I have had a lot of trouble with air bags over the years, on overloaded mechanic's trucks, lots of weight up high..the crane and welder and air compressor, going around a left turn, frinstance, the right bag squishes down, and the left bag pushes up in more proportion...creates a bad, bad sway condition. Finally settled on a leaf type aftermarket overload spring as the best solution. Air bags on big trucks are great, they have metering valves to instantly adjust air bag pressure to keep the frame level. My 2 cents worth.
Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
Yep, an add a leaf helps. Added one to a wallowing-marshmallow spring pack in a toyota tundra that was used for towing an 18 ft enclosed trailer. Really improved the handling, but road rougher unloaded......like a truck should.
But then there's 1/2 ton c-clip axles. All the weight bears on the axle shaft. They're not very big axle shafts either. You might be able to help the spring pack with an add-a-leaf, but overloading a c-clip axle is dangerous.
As long as gm has offered nice full floating axles, I'm surprised any truck, 1/2 ton or not, would use a c-clip axle in year 2023. They're cheap to make I guess.
The 80 series landcruisers had nice full-floating rear axles. It can be done, on a light duty truck.
Yep, an add a leaf helps. Added one to a wallowing-marshmallow spring pack in a toyota tundra that was used for towing an 18 ft enclosed trailer. Really improved the handling, but road rougher unloaded......like a truck should.
But then there's 1/2 ton c-clip axles. All the weight bears on the axle shaft. They're not very big axle shafts either. You might be able to help the spring pack with an add-a-leaf, but overloading a c-clip axle is dangerous.
As long as gm has offered nice full floating axles, I'm surprised any truck, 1/2 ton or not, would use a c-clip axle in year 2023. They're cheap to make I guess.
The 80 series landcruisers had nice full-floating rear axles. It can be done, on a light duty truck.
Whenever they started putting those cheesy axles in trucks marked 3/4 ton ! I had a GM 14 bolt...that was a good axle. The big Sterling for the Fords and Dana 60 in the Dodge are all good as well.
Oh, I forgot...Timbrens...I put a lot of these on the front end of 26,000# snowplow/dump trucks...they do the job about the same as a chunk of firewood between axle and frame. But, I gotta admit, they solve the problem, they NEVER fail, and your daughter can install them. That said, I know nothing of the pickup sizes.
Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
I have had a lot of trouble with air bags over the years, on overloaded mechanic's trucks, lots of weight up high..the crane and welder and air compressor, going around a left turn, frinstance, the right bag squishes down, and the left bag pushes up in more proportion...creates a bad, bad sway condition. Finally settled on a leaf type aftermarket overload spring as the best solution. Air bags on big trucks are great, they have metering valves to instantly adjust air bag pressure to keep the frame level. My 2 cents worth.
My '08 Dodge has factory Firestone bags, at least they look like factory. The bags are separate so you have to fill each one by itself. It's a PIA to have to go to each side with the air hose but it does prevent the problems you're talking about. A friend has the same pickup but in a higher trim level. On his, they put the air hoses side by side next to the license plate.
“In a time of deceit telling the truth is a revolutionary act.” ― George Orwell
It's not over when you lose. It's over when you quit.
Put a tall load of hay on that and get back to us...that's exactly what I had on the shop trucks. Filer/Snake River plain is pretty tame country. The light side bag pushes up...uncontrollably.
Well this is a fine pickle we're in, should'a listened to Joe McCarthy and George Orwell I guess.
You will have too much weight in the truck. You can try to band aid it (equalizer hitch is best) but it’s just a bandaid.
I don't know which version of the 1500 he has, but the standard configuration shows a 2200lb cargo capacity. That's plenty for any ATV. He'd have to have a very high tongue weight to get over that.
Agree about the equalizer being a bandaid fix. If 2200 is correct, add tongue weight, gas, occupants, tools, camping supplies etc. I'll bet he's close to capacity, maybe over.
Fight fire, save lives, laugh in the face of danger.
I’m sure I’ll catch grief from the GVWR police around here
I routinely pick up a pallet of corn from Tractor Supply to fill deer feeders
Got tired of my half ton GMC squatting for the 10 mile drive and so had the Timbrens linked above installed. They work great and the truck doesn’t squat nearly as bad
Yes, I’m overloaded. I drive like an old man from TSC to my farm gate
Sent my son one time in his Tacoma. He was supposed to split the pallet into 2 loads. But they loaded it in the back of his Taco. He made it, but I’m glad I wasn’t there to see it
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