Airbags or add a leaf?

4

416rigby

New member
Now that we’ve purchased the boat, we’re going to have to upgrade the rear suspension for Donna’s GMC Jimmy to pull it. What we need is a bit of extra oomph to prevent the rear from sagging when the trailer is hooked up. With the old Foggy Dew it wasn’t much of an issue, but the CD22 boat/motor/trailer is about 1000 pounds heavier.

I’ve heard wonderful things about the Firestone Ride-Rite airbags from folks who have them. Trouble is they are not made for the ‘95 and later Jimmy. Air Lift makes a set for it, but I’ve not heard anything about them either way. Adding another leaf is always an option. Air shocks are a possibility. I’m leaning hard at adding another leaf spring because they are dependable…no air to adjust or leak.

What do you guys think? Any experience with this kind of thing? We’ll eventually replace both of our vehicles with a fuel efficient car and a pick up (an old F-150 or something) to pull the boat, but in the meantime…

Based on pulling a previous boat that was quite heavy, and from input from others on this site who I’ve asked the question, the Jimmy should be ok but obviously not ideal. It is the 4x4 with the Vortec V-6, towing pkg, and it is pretty strong. The trailer has brakes, so we’re covered there. We’re planning on taking it nice and easy after picking up the boat in Tahoe on the way to Alabama and once we’re down there it’s pretty flat anyway, so I’m confident we’ll be ok.

Thanks
Rick
 
We towed our 22 for 3 years with an Isuzu Trooper. I only had the boat on there for a very short period of time before I decided to add the air lifts to it. I had them put in at Les Schwab. Worked great did make the ride a bit stiffer when the boat isn't attached but overall was a great solution.

While I never really had any problems with the Trooper and towing, in the end we bought an old F250 for towing.
 
where in tahoe are you picking up the boat. ther are few flat ways out of that lake let along nevada. may want to meet them in reno them head south to vegas, still lots of hills along the way. dont go down 395, great view and pretty country but there are 8500 ft passes south of reno. cut out to the flats and take 95 south to vegas.
 
Thanks, Tom. Never been through the SW before, and I really appreciate any advice you can give. Been to the Reno area many years ago just passing through, but don't remember a whole lot about the terrain...wasn't paying much attention then.

The boat is in the Gardnerville area on 395. I've talked with a few guys at work who have been around the SW in their travels. Since the boat is already on the east side of the Sierras, that is good. What makes the route on 95 down through Vegas a good route? We're looking for the least taxing route for mountains...know we have to cross them somehow. Some of the guys say that 395 would be good because the grades are long, but less steep on average. Some of them said that 95 would be good, too. We'd like to get as much info as we can for planning the route.

One guy thought that 395 down to Barstow, CA then I-40 across to the east would be a good overall route out of the big mountainous country. We're thinking of staying on I-40 to Amarillo and then down to Dallas and across to Alabama on I-20. Seems like once we get past Albuquerque we're out of the mountains and should be real smooth from then on.

Actually, we were hoping to find a boat on the east coast for an easier drive, but we're not looking a gift horse in the mouth!

Thanks again,
Rick
 
I just put 700lb leaf springs on my '97 GMC conversion van to tow my rosborough from Florida to upstate NY. The van had 100k on it and the extra leaf perked up the van with out trailer load and it sits nice and level with the trailer loaded. The installed cost was around $340 labor inc. I don't really know if it was necessary, but wanted to beef up for safety / peace of mind.
 
I have the Airlift airbags on my Chevy Duramax and love them, mainly because they're infinitely adjustable and do make for a nice ride.

My only "hint" for installation is to route both hoses to either the driver side, the passenger side, or back to the license plate (replace the plate bolts with the fill valves). Makes life much easier when you want to level things up. The installer split my fills one on each side and it's a real pain, especially if you're hooked up to a large trailer.

I don't miss the on board "auto-fill" option. They're just not used enough to warrant the cost of the option. Very soon you'll learn the magic numbers (in lbs) for empty and with the trailer, and they don't really vary by much.

If we upgrade our 4Runner, I'm going with the Toyota levelers as well.

Don
 
throw some air shocks on that rascals and go for it. These boats tow so nice, fifty miles down the road and you'll forget you're towing
 
I put Firestone airbags on my Ram 2500 to carry 3000 lbs of camper and they really work. If correction of squat is after, airbags do it and do it well.
 
I have added an extra leaf or air shocks to five different vehicle I have owned.
The advantages of the air shock is they are adjustable. Disadvantage, you are always adjusting them, they wear out faster than springs and can leak.
The advantages of the leaf springs is, they are less expensive, easier to install and last longer. I never used a bolt on spring. Always added the factory spring, (long top one). Disadvantage, not adjustable and can cause a stiffer ride.
I found I liked the stiffer ride. When you use the factory spring, it matches the curvature of the existing springs and there is very little additional lift to the rear end. However it reduces the rear-end sag and sway.
 
I added air bags to the truck before we got the CD -- we were hauling a 11 foot camper and 17' Duckworth and they definitely took the middle sag out -- we barely add air for towing the boat...soon putting the canopy back on the truck too, so that'll probably add a bit.
 
I use "Supersprings" on my 1/2 ton pickup truck and they work great! :thup The "Supersprings" bring the load rating up to either a 3/4 ton or 1 ton depending on the model of "Supersprings" you put on.

http://www.supersprings.com

When there is no load, the original ride is there. When I load up the truck either with the boat or other loads, the "Supersprings" kick in and stiffen up the suspension. Nothing to adjust, nothing to leak. Simple and effective.

I really like them! :D

Jim
 
Thanks for the input, everyone. After weighing all of the factors and discussing this stuff with many people, we decided to go with the leaf spring. Jim, that Superspring looks like it will be just the ticket for our intended use. No maintenance and very easy installation...30 minutes. The factory guy said their record was just under 6 minutes, but they were racing. lol

We ordered a set and will be sure to give a complete report when our journey is over.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!
 
I would definitely opt for the spings over air bags. You never have to worry about adding air when you don't have it available!

I would also look into the load leveling hitch that was talked about earlier. That would make a major difference!
 
You might consider some active suspension kits (Roadmaster). They basically assist the leaf springs. The more weight the more they assist. The great thing about them is they do not affect the ride negatively when not towing. Actually they improve cornering towing or not. I put a pair on my ford sporttrac and although there is still some sag the boat doesn't bounce the back at all. Anyway just thought I'd throw that option out there. Mine cost less than 200.00

http://www.activesuspension.com/
 
flapbreaker":qc0e5sdy said:
You might consider some active suspension kits (Roadmaster). They basically assist the leaf springs. The more weight the more they assist. The great thing about them is they do not affect the ride negatively when not towing. Actually they improve cornering towing or not. I put a pair on my ford sporttrac and although there is still some sag the boat doesn't bounce the back at all. Anyway just thought I'd throw that option out there. Mine cost less than 200.00

http://www.activesuspension.com/
Click to expand...


I've used this product on three different vehicles. We currently tow our Tomcat with an 01 F150 4x4 Supercrew. Although power wise the truck is at the upper limits, the suspension handles the load very well. ARS is designed to allow a little bit of flex, and increase as weight is added so you don't get a harsh ride when the trailer isn't hooked up.
 
Just got back from the shop where I performed the simpliest thing I have ever done to a vehicle. Our super springs came today and in 45 minutes, including gathering tools and clean-up.............I was done!
Installation was beyond simple...tools required...3/4 inch wrench and socket. I didn't even have to take off the wheels, but I did just to make it easier. I jacked up the frame to take the weight off the existing springs, pulled off the wheel, placed the super spring above the existing springs and installed with bolt and nut on each end of it. Checked for clearance of brake lines etc. Done!
We won't get to test with a load until we hook up the boat in June but road test with normal driving, was not much of a difference that I could tell which is the design of the springs to begin with.
The true test will be trailering the boat........more to come!
 
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