overload shocks or helper springs??

APT wrote:
Change the shocks. They probably suck. My 99 off road package and 03 FX4 package shocks sucked. And so did did my Suburban ones brand new. That's what controls the dampening. Higher spring rate say when loaded just means the shocks don't have to work as much so they can still suck. :)

Did that. Got Ford's HD shocks. But still not happy. I understand there's others out there. HD Bilsteins and even adjustable RockShokS??? Maybe I just didn't get the right shocks. But when I called up Bilstein about it they said the springs should come first then the shocks.

With all the weight I'm putting back on the front axle with the WDH, I'm guessing putting heavier coils (and Ford has them) up there might be the best bet. Or maybe the RAS on the rear isn't HD enough. But I'm done with all that. What I should have done was just get Ford's HD Payload option and be done with it. Would have been cheaper too. Next truck maybe ...

I'm totally with brulaz on this. If a 200 lb person sits on the tailgate and the truck squats 2 or 3 inches, a WD hitch just ain't gonna make up for that. Mine squatted just like that before I added an extra leaf. It stiffened the ride a lot, but the handling and road manners were vastly improved.

Change the shocks. They probably suck. My 99 off road package and 03 FX4 package shocks sucked. And so did did my Suburban ones brand new. That's what controls the dampening. Higher spring rate say when loaded just means the shocks don't have to work as much so they can still suck. :)

APT wrote:
I can agree to disagree. Every half ton towing a TT with WDH that is near the TV's GVWR and front axle returned to unhitched height settles 1-2" in the rear, looking quite level. So any more weight and it's overloaded. Shouldn't need more spring rate in the rear to "sag less". Shocks? Sure - every OEM shock I have read about sucks compared to a quality aftermarket. I towed with my prior half ton at 0-500 pounds over GVWR and never needed more suspension help. Always looked and towed great. Only about 5000 towing miles with it before we wanted to use an SUV instead of a pickup.

Not talking about sag here, but ride quality, what I call "wallowing".
My truck didn't sag with the WDH properly set up, but still wallowed. Even with the RAS and all, it still wallows a bit. But never any sag with the WDH in place.

But trucks are different. My previous little Toyota Tacoma had a much, much stiffer suspension, but a much lower payload too. (Makes you wonder). It didn't need any suspension mods at all on that one, and it rode very well with the old trailer and WDH. But it was a real neck-breaker when unloaded and was always 300-500# over GVWR when towing, so we ditched it for the F150. Now I'm under all my weight ratings but don't like the ride when loaded. You can't win ...

I can agree to disagree. Every half ton towing a TT with WDH that is near the TV's GVWR and front axle returned to unhitched height settles 1-2" in the rear, looking quite level. So any more weight and it's overloaded. Shouldn't need more spring rate in the rear to "sag less". Shocks? Sure - every OEM shock I have read about sucks compared to a quality aftermarket. I towed with my prior half ton at 0-500 pounds over GVWR and never needed more suspension help. Always looked and towed great. Only about 5000 towing miles with it before we wanted to use an SUV instead of a pickup.

APT wrote:
brulaz, it is because of what you said that I do not recommend using rear suspension aides with a WDH. That is typically all one needs, a properly adjusted WDH. Rare cases when someone has a heavy pickup bed load and a heavy TT, but that's not likely the case for any half ton.

Don't think the issue is that rare in the half-ton trailer hauling community. Most half tons have a suspension primarily designed for a comfy ride when unloaded. They're designed more for the commuter. When you load them up close to the GVWR, even with a properly setup WDH, the suspension is just too wimpy.

But a lot of this is an individual thing. I know some folks who have the same truck as I do and tow similar a trailer with a WDH and have no issues with "wallowing". It just doesn't bother them. But it does me, maybe because, as snowbirds, we spend a lot of time in the truck with the trailer attached.

So I generally recommend that folks go with a properly set up WDH first, go to the scales and make sure they're under all their GWRs and try it out. If they still don't like the ride, then look into suspension mods (or trade in the truck for something heavier duty).

I did the add a leaf thing to my F150 about 12 years ago. Definitely one of the best mods I did to it. The rear was way too soft before that. Yes, it raised the rear almost 2 inches, which did affect where the head lights aimed, but not badly. In fact most car traffic appreciated it, I think. The truck tows and hauls rock solid now.

APT wrote:
brulaz, it is because of what you said that I do not recommend using rear suspension aides with a WDH. That is typically all one needs, a properly adjusted WDH. Rare cases when someone has a heavy pickup bed load and a heavy TT, but that's not likely the case for any half ton.

My half ton squats until I put the bars on, then it lifts back up almost to unloaded. My tongue weight is about 750 lbs, plus the WDH, plus the bikes in the back.

With just the bars in position, the lift is great, but there is a lot of bounce between the truck and trailer at the pivot point.

When I added air bags (airlift) into the back end, the sag was only about half as bad. With the bars in position, the lift is again almost back to unloaded (without any adjustment to the chain position, just to the ball angle) but the bounce between the truck and trailer is nearly gone.

The ride with the airbags inflated and truck unloaded is very rough, but it is easy to decrease the air pressure and put the ride back to normal.

brulaz, it is because of what you said that I do not recommend using rear suspension aides with a WDH. That is typically all one needs, a properly adjusted WDH. Rare cases when someone has a heavy pickup bed load and a heavy TT, but that's not likely the case for any half ton.

IMHO you have to be a bit careful about overload springs and those Timbrens that only come into play when the truck is very heavily loaded. The reason is that your properly adjusted WDH will lift some of that weight off the rear axle so the rear won't be as heavily loaded and the "helper" or "overload" springs won't be as effective.

My truck's rear spring stack has a short, heavy, bottom, "overload" leaf that, when unloaded, doesn't touch the other leafs except at the centre. It only comes into play when the truck is fully loaded. But when I tighten up the WDH fully, this short leaf is barely touching the others. I'm sure it has some effect, just not as much as when fully loaded.

So if you want something to stiffen the suspension even when using the WDH, you may need something that operates across a range of loads, medium to heavy. Typically these will raise the rear of the truck and stiffen normal, unloaded driving. You can add an extra, regular (not "overload") leaf to the spring pack. I added Roadmaster Active Suspension (RAS).

Adjustable Bags are really nice as you can reduce their effect when unloaded and precisely adjust them to your load.

With any of these, be sure to adjust the WDH (reduce front end lift by 50-100%) after you've modified the suspension.