Made a decision today.... put $500 down and parts will get ordered on Monday from 4 Wheel Parts.

1. Bilstein front lift kit (F4-SE5-C764-HO) New coils that lift 2" and 5100 shocks
2. Bilstein rear shocks (24-062466 ) for 2-4" lift
3. Bilstein 5100 steering damper
4. Pro Comp add-a-leaf (a box from the 6" lift kit). Should lift rear 2-2.5".

I'm excited to get this all done. Should make truck ride a lot better and hopefully look better standing above all of the half tons! New Wheels/Tires will be next year after taxes.

Probably will get it done in 2 weeks. I'll post good before/after pics.

 

That will be awesome! Can't wait to see the after pics, however they might cost me some more money with mine. Lol

 

I'm a little concerned the rear will be too low, but hopefully it's even or slight front rake.

If it sags more than I desire when loaded up with my TT, I'll probably add helper springs.

Looks like parts are on back order from Bilstein, so ETA yet.

 

Will lifting the front throw the castor off?

 

Try taking up one link of chain on both sides of your equalizer bars. If it still squats too much, take up another link and another if necessary.. If your bars are heavy enough (sized for your tongue weight), you should be able to eliminate your squat. Reese and other hitch folks recommend you have around 10-15 % of the trailer weight as tongue weight. That will result in some squat. Keep in mind that if you eliminate rear sag by bags, springs, coil-over shocks/ air shocks etc, that you are making your front end lighter, resulting in reduced steering and braking on your truck's front end.
Also, taking up extra links in the bars is free, and when the towing is done, your truck is back to original.
You probably already know this, but if you put a block under your trailer jack and raise the trailer up several inches, putting extra tension on the bars is much easier and safer.
I hope this helps and I'm sure that it is the cheapest solution.
The idea with the load equalizing hitch is that the bars are trying to break the hitch off of your truck as if you put a piece of pipe in the receiver and lifted. The result is you take some weight off of the truck's rear and transfer it to the front.
Oh, to make it tow well, adjust your ball height so that with the bars on and truck level (or so) that your camper (or other towed vehicle) is also level.

 

I think I have my Equalizer dialed in good. I still play with it before each camping trip. But when I load up the bed with #300 of crap and have the trailer fully loaded up, the truck sags a bout 2".

I'm a little worried about doing the Bilstein 2.5" lift and having bump steer. Do I need a track bar?

 

Woot, install is scheduled for next Wednesday! Getting closer!

I'm still worried about if I will need a trac bar and if my rear is going to be sagging with the 2.5" front lift. I think the Pro Comp add-a-leaf will get me 1.5" at the most in the rear. Might be dead level? Right now my front wheel wheel sits 3/4" lower than the rear.

Is my truck going to look ridiculous on my factory 17x7.5 31" wheels/tires? Funds for new tires/wheels won't be ready until after December. If it looks really bad, I may have to bust out a credit card lol.

 

Going with bigger wheels will reduce the amount your truck will be able to carry safely. I did some research on this and thats the reason I went with the 18's. If you change the height of the rear or the front you will have to have the truck aligned. 2 inches may not sound like a lot but Take a tape measure and lay it on the ground. Stretch it out the wheel base of the truck. Raise it up 2 inches on one end and see what it looks like. I have the same problem but I get less than 2 inches of squat so far. Still need to load a few more things and check again.

 

I think I'm going to change my install. Cancel front lift kit and only do an add-a-leaf and new 5100 shocks all around. Then get a 34" wheel/tire package and call it good. Looks like OEM 20" wheel/tires are 34", which will make a huge difference on my truck. Currently sitting at 31" with stock 17"s.

Going for this look:

https://www.customwheeloffset.com/wh...ck-custom-rims

 

Ha, changed things up a bit.

No level kit.

Bilstein 5100s in front/rear and steering. Prom Comp Add-A-Leaf in rear. Not sure if I'll do 1 or 2 springs on each side. Should raise rear 1.5" or so.

Pro Comp Helldorado 18x9 wheels and 295/70/18 Terra Grapplers G2.



Hoping this wheel/tire combo fits and looks good!

 

Mini update... Just ditched pro comp add-a-leafs.

Going with SkyJacker instead:

SKYR3815

Skyjacker - Softride Add-A-Leaf Rear | 4WheelParts.com

I'll post tons of before and after pics, loaded and unloaded.

 

I think those wheels and the 295's will look great on your truck. I ditched the factory Michelins in favor of some Cooper s/t maxx in the stock 275/70/18 size. I needed more traction but could not spare any towing oomph by going to a larger tire but 295's would look better.

 

Hope everything works out, always alot of tough decisions.

Dirtymutt, how do you like the Coolers?

 

Yup. Know how you feel. For me, I needed to fix the squat when towing and look better than the dinky 31" stockers. Well see how it goes, wait for my pics in a week or two. 4wheel parts is waiting on Bilstein shocks, so could be a bit. I may add a 1.5" or 2.5" front lift later on.

Hopefully I'll be happy with new wheels/tires (34"), new shocks, and a rear add a leaf that raises rear 2".

Got a front clunking noise in front end over bumps, so need some work done. Not sure what is, will bring in this week to get looked at.

 

Parts backorder pushed my install back to this Friday. The Skyjacker add-a-leaf probably won't show up, so will go back to the Pro-Comp Add-a-leaf. I'm thinking I should just go with the 2" lift in the front and 3" lift with the pro comp. We'll see. Ugh, just want this done.