extra leaf springs

[penner]

Looking into adding an extra leaf spring to my Silverado 1/2 ton. I will be picking up a ATC Ocelot shell with furnace and a few other extras early next year. One concern I have is how it will affect the trucks ride without the camper on. Anyone experience this???

 

[Wandering Sagebrush]

Not first hand experience, but from reports here on WTW, the ride is pretty stiff when the camper is off. I went with airbags on my truck.

Great choice with ATC,

 

[JHanson]

If you plan to remove the camper between trips, air bags are the way to go, preferably with adjustable shocks. It's the only way to ensure a decent ride and safe handling with and without weight.

 

[windy]

Super springs work well and do not noticeably affect the ride when the truck is empty if you have them on the correct setting. There are a couple of holes (settings) to choose from on the brackets; on the springs I have for a tacoma the lowest setting allows the spring to "disengage" from the trucks leaf springs when unloaded, the upper setting keeps the helper springs constantly "engaged" whether loaded or not. I'm happy with them.

 

[kmcintyre]

A lot of people on this forum use springs from Boise Spring Works (they might even be a FWC retailer) and they could probably help you and answer your questions. I'm in Boise but have never been there though... I'll put that on my list to check them out someday.

 

[penner]

Thanks for the replies. Wanting to avoid the air bags mainly because of the amount of snow,ice, sand and salt they would be exposed to. Maybe that's not an issue , I don't know. Talked to a local mechanic this morning and he has installed a bunch of super springs and Timbrens. Guess I'll do more research .

 

[windy]

Super springs are super easy to install yourself. You just need to jack up the vehicle from the frame or bumper so the axle hangs as low as possible.

 

[JHanson]

To my knowledge there is really no way to maintain consistent (i.e. level) ride height, handling, and comfort with and without a 1,000-pound load on the bed without an adjustable suspension system. The add-on systems mentioned only engage once the vehicle has begun to sag under a load, and that's not what you want when you mount a camper. Your truck has exactly one stance that is correct for proper handling, aerodynamics, and headlamp adjustment. Any product that lets the rear sag even an inch when a load is added is messing up that stance.

Products such as the Timbrens might be okay as backup when you're carrying a heavy load, to prevent hard bottoming on a factory bump stop when the suspension is overstressed. But I don't think they should be employed as primary load carriers. Watch the company's own video here and you'll see the system does not engage until the truck has already sagged under a load.

 

[mpohio]

Yep, super-springs on my F150 2013 have worked great and would buy them again in a heart beat. It actually rides better empty with them than before. Found my brand new ones on Craigslist for $100 and hour away. I also upgraded to Bilstein HD shocks in the rear, 5 minute install, real easy I hauled a 1000lb granby 8.5 hours over the Smokey Mountains and could barely tell it was back there. My Hawk that I just sold didn't even drop my rear .5 inches.
Only bad thing, make sure your jacks go an extra 2 or 3 inches higher, as that is about what they raised my rear end..

 

[klahanie]

Looking into adding an extra leaf spring to my Silverado 1/2 ton. I will be picking up a ATC Ocelot shell with furnace and a few other extras early next year. One concern I have is how it will affect the trucks ride without the camper on. Anyone experience this???

I had an add a leaf installed in my previous 3/4 ton. Yes the ride was rougher unloaded. That was a long time ago and I guess back then most had lower expectations for comfort - "it's a pick up after all". So YMMV, but I was happy enough to repeat on my current truck (same camper) and would do so again. Mind you this truck came with a 9 leaf main spring pack so the effect of adding 1 leaf would likely be quite different than on your 1/2 ton - I'm most familiar with the Ford 3/4,1 ton product. I'll add that these "heavier" trucks often have auxiliary leafs that comes into play with heavier loads only - an oem solution not mentioned in this thread. However I suspect your vehicle doesn't have the necessary frame pads to use this system.

If you are serious about add a leafs, I suggest you acquire and load up the camper first to see how the vehicle sits, handles etc. Then take the loaded rig to a spring shop for installation. From what I've read, many people want to keep their pickup truck at "stock" or "factory" height. Which I gather is often unladen height. The spring shop should be able to "set up" the spring pack, including the add leaf, to the height you wish - within reason. But be aware when the camper is off the rear of the truck will sit higher than before the spring work was done (per poster above).

Your truck has exactly one stance that is correct for proper handling, aerodynamics, and headlamp adjustment. Any product that lets the rear sag even an inch when a load is added is messing up that stance.

That's a bitter pill for many Silverado 1/2 ton owners, I expect.

Fortunately there are vehicles currently available that - if my conviction is correct - are designed, engineered and marketed for satisfactory and safe results when used within a specified range of variable payloads that effect body height. Again I am most familiar with the Ford Super Duty line up but I do believe other mfrs offer products with similar capabilities. Even for some 1/2 tons it's remarkable how well those modern pick ups have evolved to where they can safely and comfortably accommodate a range of users, from the single occupant DD to the family, loaded up with gear and towing a vacation trailer.

 

[Tuff Guy 62]

Maybe we're doing it all wrong, but I'll go against the grain here.

We have a 2015 ATC Panther shell (800lbs dry) mounted on a 2000 Chevy 1500 2WD. Camper has been on the truck full time for almost two years. The only modification we made was to add a set of Firestone Ride-Rite airbags to level the truck out. We've put about 15,000 miles on with some of it on some pretty rough roads.

To date, no issues with bottoming out or braking and the ride is just fine. Then again, I drive like an old geezer. IMO just slowing down has the biggest impact for safety and mechanical reliability. After all, I ain't no Andy McMillin and this ain't the Baja 1000. However, I'm sure that I'm in the minority on this topic.