Solutions for weight sag in rear?

[Snakebitten]

Gotta be one of the best applications for the suggested RAS (so-called Active Suspension)

It's a clever piece of engineering for managing (tuning) the leaf springs on these trucks.

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[J-C]

How much weight are you going to be permanently carrying around?

I'll likely never be below 1000 lbs, and often at 1600 lbs or even more.

 

[J-C]

Several respondents seem to be overlooking the fact that the load causing your 3" rear / 1" front 'sag' is now your constant condition; it's not occasional as with 'when towing' or an occasional load in the bed.

A few questions .....

1. You mention having >1900# payload rating; what is the actual occupants+cargo load you have with your 'new norm' setup? IOW, how much of your rated payload are you now using with your 'new norm'?
2. What are your objections to the 'new norm sag' (don't like the appearance of the truck stance; are you now hitting the bump-stops frequently; or ...?)
3. You mention wanting to change shocks, presumably to increase damping control; other than damping, are you happy with the current spring-rate / general 'ride' of the truck?

Well observed, thank you. Answers:
1. I will normally be using 1,500 lbs or even a little more. I will likely never go down below 1000 lbs on the truck; that includes a Four Wheel Campers Project M pop-up that I do not intend to remove.
2. My primary objection is the loss of clearance. I'd love to regain some of that, which would also mean I have the chance to raise the front a little. I don't think I've been hitting the bump stops.
3. The ride is OK now, but I would expect something like the Bilstein 6112s/5160s to stiffen that, reducing bounce and roll. While my wandering necessitates plenty of pavement, the primary objective for this setup is remote off-pavement fun.

 

[J-C]

Gotta be one of the best applications for the suggested RAS (so-called Active Suspension)

It's a clever piece of engineering for managing (tuning) the leaf springs on these trucks.

Aha -- Do you mean this:
https://activesuspension.com/products/ford-f-150-4wd-2021

 

[Snakebitten]

I don't envy your truck trying to manage that perpetual weight with oem dampers that appear to be designed for an empty truck smooth tarmac test drive.

I promise you will be even more impressed than most are by upgrading to aftermarket dampers. That's some very low hanging fruit in your scenario.

 

[Snakebitten]

Aha -- Do you mean this:
https://activesuspension.com/products/ford-f-150-4wd-2021

Yes sir.
And in your case I would probably choose the heavier duty option. I have the standard version because I spend the majority of the time empty. You, on the other hand, will have a 1000lb baseline. And you admit to intentionally operating at/near max Payload. So.......

 

[Buyer2021]

Well observed, thank you. Answers:
1. I will normally be using 1,500 lbs or even a little more. I will likely never go down below 1000 lbs on the truck; that includes a Four Wheel Campers Project M pop-up that I do not intend to remove.
2. My primary objection is the loss of clearance. I'd love to regain some of that, which would also mean I have the chance to raise the front a little. I don't think I've been hitting the bump stops.
3. The ride is OK now, but I would expect something like the Bilstein 6112s/5160s to stiffen that, reducing bounce and roll. While my wandering necessitates plenty of pavement, the primary objective for this setup is remote off-pavement fun.

Thanks for the further information, perhaps that will allow better guidance from folks like @Snakebitten, I'll step-aside in deference to his greater expertise in this regard (your situation is interesting but my experience relates more to the 'occasional towing load' scenario, different from yours).

Good Luck!

 

[J-C]

Yes sir.
And in your case I would probably choose the heavier duty option. I have the standard version because I spend the majority of the time empty. You, on the other hand, will have a 1000lb baseline. And you admit to intentionally operating at/near max Payload. So.......

Great stuff, Snakebitten! Thanks.
I'll start imagining an HD RAS install paired with a set of Bilstein 6112/5160s. I can almost feel it now...

 

[Snakebitten]

Thanks for the further information, perhaps that will allow better guidance from folks like @Snakebitten, I'll step-aside in deference to his greater expertise in this regard (your situation is interesting but my experience relates more to the 'occasional towing load' scenario, different from yours).

Good Luck!

Oh you give way too much credit to an old man who reads too much and then blathers other's expertise.

However I do admit to being a full-time RV'er, so taxing a truck's Payload for many thousands of miles isn't foreign to me.

Still, I am far from the expert. There's fellas on here towing much heavier and more often than myself. And your opinions are not one iota less legit.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

The heavy duty leaf springs are only about 400 each. Could replace yours with those if yours is not the Max Tow setup.

https://www.youroempartsstore.com/o...wMjEmdD14bHQmZT0zLTVsLXY2LWVsZWN0cmljLWdhcw==

 

[J-C]

The heavy duty leaf springs are only about 400 each. Could replace yours with those if yours is not the Max Tow setup.

https://www.youroempartsstore.com/oem-parts/ford-leaf-spring-ml3z5560k?c=Zz1yZWFyLXN1c3BlbnNpb24mcz1yZWFyLXN1c3BlbnNpb24mbD0xMiZuPUFzc2VtYmxpZXMgUGFnZSZhPWZvcmQmbz1mLTE1MCZ5PTIwMjEmdD14bHQmZT0zLTVsLXY2LWVsZWN0cmljLWdhcw==

I appreciate that. I don't have Max Tow.
It strikes me that this (a full spring replacement) and the RAS mentioned above have potential for my use case.
But how to pick?! It's a shame I have no idea what I'm doing.

 

[Porpoise Hork]

The heavy duty springs adds a third leaf to the pack, which increased the overall spring rate and deflection of the rear suspension.

This is what they look like compared to yours.

While not specifically increasing the amount of weight you can load up, the heavy duty springs should hold up better to the increased loads without deforming. Air bags can help with ride height when loaded, but that doesn't mean you can put even more weight back there as it would exceed the what the suspension is rated for.

 

[Chili]

Even a max tow truck would sag pretty bad with 1500lbs in it. You may only sag 2" instead of 3, or 2.25.

Airbags would be a bad idea because the weight is always there. Your best bet is going to be the HD RAS paired with Bilstein shocks, 5100 minimum but I'd go with the 5160's in back to prevent overheating. Your call if you want 5100's or 6112 up front.

 

[J-C]

Even a max tow truck would sag pretty bad with 1500lbs in it. You may only sag 2" instead of 3, or 2.25.

Airbags would be a bad idea because the weight is always there. Your best bet is going to be the HD RAS paired with Bilstein shocks, 5100 minimum but I'd go with the 5160's in back to prevent overheating. Your call if you want 5100's or 6112 up front.

I appreciate that.
@Dupers and @Snakebitten: Are y'all telling me that I could win back some clearance in the rear with the HD RAS? I know I don't deserve to be back up like I wasn't hauling; but I _am_ seeking to re-gain _some_ of it. And if I can, then I could even lift the front an inch or so with Bilstein 6112s...

 

[Chili]

With the HD's, I'd imagine you would get half back. I have non HD's and when I just had the topper and ramps, I was around + 300 and I got .75" back and they're minimally engaged as I used the 1mm, not the 2mm tension spacer. How much tension you apply is adjustable and I also think you upgrade the shocks too or it will wallow.

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