Remote control placement for Rancho 9000 shocks

[rover]

Wondered if anyone could give me an idea of where the best place might

be to install the remote controller for the Rancho Shocks in a 2005 2500

Quad cab.



rover

 

[JeepinDoug]

In the cubby hole would be good.

BTW, your gonna be busting your hump to find all the leaks in the Rancho system. Prep the hose ends perfectly, no burrs or scratches on the ends, good luck.

 

[rover]

Doug:



Thanks for the reply, I had that concern after reading several posts on the subject,

but according to Rancho, they have a new controller with better fittings, etc. I guess we will see if they responded to the prior poor performance with the controller.

Presume you mean the cubby hole about the cup holders. Do you have the Rancho

shocks and controller?

rover

 

[Bill Stockard]

I helped another TDR member install the Rancho 9000 remote control system on his '03 3500 2-wheel drive. We mounted the gauge/control panel about half-way up on the knee bolster to the left of the steering column. He has a brake controller on the right side of the knee bolster. The air lines and wiring can be neatly tied up and aren't visible from the driver's seat and are out of the way of his knees when entering/exiting the truck.



Yep, we had problems with leaks. We used propane leak detector to find the leaks. One was at a T-connection, which was easy to repair. Two others were at the fitting that mounts to the bottom of the shock. We cleaned the fittings and the base of the shock very well and used a little grease as an aid in inserting the O-ring seal, but the fitting to shock connection still leaked. He called Rancho and they sent new fittings at no charge which were installed and no more leaks.



I'm thinking of ordering a remote controller for my truck. On an 2-wheel drive 3rd generation truck, it's difficult to adjust the front shocks. I can access the adjusting knob with only two fingers through a very space limited access hole. I haul a heavy slide in camper and like to change the settings when the camper is on the truck or driving it solo. Once we fixed the leaks on the other truck, the remote works very well.



Bill

 

[DWMeyer]

Do you have a lift? I was told that there were no 9000 shocks for my 05 with a 2in leveling kit. I hope they were wrong!

 

[JeepinDoug]

Do you have a lift? I was told that there were no 9000 shocks for my 05 with a 2in leveling kit. I hope they were wrong!

Check on Rancho's website for a PDF file, it'll have all the specs for every shock style and length. Look for the p/n for a stock height and get the comp/ext lengths, add the extra travel to your ext length and look for a shock that matches with the correct mounting ends.

It's a little work reading through all the numbers but I'm sure you'll find one that works. Also check the RSX shocks as they have other sizes compared to standard 9000 series.



I've had the remote before in my Jeep, just didn't like it, plus when I air down for trail rides I can easily adjust the shocks by hand.

 

[Red Ramrod]

On my 03 I mounted them under the cupholder in a custom pod I made from sheet metal. I had some problems at first at solving leaks but it has held up well for the last 25k miles. The new kit looks far superior to the original kit. It looks like more like the components you get with an air bag kit and they never seem to leak.

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[DWMeyer]

Thanks--I will!

 

[rover]

Red Ramrod

Like the way you placed the Ranch controller under the cup holder. Looks like it belongs there. Yeah, I too think the new controller is more in the ballpark of what

was needed. Also have an Arctic Fox 860S (2005) After the maiden voyage on my

2005 RAM 2500 short bed, knew the airbags weren't the optimal solution, so more

dough for the Ranchos and the IPD anti-sway bar. From my readings and talking to

a lot of folks, looks like the next upgrades will dial in the ride for the Dodge and

the TC.

On your custome holder, did you fabricate or was there a source that I could maybe

follow up on.



Rover

 

[Red Ramrod]

Hi Rover,



I custom fabricated the gauge holder from sheet metal. It was fairly easy if you have access to the right tools. If you want to make one, PM me with a standard email address and I well send you more info.



My camper weights in at 5600lbs. With the Air Bags at 90lbs, front shocks on 7 and rear shocks on 9, larger bump stops and the rear sway bar it rides awesome. The truck sits perfectly level and it handles well in high winds and on windy mountain roads.



You may want to look at the Hellwig sway bar. When I bought mine it was a lot cheaper (about 1/2 the price) than the IPD bar and works great. I bought mine at Mac's Spring If you call them they can help with part #'s.

 

[geusterman]

I did mine on my 02 on my seat by the door. Easy to get to and maintain and away from dash. George