spring clearance on Torklift uppers
 

I am going to install Torklift Stableload uppers on my truck. If I install them as they come, the truck will be sitting empty on the overloads on the rear of the spring and have about 1/4" clearance on the front of the spring. I know from the Internet that the most common complaint about this component is the hard ride when running empty. I am thinking I will have to trim them. How much clearance do those of you have if you are using the uppers?

Are they cheaper than $150 on sale? If not I would just get the supersway's, I am happy with mine so far.



https://cimg1.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.for...cecbbd8eb8.jpg

Not cheaper, just something I wanted to try. I'm sure there are many good options.

If you trim them to create space, the spring will hammer the newly-trimmed bumper. If you leave only a tiny gap, the ride will be little better but the slapping will be less noticeable. If you leave a large gap, the ride will be respectively better, and the slapping will be less-often but more noticeable.

And you did?

I have the upper Stableloads on my truck and when running empty, I have about in inch clearance on the rear one and a little more than that on the front. I really like them but sometimes off road when it it pretty bumpy I will get some slap when the upper spring hits the Stableload. It is not annoying and does not happen enough to be annoying.

When I load my camper I set my airbags to where the Stableloads just begin to engage the upper spring. I really like them.

If I trim them I can get about an inch on the front and maybe 3/4" on the back. the Stableload is almost fills the space on the back when empty, so I am taking my time deciding if this is the way to go. On the other hand, loaded with the camper, the overloads never touch except on a bump and then it reels like the bed bounces on the overloads.

I would not trim them, as I like more loading on them than less. Mine come off when the TC comes off. Its a 15 min task. Rather than re-installing the oem ones that wedge in, I install some bolt in Energy Suspensions bump stops that are about 2.5 inch diameter and 1” thick.

Either jackup the rear of the truck by the bottom of the trailer hitch and let the rear suspension hang, or leave the truck on the ground and use a 3 foot long piece of 2x4 to pry the end of the auxillary leaf away from the Stable Load as you slide it off.

if you want even more engagement from the Stable Loads you can put a spacer between them and the frame contact pads. I made a 1” steel spacer I use on the front-most ones to get them engaged earlier. Torklift now sells spacers for better engagement.

Okay, Take a look at these pictures. As you can see I have 1 1/2" of clearance between the spring and the pad perch when the bed is empty. The pad and antirotation collar is 2 5/8" so even if I trim it back the allotted 5/8" I am still engaging the overload 1/2" (that is no clearance at all running empty on the rear of the overload"). That means when I have the camper loaded it is really going to engage the rear of the spring. Is that correct or am I missing something?

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Talked to Matt at Torklift, he suggested I return them. Any other ideas.

Man yours is up high, no wonder you are overthinking this. I would try making something yourself with a hockey puck or something.

I know, that is why I was really taking my time with this and doing a lot of research. When I called and talked to Torklift this morning for the second time, they said since they have an unconditional 30 day satisfaction guarantee on the Stableloads I could go ahead and try em and if I didn't like em, I could return them. They agreed however that I would be riding the overloads even when empty bed. Since I already think the F350s are hardly a smooth ride, I have the return authorization in hand. They also said I could unbolt the perch for the pad and redrill the frame, but even that would only gain me about 1/4" which is way less than what I need.

This is the second time I have had bad luck with Torklift where I order something everyone seems to rave about it and I can't even install it. I just need to stay away from them in the future. :)

Sorry you haven't had good luck with Torklift. Their products have worked pretty well for me.

I guess Im not entirely sure what you are hoping to accomplish here. In most cases what works well when the camper is loaded wont work well when it is not. There are some exceptions, such as measures that are adjustable, like air bags. Most other things need to be reconfigured, removed, adjusted, etc., when the camper is removed. I see it just like the tie down brackets, the tailgate, moving my license plate, extending my mirrors, and adjusting my tire pressure.

If you want to try a simple, shorter profile substitute for Stable Loads, buy 4 of these and give them a try. I use them on my truck when I’m empty as I have more clearance than most between my upper auxiliary springs and the contact pads. My buddy leaves these on his 2016 F350 (stock suspension) and they help him better carry the pin weight of his 5th wheel.

https://www.summitracing.com/parts/ens-9-9117g/

Well, the hype on the Stableloads has always been they engage with a load and they ride slightly above the overload spring when running empty, at least that is what dozens of folks have reported. So it is not supposed to be necessary to remove them. There are complaints they may slap when running over bumps, but a large number of folks report they can not even tell they are installed when running empty. That is what I was shooting for and the folks at Torklift did not seem to disagree with me on that point and that is also the way they market their Stableloads that mount on the bottom of the springs. With my setup, the Stableload would always be sitting on my overloads. They suggested I either return them, install them and see if I could tolerate riding the overloads, or remove the perch for my contact pads and drill the frame to raise the perch. With my setup, even if I cut the Stableloads the maximum allowable, I still would not be able to install them with out either raising the back to let the suspension hang or prying the overloads down. That just seems like a lot of work that shouldn't be necessary.

I know I can't have it both ways and was completely willing to tolerate slapping over bumps, but these darn 350s ride so rough out of the gate, I didn't want to be making things even stiffer when empty. The most positive reports from users I came across was combining air bags and the upper Stableloads and lowering the bed until the Stableload just touches the overloads..

My goal now is to either fab or buy something that engages the overload when the camper is aboard and does not sit on the overloads when the bed is empty. Maybe I am expecting too much.

I appreciate the link you including and have been exploring those bump stops, hockey pucks, or some of the things others have fabricated.

The upper Stableloads on truck in signature has 1" gap at the back & touches lightly in the front,the slapping was a little annoying,I went with a redneck experiment & slipped a 3" sleeve over end of overload spring made out of
old radiator hose I used a hose clamp/gear clamp to keep it from sliding out of position,now when it makes contact there's no slapping noise,I should engineer something more high tech,but its low on the project list.have not noticed harsh ride from this product,airbags & RS9000 shocks,front & rear swaybars did add a little to the stiffer ride.