browsing car-part.com today and they have a lot of options to choose from . do the B springs have 5 or 6 leaves, do they have what carpart refers to as an aux leaf? i've done a lot of work on struts, shocks, and coil springs but have never touched a vehicle with leaf springs


4DR,6-02,LAR,4WABS,RH,CODE A

5 LF W 1 OVR,4X,S CODE

Main Sprng, SRW, aux leaf, sprng code, S,A & B (6 leaf)

Main Spring; SRW, w/auxiliary leaf, spring code, P and Y

 

i put the trailer on the excursion for the first time and the back sags far too much , if i only want to improve towing can i do the RAS only ? will the RAS also negate the need to add a rear sway bar? i'm not concerned about lifting the truck for aesthetics only , just looking for the best bang for my buck that will accomplish my goal , i don't want to spend $ on ras plus v/b, plus hellwig if i don't need to

option 1
ras only

option 2

 

tbsexc,
I am trying to figure out some of the same things for my rear B code swap. I have found these part numbers and information in other posts:

3C3Z-5560-CA (B code with overload spring)
3C3Z-5560-CB (without overload)

Someone posted that they had installed the CA's and the overload spring rubbed through A/C line with a trailer/load on it. Hopefully someone can confirm the part numbers above suggest best options for installation.

 

I am going through this same delima with my 2001 7.3 4x4. I wish there was a cross reference table for the spring code, stamped # on the spring, the ford part# and the weight rating. Almost everyone says to use the v/b codes with the 30mm F350 rear sway bar. A few guys have said to use the U or X code front spring. Any advice?

 

i'm more perplexed on which option to choose then ever , i blame ford for not properly outfitting these trucks from the start , my 98 expedition sags less with this trailer on it then my excursion does and the expy is bone stock with 189k miles on it , too bad the 4.6 is anemic in terms of hp and torque

 

not an RAS user but many forum members who have used it have not found the need to install a sway bar. You can install RAS on the stock springs. Many forum members also install air springs. personally, I've come to the conclusion that the stock springs are stiff enough for me and I want a softer ride, not a harsher one, so I'm planning on using air bags to help with my towing. I think I am going to upgrade to the longer 08 springs though, which should give me a better ride than the stockers and not sag as much as an added bonus.

 

If you wind up buying either new or used Super Duty rear springs (B codes) WITH the top overload spring leaf, you should remove that top overload leaf before installing the springs on an EX. The SD trucks have a frame mounted overload pad for those overloads to land on that the EX's don't have. With enough load those overloads if left in place can hit the rear AC lines on our EX's causing your wallet to depressure.
I got lucky and had a co-worker give me 20k take-off X/B codes for free. I removed the rear top overload and added it to my front X code pack then did the typical B code mods on the rear along with two sections of the old slapper bar and the taller 3.75" tapered blocks. This netted me a 3 3/8" lift in front and 4 1/4" on the rear. I kind of pushed the X/B swap to the limit and then some but I had specific goals in mind when I started. We tow a heavy (9-11k) ToyHauler with 1400lbs tongue weight, so I wanted extra spring capacity to counter that as well as some extra ride height to counter the squat that comes with the big tongue weight. I also wanted enough lift to run 35" tires without issues, I still have 32"s on but the bigger tires are on the way. My setup may be a little too 'firm' (or 'rough') for a lot of folks but I don't mind my truck riding like a truck.
I am very happy with my spring swap results, this pic shows the Green Giant with ToyHauler in tow with about 1325lbs of tongue weight with a level stance.

This was our stock starting point.

And as you can see from the signature pic there is plenty of room for the bigger tires when they come in.

 

[quote=WE3ZS;11829813] then did the typical B code mods on the rear along with two sections of the old slapper bar and the taller 3.75" tapered blocks. This netted me a 3 3/8" lift in front and 4 1/4" on the rear.
This was our stock starting point.


Thank you for your reply. Please advise if I am hijacking this thread.
Your picture (before pic?) appears be be the stance I am looking for...lifted 2-4" and level look (rear up a bit). I have an 05, 2WD, PSD 6.0, stock suspension...top of wheel well measures 35" front and 36" back...but appears to sag in back because of body rake. My plan is for late model factory 20 wheels and tires. Was planning on purchasing new rear B springs and modding to give it the 2-4" boost in rear and assess the look to determine if front would need to come up. I am not sure what the "slapper" is and how it effects B mod. Tried inserting pic...no luck.

 

I'm not familiar with the 2 wheel drive rear suspension, but the 4X4's have a 'half leaf' that only goes forward from the axle and has a rubber snubber on the front end. This is the slapper bar I spoke of, it acts just like the old muscle car traction bars to help limit/control axle wrap/wheel hop under accelleration, I don't know if the 2X4's came with the slapper bar or not. A lot of folks mistake this slapper bar for an overload leaf, it does not provide any overload help at all.
I'm also unfamiliar with the best ways to address the coil front, sorry. My "before" stance was 38 1/8" to the wheelwell front and 39 1/8' rear. The modded B codes should add about 2" to the rear, if you swap in a stock 4X4 2' block with that you would have + 4" or so.

 

Are you using a weight distributing hitch? You should be, look at the sticker on your hitch, the 2000's are rated lower than my '05 and mine calls for WD with any trailer over 5k. I would imagine your loaded 24' trailer would be more than that. A properly sized WD hitch will help reduce the amount of squat and more importantly it will help to reload the front end weight that was reduced by that tongue weight induced squat. Post up some weights for that trailer and folks here might have more info to offer, I have seen a lot of the members here report good results with the RAS, which may be the cheapest solution. Many others have gone with airbags (a better solution for pick-up with high bed weights in my opinion) and then there are us who have gone the spring swap route to achieve our goals. There is a lot of experience floating around this forum to offer advice. Posting up your goals, weights and usage will make it easier for people to apply their experience to you situation.

 

I just bought the trailer , it's a 2000 24ft haulmark , title says empty weight is 2950 but it feels a lot heavier than that . I've no idea where to go to measure the actual weights. I do not have a WD hitch but plan to get one . After spending lots of hours reading this forum I feel like the RAS will give me a better ride towing or not towing, without the expense and difficulty of swapping to the V/B springs, and negates the need to spend more money on a rear sway bar. They have a money back guarantee and take less than an hour to install so it will be easy to find out if it suits my needs.

 

Cat Scales are your best bet for really good and easy weigh-ins, $9 for the first weight and $1 for each additional weigh-in. Best $11 you will spend to get a well mannered tow rig. Here's their scale locator, CAT Scale
This is the best write-up I've seen on WD hitch setup, good stuff here! RV.Net Open Roads Forum: Towing: Travel Trailer Hitch Set-up Procedure
Good luck, Sometimes these beasts need a little fine tuning to make them the ideal tow vehicles, They are a joy to drive once you get them all sorted out!