When hitching my 3000 lb tent trailer on my 98 F150 5.4L with 70K miles on it, I noticed the read end being lowered than front end. I am looking to replace my OEM shocks after convincing myself that off road riding is too bouncy. Which shocks would help with towing and improve the ride quality? I'm looking at Rancho or Bilstein shocks, would Rancho 9000 help to raise the truck a bit (even a inch would be nice). Would 5000 be sufficient for my need? Anything other than shocks I should be looking at? Replaced my leaf springs 10K ago.... Would I need a rear sway bar with only 3000 lb towing about twice a month for camping/hunting trips?

 

Are you towing level? I hope you didn't fill the front compartment (if it has one) with firewood. With that kind of weight you really shouldn't have too much of a problem with rear end sag. The tongue weight should only be about 300-450 lbs.

 

To answer your question about the shocks, no, shocks won't do anything to reduce rear end sag. That is a function of your springs. Shocks damp the up and down movement of the axle and reduce the 'boing' in the springs.

Rancho 9000's and Bilsteins are both excellent shocks. I run them both on my my F350 and am quite happy with them. The Rancho 5000's are a little stiff for most people's likings from what I gather on here. I have had them on one of my trucks before and they were stiff but I didn't mind them too much. Some people preferr a soft riding truck and I don't mind if my trucks ride like trucks.

I know F150's don't have the stoutest rear suspensions, but it should be able to handle the tongue weight of a 3000 lb tent trailer. Maybe you have too much other weight in the bed of the truck, or maybe you need to redistribute the weight in the trailer to lighten the tongue? Maybe carry the propane bottle(s) in the bed of the truck up at the front instead of on the trailer tongue?

One thing that could be affecting the attitude of the truck is the angle of the trailer. The truck's hitch ball should be at the right height so that the trailer tows level. A trailer that tows too far nose-down will put undue weight on the truck. A trailer that is too far nose-up can induce sway on the truck and cause a bad or sometimes dangerous towing experience. If you have a reciever hitch, you can purchase ball-mounts of different heights (drop or rise). If you're towing with a ball mounted on the bumper, then you don't have any height adjustment. I advise using a reciever hitch for this reason. Also, 3000 lbs is approaching the limits of some stock bumpers...

If redistribution of cargo doesn't help any, then there are helper springs you can put on the truck to level it. Air bags are one choice (Air Lift and Firestone Ride Rite are the 2 big brands there). Hellwig, Timbren and others make overload leaf spring kits too. Then there is also the option of swapping the whole rear springs to heavier F250 (Light Duty, not Superduty) springs.

Finally, there is the option of using a weight distributing hitch setup. The weight distributing hitch will take some of the tongue weight that is currently being applied only the truck's rear axle and put a portion of it up onto the truck's front axle and also some of it back onto the trailer axles(s). Check out www.reeseprod.com for an explanation of how Reese weight distributing hitches work.

 

Hmm, that was good reply on your part. I was thinking with "worn" shocks, then it would display sagging rear end. When I first got the tent trailer, the truck seems to be level when towing. Right now, after a year and half later, I noticed rear sags as shown in this photo (if I can be able to publish). I don't put firewood in camper front storage, just light stuffs like camper chairs, lantern, hoses, dog foods, and etc. Let me know if this photo shows appropriate level of the truck while towing or not. Driving off road displayed bouncy ride especially on rough rocky terrian, so I felt it was time for shock replacement to improve the driving and handling.

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BTW, I seem can't be able to attach a photo file here. How do I do that?

Thanks in advance.

 

Look at my gallery for the photo to determine if any concern is needed for this rear end sag?

 

It does look like it's sagging a bit too much. I have two questions for you:

1. What is loaded in the back of the truck?

2. Is the trailer level? (it appears to be)

 

Yes, the trailer is leveled. We have some stuffs in the truck such as luggages, coolers, for a week worth of camping. But it's nothing out of ordinary such as truckload of woods or bricks. The leaf spring was replaced with OEM parts about 15K ago. I just went on hunting trip this weekend and noticed the same thing with rear sagging. Also noticed bouncy ride on the off road as well.

 

I agree, it's sagging quite a bit for what seems like should be a light load. The camper shell does add some weight. If you have a 'carpet kit' in the bed, that adds weight too. Maybe that together with whatever is in the back of that truck is just too much for the light half-ton springs. That your truck used to ride more level and now rides lower in the rear with the same load, indicates that your springs are losing their load carrying ability, ie: they are wearing out, just as your shocks are wearing out.

 

The leaf springs too? I'm thinking that I go ahead and order the Rancho 9000 and see what happens before going overboard with springs. I think I paid around $500 for both leaf springs the last time. it was warped when I first bought it two years ago.

 

pair of hellwig overloads will help. dont need alot, a set of light duty ones should work. i have yet to see a shock in 15 years of turning wrench cause the rear end to sag. overload shocks, and air shocks are a bad idea, as they transfer the weight from the springs to the upper shock mount. not a strong place to have 1000 lbs of weight. plus i have seen the results of them when they go bad. with a tent trailer, you are likely to roll the trailer, and hit a few cars. with a larger trailer you will be lucky to walk away alive. airbags are nice, but you must always keep air in them, and check it often. overloads are nice as you can adjust them, and forget them. not as quite, not as easy to install, but hassle free. thats what i have on the back of my f250 when i tow my fiver (1800lbs tounge, 7800 wet)


Kurt

 

Dilas, listen to Husky, the springs are at fault (barring how you load the truck). The Ranchos are nice shocks, no doubt, but they will not do anything to solve your rear sagging problem. My Rancho 9000's made absolutely zero difference in the ride height of my truck.

 

i agree on the rancho 9000. if you get the billsteins or konis you are looking at breaking a shock mount. i have seen billsteins break off the lower shock mount on a 10.25. just way to stiff for a leaf suspension. i have a set of oils on my rear. i found that they are a little soft with out the trailer, but are just right when i am loaded. this is my own opinion, and i am sure i am going to here about it. but i have yet to have a problem with the shock while towing. it real takes the hard jounce out of the rough roads around here. and when i say ruff i mean like hound dogs on a fresh trail ruff. :->anyone one that has towed any off the roads between flagstaff and seligman or williams to prescott knows what i am talking about!!!
Kurt

 

it sounds like you need to address your springs to me also... I would suggest add-a leafs in the rear. they cost about $50 per set(includes 2 leafs and center pin) . they will raise the back of your truck 1.5-2.5 inches when empty, and strengthen the load carring ability of your original springs. an independent shop may charge you around $150- 200 to install them ( you don't have to totally remove the springs)

 

yeah but if the main load spring is bad, it will help till even the helper goes bad. check your unloaded and loaded ride height for height differences. if you find anymore than 3/8" (ford says 1/2 i say 3/8) you have atleast one bad spring. one bad spring will transfer alot more weight from the other. it sees 1500 lbs when there is only 1000. it will compinsate. if this is the case you might want to look into some custom springs. they usually run less, and you can have the wound to any spec. there are countless amount of spring builders in the us. pheonix has 3 flagstaff has 1. so chances are you will likely have one within driving distance. i had pto sales in pheonix build me a set. i have yet to put them on, but i am excited. they are a progressive rate multi leaf. they will sit about an 1" higher than my old ones, and after dropping 2" of load, they wind up tight. really cool to stand on them and bounce. real easy till you hit the firm spot, than its like a rock. hoping to eliminate my overloads with these. with poly bushings they ran me 225.00 shipped to my shop door for the pair. you will find most builders run between 150-250 a set depending on how you want them made. eyelet style (i went for the military wrap) arch height, spring width, rating, progressive etc. might be an option vs factory or poor quality inexpensive aftermarket units. give around a call and see what you find. most companys are more than willing to take an easy job, and more than happy to help..

Kurt

 

hmm.... ok you guys convinced me that I'll need just more than shocks.... I'll consider either add a leaf on both rear springs or overloads that will help to raise the rear end couple inches more. I'll call the local shop whom did my rear spring replacement the last time. If I knew much about this thing, I would have asked for "upgrade" over the factory OEM parts. Guess my fiberglass cap weight is heavier than I thought. I'll admit that all this is bit suprising to me since I expected the F150 is capable of doing what I'm using for with stock setup. I'll let you guys know what I've done afterward. Thanks for all of the inputs, guys.