. Good ride and no sag.

 

[pcarlson]

I know this might not apply since mine is a 2nd gen truck, but I added a full lenght spring that goes eye to eye to the spring pack. It actually raised my rear-end about 1/2 -3/4". To compensate for any ride harseness I put on Rancho 9000X's and set them to 1 or 2. Ride is really smooth and with my camper on 2500-3000#'s it rides level and rides great with the load. Also when the overloads make contact they are controled now as well so there is no more slapping.

 

[Hunter1]

Ray



You must have your Timbrens installed by now? How are they? WE need a report!



Hunter1

 

[ray1933]

Timbrens

Hunter 1

I have them installed and they work great with the camper.



With the truck empty they are about 1/2 inch off the axle. With the horse trailer they are in contact and do stiffen up the ride some.

I do not need them with just the horse or boat trailer so will remove them and just put them back on when I get ready to haul the camper.

I took me about 15 mins to put them on so that will be no big deal getting ready to haul the camper.



There is no rear end sag with the camper and I like that.



Ray