Jack truck up to engage lower Stable Loads?

[FireGuard]

I installed my lower SLs on my truck last night. Fairly straight forward install, but a couple of pointers that may help.
In order to install the long bolt that secures the plate to the spring you need a pretty good gap between the springs, For the rear, a floor jack under the hitch worked well.
For the front, place the jack under the mount that attaches the spring pack to the frame.
You may need to pry just a bit with a bar but not much.
I used 3 shims front and rear. The front I was able to rotate the shims between the springs without jacking the truck, but the rear had to be lifted.
I noticed in the instructions it recommends to jack the truck up to engage the SLs.
This seems like more of a hassle then a quick operation, but it definatley supports more weight.
Do those running the SLs do the same or should I remove a wedge or 2 in order to engage them without lifting the truck?
With my Lance 981 which weighs over 4K lbs my truck only squatted 3 3/4" and the new Rams sit pretty high. I'm just a hair low in the rear but don't think I'll need airbags.
I haven't driven it yet but it feels pretty solid. I'm still waiting on my Big Wig sway bar.

[joeshmoe]

^^^
This.

The nylock nut will do its job.

The only problem is the noise that they make when they're disengaged. They do make some racket especially at slower speeds on rough or uneven roads

[FireGuard]

Yes, just snug them up. I cranked mine down pretty tight thinking they needed it, but once I got them mounted I couldn't swing them in and had to loosen the nuts.

[orourkmw]

Thanks for the guidance, FireGuard. I assembled mine today, and plan to install on Wednesday. My instructions don't say how much torque to apply to the Nylock nut on the 2-1/2" bolt that holds the shim pack together. Did you just snug it up? It seems too tight would interfere with the engagement.

I have a 2012 F350 and had to remove the top wedge plate and use 6 washer shims. I do have airbags and plan to have ~25 psi when I engage, which gives me 1/2" gap front and 3/8" rear. I probably could have left the top in the front, but wanted a contingency in case I have to engage without inflation.

[FireGuard]

Thanks for the replys.
My fronts are ok, the rear are tight and need to be lifted.
The instructions also say grease may help.
I'll play with it and see how it drives first, may end up removing a shim from the rear if needed.
I was certainly happy with the static load only dropping the rear 3 3/4". This was also measured at the bumper so that was max deflection.

[joeshmoe]

I tried driving unloaded with the SL's engaged. Absolutely ridiculous, rough and bumpy ride. I do NOT recommend it--unless you like torture.

As far as jacking the truck to engage...thankfully, don't need to do that. But then I only have the rear's installed. If the front's were in, I'd likely need to carry a floor jack with me.

[kohldad]

Instead of jacking the rear up, just put the opposite rear wheel up on some leveling boards. It should open up the spring just enough to let you swing the shims in place. Then repeat for the opposite wheel.

[Xpd77]

I jack up the rear of my truck every time. I frequently remove the upper stable loads as well if I'm not going to be carrying my camper for a while. They are pretty quick to remove. Upper and lower stable loads is the only modification I did to my 2012 F350 SRW.

[Buzzcut1]

In the 9 months that I have had the lowers installed I have never bothered to Swing the wedges out of the way even when riding empty. I have all three in on my F350 dually. The ride is fine unladed and great with my 4500+ pound Lance in the bed. I only use my airbags when towing the horse trailer otherwise the upper and lower stable loads are all I need.

[Garyl53]

I had two shims and could engage them without jacking up the rear. However I liked it better towing with all three shims (requires jacking up only the rear to engage). I just leave them engaged during tow season. I actually think my 2011 F250 feels a lot more stable and certainly has less bounce than the stock suspension without the SLs when unloaded.

[Fisher_Bill]

Mine are different from side to side, two on one and three on the other, I thought I read you are not to force them in?

I looked for the instructions and it did not say specifically but I did read in some cases you can use your air bags to widen the gap to give clearance for engaging them.

[Vinsil]

Three wedges in mine, I can rotate them in and out without jacking up the truck. I prefer it this way so if I had to take a shim out on the pack I would. IIRC, you adjust the pack with shims on the bolts to adjust unless you need a ton of adjustment which I believe torklift said to take a wedge out. I like that I can engage and disengage them with only a rachet and extension. YMMV...