Stewart,

I have no idea what the tounge weight is for my trailer, but Rush2112 is right about very little sag even with the stock springs. Do you think just upgrading to better shocks would do the trick considering I tow such a relatively light load?

I hope it will, because I was talking about the spring upgrades to my parents, and they totally shot down the idea, even if i pay for it (with me going to college in 2 years and them prolly selling the truck)... but they said the'll spring for new shocks when it hits 100,000 mi. (its at 92,000 now) So I guess the new question is what type of shocks does anybody recommend? I've heard good things about the bilsteins, but im no expert by any means.

Isaac

 

where is everybody getting the f250 springs? Just the dealer?? Also how much for the pair?? thanks!

 

I got all 4 from the dealer. Paid 127.00 per front V code and 141.00 per rear B code.

 

when you get them, do you order them for the same year as the vehicle you are buying them for. i have a 2001 excurtion. so do i need to order them for a 2001 f250?

 

I ordered them for a 2003 F350. You have to make sure you ask for V codes for the front and B codes for the rear. They fit many years for the F350 and F250...

 

I ordered mine by the Ford part number:
Front V code springs: Part #2C3Z-5310-HA
Rear B code springs: Part #3C3Z-5560-CB

afreemanmd, sorry to hear your parents don't like the upgraded spring idea.

Sorry it's taking so long on the pictures, but my wife works 12+ hour days, she leaves at the crack of dawn, and it's already dark when she gets home. On her coming days off starting this Sunday, I'll get some taken for you.

As for you shock question, I like the Bilsteins. Others will recommend the Rancho's because they like them. Those two seem to be the two choices of shocks for the Excursions.

Stewart

 

Well it took a while but I got to my trailer and hooked up, headed down the road to see what the difference was. I had no issues with sway up to 70mph. I do have an issue with sag. I measured and I am sagging 2 inches in the rear and I'm using a WD hitch. I have tried to put more tension on the bars but it doesn't seem to help. I was hoping that the new springs on the rear would have helped with sag but it doesn't seem to look that way. I guess I will be purchasing a set of airbags....

 

If mine only sags 2 inches and handles OK, I don't think I am going to do anythng. I probably only tow 4 times a year.

 

A WD hitch does not entirely stop sagging. If the hitch is properly mounted, the rear and the front will sag as the truck takes on the additional weight. However, the rear will be carrying more than the front. The amount of sag is determined by the load carrying abilities of the various springs. You cannot expect a WD hitch to bring a heavy tongue weight back up to the exact same height of a unladen truck. It is not made to do so. It is made to level the truck and trailer.

The keys to watch for is

1 Is the WD hitch properly mounted? It is real easy to have one that is out of adjustment and then nothing works right. Several that I have seen done at dealerships were done improperly, giving the wrong angles to the springbars. 'We do 'em all at that angle. It does fine.' Yeah, right.

2. When hitched up with the WD hitch, are both the trailer and the truck level? This is a real important one. If they both dip down at the hitch, even with the bars fully set, you either have the wrong size bars, or the hitch is badly out of adjustment. The proper size bars are ones that are rated at near or more than your trailer tongue weight. Do not guess your tongue weight. It is more variable than you would believe. It is common for a dry tongue weight of a trailer of say, 760lbs to blossom to over 1100 lbs. 800lb bars just won't cut it anymore at that point.

3. Amount of cargo in the rear of the truck. This one is overlooked a lot. When it comes to determining the size of the bars needed, the cargo that is placed aft of the tow vehicles rear wheels is distributed just as if it was tongue weight. The farther it is to the back, the more effect it has. 200lbs in the back of the truck can make the difference between needing 1200 lb springbars instead of 1000lb. In the Excursion, there is a +/-250lb variable load back there in the form of the fuel tank. Was the tank full when the WD hitch was set up? This can also throw things out of whack.

4. If the springbars are almost or are next to the frame when pulled up, there is an adjustment problem or the bars are too light. There should be a few inches of distance between the bottom of the frame and the end of the springbar.


Manufacturers installation instructions on the WD hitches need to be followed carefully. Alas, some installers never really try to learn what the hitch does, and they end up putting them on wrong time after time.

Bion