Hi i have a 1995 XL 200K, 3.0, 2wd, 4sp auto OD, Reg Cab. 7ft bed with a Six-Pac 6.5 foot 1978 Cabover. I had to narrow the base to fit between wheel wells. Rear end is a 3.68 open. Trans 4sp auto. I will be adding a trans cooler before summer too.

The mud flaps are getting shorter and headlights are aimed at the heavens. Has factory sway bars fr and Rr. The factory leafs were getting soft years ago. The replacement shock need to be replaced again.

Springs E4C
Truck weight 3300
Fr 1050 Rr 2250
GVRW 4700,
Ft GAWR 2250, Rr GAWR 2750.
Camper dry weight is 1400

It looks like i have almost maxed out the axels with camper empty. Will bigger springs increase this safely or is max set by max bearing load and torque thrush?

I need some advice on a good duel use suspension set up for truck with and without camper. I like a firm over soft ride but i dont want to make my kidneys bleed.

I am thinking i should replace both leaf springs so i have a good solid foundation. Do you recomend using C again or getting leafs rated at truck + camper weight? Or firmer rated springs for truck weight and 1. add a leaf, 2. Coil overs, or 3 Air Bags to take the camper+ weight.
I would also like a recomendation for a good solid set of double dampening shocks.

Truck has been daily driver for a couple years. My dad bought it new. I will be driving it less day to day, now as mileage, visability and utility have been traded. I plan to put lots more weekend miles on it though. Your help getting the suspension dialed in will really help get there.

Thx Kurt

 

Any chance you have a good spring shop near you where you could sit down and tell them what you are looking for?

 

Well, the first thing you need to understand is that the vehicles Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) is the MAXIMUM amount of weight the design engineers say it can safely carry. This depends on a lot of factors, not just the springs and shock absorbers - engine horsepower and torque, transmission strength, strength of the axles themselves, the rear axle gear ratio, the brakes, and so on. Now, do people ever exceed the GVWR? Yes, of course. But understand that you are probably shortening the life of many of the components. And safety is always to some extent compromised because it's certainly going to take longer to STOP an overloaded vehicle.

A good rule of thumb is, that except for a few brief situations, for best vehicle life, it should not be carrying more than 80% of it's GVWR.

As a practical matter, if you are going to do this anyway, you want air bags and new heavy shocks like Bilsteins. Some air bags - not Firestone, but I think Air Ride, have a built in support that keeps working even if a bag springs a leak and loses it's air. Oh, and air bags should NOT be set up with a single tee'd air fill point. You want individual fill points and no tie in from side to side.

But for the record, have you ever heard, or said, "Man, I wouldn't do that if I was you!"? Well, I'm saying that now. Good Luck

 

 

I too would look for a nearby spring shop first. If nothing local, then try a place like "Detroit Spring" that makes leaf packs to order and will ship. I'd be a little surprised if you can find airbags to fit a '95 ranger. Probably want new front coils as well.

Consider your tires too. If you have 14 inch like my '96 ranger, the biggest and heaviest payload rating I could find in a street tire was just under 1700 lbs.

Before spending any money, probably want to drag it across some scales to verify where your weight is.

 

He's absolutely right about the tires. If you could find 15 inch rims to fit, it would probably make it easier to find tires that could safely handle more weight. But then your rear axle ratio might be all wrong for the bigger tires.