The Carli Deavers – they’re synonymous with the elusive “buttery” ride quality touted by Carli-equipped HD enthusiasts. With this rear compliance comes capacity degradation. It wasn’t much to talk about when we started offering our version of the Deaver Spring; you remember… back in the day that a 3/4-ton carried, well, 3/4’s of a ton and a 1-ton, 1-ton. Reduction in hauling capacity for these trucks would drop them from a respectable 1,500/2,000lbs closer to the 1,000-1,200lb area.
New truck capacities have gotten out of hand. The new F-250 boasts a whopping 2,462lbs – 4,323lbs in bed capacity, depending on configuration. The Carli Deavers, well, they’re still hanging their hat on good ol’ “Light 3/4-ton Capacity.” Deaver has always shied away from throwing a number at it for the same reason Ford varies about 80% within the same platform: it’s motor, cab and configuration dependent. In most applications, this is a non-issue. We’ve been making Long-Travel airbags to supplement our reduced capacity springs back to factory capacity nearly as long as our springs have been available.
Unfortunately, there are a couple applications for which we don’t make a load supplements but offer reduced capacity leaf springs; namely, the 2014+ Ram 2500 and 2011+ Ford Super Duty in the Leveling configuration. For these, we load-test them and provide customers the data to ensure the products will suit their applications. This test is on the L18 Spring or, as you all know it, the Leveling Leaf Spring (FFSP-LVL) for the 2008 to 2021 Super Duty!
Measurements Taken:
- Center of Hub to Fender-Lip: This measurement is “rough”. When measuring from an approximated “center of hub” around a tire to a tapered fender flare with a round lip, one cannot expect precision but it’s plenty-good to understand the points portrayed within. This eliminates tire-size from the equation but adds a large margin for error so take this measurement with a grain of salt. Namely, it’s here to confirm what you measure at the bump stop while giving a rough idea of how the body-lines will look when loading.
- Axle to Bump Stop: This is a FAR more precise measurement. It isolates the suspension (Unaffected by body-mounts, tires/pressures, etc). This is the ideal measurement to take when determining rear sag but it doesn’t provide the “perspective” view the body-line will; this the center of hub we’re including.
Something to consider in the axle to bump measurement – the bottom of this bump stop isn’t the end of your travel; it’s designed to slow travel and can compress fully. The length of these bump stops is 3.5″ – this length is ALL functional travel. Other manufacturers (RAM, for example) use extremely hard durometer jounce-stops that are much shorter and sharper when encountered. The Super Duty bumps are a far better, albeit larger, design that sooner for a more progressive, softer engagement.
Given their design and size, they make travel appear FAR shorter than it actually is. A measurement of 2.5″ from the axle tube to the bottom of the yellow-bump is actually a measurement of 6″ (3.5″ bump-zone + 2.5″ gap) of total rear up-travel.
UNLOADED
1/2″-1″ Rear High
(Measured at the Fender)
We removed everything from the bed. A factory Spare wheel/tire is installed.
6″ Effective Up-Travel, Including Bump Stop
- Center of Hub to Fender Lip, Front: 27.5″
- Center of Hub to Fender Lip, Rear: 28″
- Axle to the Bottom of the Bump Stop: 2.5″
500lbs. Bed-Load
Level to 1/2″ Rear Low
(Measured at the Fender)
We evenly distributed (5) 98lb. Coil Spring Product boxes on the bed-floor. A factory Spare wheel/tire is installed.
5″ Effective Up-Travel, Including Bump Stop
- Center of Hub to Fender Lip, Rear: 27.25″
- Axle to the Bottom of the Bump Stop: 1.5″
1,000lbs. Bed-Load
1″ Rear Low
(Measured at the Fender)
We evenly distributed (5) 98lb. Coil Spring Product boxes on the bed-floor, then added (6) 82lb. Coil boxes. A factory Spare wheel/tire is installed.
4.5″ Effective Up-Travel, Including Bump Stop
- Center of Hub to Fender Lip, Rear: 26.75″
- Axle to the Bottom of the Bump Stop: 0.75″
1,500lbs. Bed-Load
2″ Rear Low
(Measured at the Fender)
We evenly distributed (5) 98lb. Coil Spring Product boxes on the bed-floor, then added (12) 82lb. Coil boxes. A factory Spare wheel/tire is installed.
3.5″ Effective Up-Travel, Including Bump Stop. Slightly hovering the bump stops.
- Center of Hub to Fender Lip, Rear: 25.75″
- Axle to the Bottom of the Bump Stop: 0.0″
Wrap-Up
So now you’ve seen them in action – what does this all mean to you, the customer? I personally drove this truck around with 1,000lbs in the bed over several hundred miles. This is the MAX bed-load with which I would personally feel comfortable driving long distance. 1,500lbs was definitely doable, and controlled, but hovering the bump stops is less than ideal.
Again, this is load testing our standard Full Progressive Leaf Spring Packs. These are, by FAR, our most popular rear option. We have several other options I will detail later in this article.
The standard Full progressive leaf springs are best suited to those seeking the most compliant possible ride quality that spend most of their time unloaded. When loaded, they’ll handle up to 1,000lbs. in the bed, or an equivalent trailers (for example: wakeboard boat trailers, normally around 500lbs. tongue weight on the high side), with ease. This can be pushed a bit on just the leaf springs BUT supplementary products are available for those after the best unloaded ride and max capacity.
To be clear, the following products are NOT Carli Suspension manufactured or tested. They’re parts that have been reported by customers and retailers to have successfully supplemented them back to factory payload capacity with our leaf springs installed. You’re best to discuss the Pros/Cons of each with your retailer but I’ve outlined the highlights here.
Timbren SES Suspension: These hollow-rubber springs replace your factory bump stops hovering the axle 0.50″ to 1.5″. When they hit the axle, they hold the load. As these rubber springs are designed to hold a load, they will eliminate MOST of your up travel in favor of their “spring rate” assisting the suspension in handling the load. We recommend swapping these in ONLY when hauling/towing or you’ll be bouncing off them over every little bump in the road.
These are ideal for the customer Hauling a few times a year that doesn’t mind spending 20 minutes to swap the bumps for the Timbrens on the rare occasion they’re needed.
Airbags: Double-bellow airbags are not something we normally recommend. They’re the reason we developed our own long-travel airbag system. These bags give up travel, ride miserable unloaded and limit the rear end to 4-5″ of suspension travel. That said, you can combine the following:
- A double-bellow airbag kit
- 2-wheel drive lower bracket: connects to the axle vs. the bump stop tang as the block from which this protrudes is eliminated with the removal of the factory block
- A spacer to make up the distance of the removed block
- A daystar cradle to allow the axle to disconnect from the bag on droop
The above becomes an erector-set passable for those requiring frequent inflation/deflation for varying loads and minimal fuss.
Other Rear Options For MORE capacity:
Progressive Add-a-Pack
2011-Current Progressive Add-a-Pack Shown
This “mid-pack” replaces the overload spring on your factory leaf pack. The overload spring is the thick leaf at the bottom that doesn’t follow the contour of the rest of the leaf-pack. It’s a “ceiling” for the rest of the springs, so to speak.
Factory Overload Spring highlighted in RED
it determines where the back of the truck will sit when loaded BUT the capacity of the truck comes from the main spring pack – the two leaf springs shown above the overload – NOTE: F350s will have 3 main springs. As the main spring pack remains unmodified and the “ceiling” is removed in favor of the pictured assembly of leaf springs, the engagement and disengagement of the modified factory leaf springs becomes substantially more predictable. One can expect a bit more sag when loaded, a better loaded ride, better off-road performance and better overall traction.
As a rule, an F250 will see a better unloaded ride with the add-a-pack. An F350 has an extra main leaf in the pack (3 main leaf springs vs. 2 in the 250) and is MUCH stiffer than it’s 250 counterpart; for this reason, the add-a-pack will not help the unloaded ride – it may even stiffen it.
Compared to the Full Progressive Leaf Spring replacements (the ones tested in the above article), the add-a-packs will tow and haul better BUT this will be at a cost of ride quality and articulation both on and off-road.
HD, XHD & XXHD Leaf Spring packs
And so we enter the Carli Progressive Leaf Spring rabbit hole. In our years developing suspensions for the Super Duty Trucks, we’ve seen just about everything. As we’ve grown, the custom builds we’ve done have overlapped others; the resulting products developed for these custom applications have become “secret menu” production.
NOTE: All the the springs discussed below are CUSTOM for trucks with full-time loads. They’re NOT for people that occasional tow/haul. These customers are best setup with our standard full springs and a load supplement to avoid the super-stiff unloaded ride that accompanies an unloaded, over-sprung truck.
Leveling HD Leaf Spring packs
NOTE: Pictured is a 4.5″ but it’s a perfect example of an “HD” load with the Roof-Top Tent, Custom Rack and another 500lbs of gear in the bed.
As discussed above, the standard Carli Leaf Springs will haul 1,000lbs with ease. That said, what if you built your dream truck and it happens to include a Camper Shell and Loaded bed-slide with a full-size 37″ Spare strapped to it adding around 1,000lbs of constant weight to the back of the truck? The standard Carli springs will “handle” this load but they’re not setup to operate with the additional 1,000lb. baseline.
Born from necessity, we created the “HD” progressive leaf spring pack. This pack will perform EXACTLY as our standard full springs will but with a constant 800-1,200lb. bed-load. Originally, these were created for a customer in Austin, Texas with, well, exactly the above configuration. Over the years, we’ve sold these to oil-patch customers with tool-boxes/fuel boxes, Overlanders with custom Bed-Racks, Roff-Top-Tents, and toolboxes, etc. They’re actually listed on the website they’ve become so popular.
As they’re a mild-increase in spring rate, they can be used with Carli Backcountry and Pintop Shock Packages without any additional tuning required.
Leveling XHD Leaf Spring packs
As the “Overland” Market has grown, and with it, the different in-bed camper segments, we’ve found ourselves adapting. The “HD” spring can be pushed from it’s recommended 1,000lbs. but not by much. Plus, if you’re spending that kind of money on a custom spring pack, why settle for “almost” correct? We started with the TFL Truck. If you’re unfamiliar with them, The Fast Lane Truck is a popular YouTube truck-testing channel. We participated in the build of their 2020 F250 they equipped for their “No Pavement Needed” series in which they took a Carli Pintop equipped Super Duty across the country with a 4 Wheel Camper Hawk pop-up in the bed supported by our “XHD” leaf spring pack.
The constant 1,800lb.-2,000lb bedload required us to build a beefier version of the HD leaf springs. With this leaf spring and the added spring rate, we require customers to run the Pintop (King 2.5″) shock package for which we’ve developed a custom shock tune refining the overall ride, handling, spring rates and heightened center of gravity that accompany a rig modified as such. The result can be seen in the MANY videos TFL published featuring this bad-ass rig.
Availability on these, you’ll want to reach out to your Carli Retailer – be aware, they may not even know they exist. That said, you can expect a custom order to be in the 2-3 month range which matches a normal (non-COVID) lead time on the matching, custom tuned King Shocks to accompany them.
Leveling XXHD Leaf Spring packs
Overland with a large cab-over camper or build an off-road rescue rig, these XXHD leaf springs support a 3,500lb. constant bed-load. Custom designed originally for the guys at Motorsports Safety Solutions (First Responders in Off-Road Racing, see build article HERE), these leaf springs bolster the SRW F350’s max bed-load capability into a working load capacity that’s huge on travel and fully progressive. The truck for which they were built scaled at 11,740lbs (5,400 front, 6,340 rear). The build article linked has in depth measurements and pictures to show how truly massive these springs are.
Developed for the massive, flagship, off-road race-rescue truck, we’ve sold these springs to many customers with custom flat-beds and large, fixed campers. So long as you’re around the 6,500lb. rear axle weight (confirmed on certified scale), these will be the perfect means of suspending your adventure rig!
As with the XHD springs, these will have a custom-order lead time AND require custom tuned Pintop Shocks (different tuning than the XHD shocks) to support the massive spring rates and load capacity of these springs.
In Closing…
As evidenced above, we’re now the Baskin-Robins of Ford Super Duty Leaf Spring Systems. It’s safe to say, no one has spent the time we have to perfect these “niche” market segments. Give us a call, drop a comment on here or shoot us an email – we’re happy to go as in-depth as you’d like on any portion of this article and how best to setup YOUR dream build!
My 22 F250 Tremor with 2.5 Eventure and full springs in the rear sits low the back. I do have a tool box in the bed behind the cab. It weight around 250lbs I have a sub enclosure under the rear seat too. It weighs about 125lbs. Can I run the 4.5″ rear springs with my kit? That would give me the slight rake I’m looking for.
I have a 2022 F-350 DRW. Will the 3.5″ Commuter system bring the truck up level using the stock rear suspension since the add-a packs are not recommended or will the rear sit low? There is no factory block, just 3 springs, and an upper and lower overload.
Hey Josh – there are a few different rear packages on the DRW. You’ll likely need a block to bring the DRW up to level. I would measure the difference in the front and rear wheel wells; knowing the front will come up 3.5″, order a rear block to match a 3.5″ front lift.
Hello, I have the Icon 2.5″ leveling kit on my 2017 F250 6.7 because that’s what was offered from Accutune. I have Fox FRS 2.5 DSC shocks all around. All in all I am happy with the kit (may switch to your tuned Eibach springs later) but the rear is horrible. Just like the rest of the people that buy these trucks, I put Airlift bags in the rear since I am using the truck for it’s intended purposes. I see you have commented on another post that the full spring packs are not compatible with “your tuned” shocks. Since I know you can’t comment about my Accutune shocks, what would your suggestion be for the rear of my truck? The shocks I have would probably be very comparable to your Pintop system but adjustable. Also, I would like to do your “erector set” mod on my truck. Would you be able to list some part numbers to make my search a little easier? Thank you!
Hi Jason – Our higher end shock packages (Backcountry, Pintop and E-Venture) are tuned specifically for the full springs. The entry level kits (leveling and Commuter) are tuned to work with the add-a-pack/stock springs. We can’t comment on the Accutune/ICON/Fox DSC kit as we’re not familiar with their valving or Accutunes modifications to it; that said, you can throw in our springs and let Accutune know you did it – they may be able to tell you if your valving will work with a lighter-rate progressive pack. As for the airbags, we do not have any specific suggestions as we do not make or install these parts.
Hey y’all so based on reading this whole article a few times now because somethings confuse me a bit. I have 17 250 6.7 with the commuter kit. I do already have bags installed however I’ve been looking for a better overall rear-end ride quailty. I do tow a 33’ tow behind camper which I believe is 12-1500lb tongue weight. I don’t tow it much but I do. I mainly dd the truck and make long drives to and from work. Now is it better todo the full progressive setup or the add-a packs? I had an add-a pack on my 150 and it was almost to much instead of doing a full pack. Lemme know thanks y’all!
Hey Jake – the full spring packs are not compatible with the Commuter system. The Commuter is tuned around the progressive add-a-pack. As you have the Commuter, i would recommend running the add-a-pack and adding a daystar cradle to your airbgas!
I have a 22 f350 srw gas truck. Is it required to change anything in the rear with the 3.5 commuter kit. Will thr truck sit level or low in rear?
Hi Steve – The Commuter should not need any option on a Gas F350 to sit level rear to front.
Quick question…Do you know who makes the black wheels on the blue F250 above? Thank you
Innov8 Racing
I have the 2.5 pin tops with ffsp-lvl-17 on my ‘19 F250 (gas).
Unloaded + toolbox, 100# tools, and factory spare. I have 5” between the axle and the bottom of the bump stop. (No blocks, just leafs). Why would I have so much “gap” compared to the tested tremor? I was hoping to swap in timbrens to tow a travel trailer on occasion, but looks like I might need to do airbags and daystars.
Hey Ron – shoot an email to info@carlisuspension.com; we can have our support team assist you there!
I have a 2022 f350 looking for a leveling kit. Don’t really tow much or off-road much. But want to add 37” tires and have a better ride without taking away the towing capability if possible. I am definitely looking at the pin top but don’t know if it’s necessary.
Hey Justin – The Commuter Kit with Torsion Sway Bar sounds like a better fit. It will ride well on the street and keep your payload without over-buying off-road shocks you’re not going to utilize. The Back-country, Torsion Sway Bar, Full Leaf Springs and an Airbag kit would be the best option.
Where can I buy the bolt on rear axle bracket for the air bag setup?
Contact anyone from our “retailers” page; they should be able to help you locate it.
I’ve got a ’22 F350 ordered (crew cab diesel). Aftermarket flatbed will be roughly 400 lbs heavier than the stock bed (365 days/yr), and I’ll carry 1,000 lbs of snowmobiles on the flatbed about 15 days/yr, and I’ll haul a 5th wheel w/ 1,400 lbs pin weight for another 15 days/yr. I’m worried that I might be over-sprung for most of the year and it’ll ride too stiff during daily life. What rear spring package do you recommend when I level it w/ your Backcountry package?
I also drive some pretty bad roads and trails during the Autumn months, so I need some articulation and comfort, but nothing extreme.
Thanks for your expertise on all of these threads/comments.
Hey JT – I would do the standard full springs with an airbag setup. The 400lbs won’t hurt the stance while the varying loads you’ll see would best be leveled with a supplement vs. springing the truck for them year-round!
Hello, I have a 2022 F350 Crew Cab short bed diesel truck camper/plow package.
I am looking to run with a Northstar 850SC (probably in the 2,300 lb range).
Have tried Torklift and sumo springs with the stock suspension and have decided to just change it all out.
Pavement/dirt road use is probably 70/30.
Not that concerned with unloaded ride as the camper will be installed most of the driving time.
Suggestions on what route to go with your suspension?
Appreciate your suggestions.
Thanks
Hey Dave – shoot us an email – info@carlisuspension.com – this deserves some one-on-one consultation!
I’ve got a 2019 F-250 6.7 crew cab that admittedly is a 100% pavement princess. I’d like to optimize (soften) unloaded ride quality as much as possible. Which leaf pack do I need? I don’t need a lift.
Hi Chris – All our leaf spring packs will lift the truck; we don’t offer a softer, stock-height replacement.
Hey guys. Love your passion and been turned onto you guys via the TFL videos. Question on a recommended config. My rig is similar but different than the TFL Hawk and Jeff’s rig also reference in this FAQ.
2017 F-250 Diesel
slightly over 2k lb capacity
Factory 20″ wheels with 35″ BFG KO2s
Full time Hawk camper – 1000 lb
Lots of long haul trips with camper, family and gear
Occasional LH Trailer towing (with camper) ~ up to 5k lb, 500 lb tongue weight.
Long haul trips with trailer right at 10,000 lb and max gross weight
Frankly this mostly stock set up has performed really well but still looking to improve capability, especially off road. Having said that I don’t think I want this rig to be overly biased to offroad given all the long haul highway miles we put in with near full load.
I was thinking of the HD Springs with the Backcountry package. Thoughts? With this or another variant you might suggest, with added offroad capability, do you think I will gain any highway/onroad benefits?
Thanks.
Rich
Hey Rich – I would recommend the Pintop system with the HD Leaf springs. The 2.5″ Kings go a LONG way in preventing sway and controlling the higher center of gravity. Have you confirmed the hawk to be 1,000lbs? We’ve seen quite a few customers surprised to find their campers heavier than claimed by the MFR. Point is, before spending the money on a custom suspension to accommodate a rear load, I’d take a trip to the certified scales. Shoot us an email to follow up this conversation – that would be a better venue to continue this, in depth!
Hi Dan,
I have a 2022 F350 Tremor Crew SRW coming next week. I am all set up with CJC to to 3.5 pin top and all of your options including full progressive and air bags with daystar cradles. Plan to do Method 18×9 HD’s and 37″ Toyo AT’s.
I am have a variety of uses for towing from a 10k ATC toy box with 1,000 – 1,500 lbs. of tongue weight, to a 6,500 lb. boat with 650 lbs. of tongue weight to an 4.5k open trailer with 500 lbs. of tongue weight. I will also have in the bed a custom rack up against the back of the cab with a 37″ spare (method with toyo), a pro eagle jack, a nitrogen bottle and four 5 gallon gas cans – total of about 500 lbs. Finally when headed out towing we usually add tool box, firewood, table etc. Figure another 200-250 lbs. or 700-750 lbs with everything in the bed between the two (rack and extra stuff) total.
I use a weight distribution hitch (weigh safe) on my current truck and would use it on the ATC on the Tremor as well. That helps shift the load back up front, but does not address to the total load and tongue weight.
The truck is used 70% unloaded (rack, jack, spare and nitrogen tank in all the time) and 30% towing. It is not a my DD – but want the best possible ride when driving and not towing.
So will progressive pack with air bags do it – or do I need to step up to the HD progressive given the tongue weight of the ATC toybox and bed load?
Thanks,
John
Hey John – I would ONLY choose the HD springs if you are accommodating a constant 1,000lbs in the bed. It sounds like you have many different configurations with weight added to the truck but none constant. I would choose the standard full progressive leaf springs and option an air-bag kit to accommodate the varying loads you’re seeing on an as-needed basis.
I need some input for a suspension system for my 2022 F250 6.7l 4×4 SuperCrew SWB w/ the High-Capacity Trailer Tow Package. I have a 7500lbs RV w/ 1k tounge weight that we take out at least once a month. The roughest terrain it will ever see is gravel roads with an occasional washboard. Looking to keep the ride as smooth and supple as possible loaded and unloaded on the highway. Thoughts?
Oh, and planning on keeping stock tires and wheels….
Stock wheels and tires are not compatible unless you run a spacer to get the tire away from the brake line. 1.5″-2″ spacers are recommended.
Hi Roger – You sound like the perfect candidate for the Commuter System with the Progressive Add-a-Packs and Torsion Sway Bar.
Is there a way that you guys can weigh that truck on some scales? I’d like to know the empty GAWR in the rear. That would be easier to figure out where my truck would sit, and if I needed the HD springs or not. I’ve seen people online with different trucks say there rear GAWR is anywhere from 3100 – 3600 lbs. mine is about 4000 lbs and I’m not sure which springs to go with.
EDIT: Sorry, I worded that weird and don’t need the GAWR as that’s on the door and I’m nowhere near that. Just meant the weight of the rear axle. I don’t words well.
Hey Tad – I’m not sure what you’re asking… These trucks scale around 5K on the front axle, 3K on the rear. If your rear axle is around 4,000lbs – it’s likely you have a constant 1,000lbs. in the bed? If this is the case, the HD springs will be perfect for you. If you reply with a bit more information, I’ll see how I can further assist you.
Thanks Dan, my truck weighs in at 5400 lbs on the front axle and 4000 lbs on the rear axle. I’m looking at a pin top kit and want to get full rear springs. I haven’t decided between 2.5 or 4.5 inch lift. I’d like to use whatever rides better, but it sounds like I’m pretty heavy in the front too, so the 2.5 inch front springs may be better for me since they use a linear rate? Correct me if I’m wrong please. But it does sound like the HD rear spring would be the ones to order for me, as I really want to smooth out the bouncy rear end. I’d send you a pic of the truck if I could, as it would help make since about why it weighs what it does.
Hey Tad – shoot us an email and send over some pictures so we can dive in on this! Info@carlisuspension.com
Sent you an email yesterday. Ready to order some goodies!
Love the information, thank you Dan! Carli and CJC… match made in heaven. I’m on my 3rd system is 7 years.
Now that you have considered the rear end and created solutions to many of the different configurations out there… what about those super amazing badass springs you make up front??? I added about 500lbs with a steel bumper + bull bar, 16.5 WARN Winch, and some lights? I mash this puppy, and I need some love!! I am well aware of the 3.0 KING’s coming in the near future (which Ill be adding with CJC), but… I really need an HD spring for the front, and some shock tuning.
2019 F350 Crew Cab Long Bed, 4.5″ Pintop, and I am almost certain Austin has bugged both you and Tyler about this, so its my turn to be a pest. HAH!
Again, thank you!!!
Hey Travis – unfortunately, the front isn’t so simple as you need to address the exact loaded height and there’s the complication of axle centering given the track bar (height determines track bar length). To make an HD spring, we’d still be limited to whatever we designed the coil to be. If we did it for 500lbs over stock, then it wouldn’t work well for the guy adding 300 which is much more common (500 is A LOT; that’s the weight of some super-light plows). It’s not like the rear where it’s not really problematic if you’re not spot on. I received and ear-marked your email on this and will be replying in more detail there.
I’m pulling a 40 foot fifth wheel triple axel in my 17 350 srw swb. Loaded I’m barely on the overloads I believe the pin wieght is about 3,000-3400. i am doing the pintop system with sway bar. will the full progressive leaf setup and air bags get me back to being able to handle this load or should i just leave the rear alone?
Hey Ricardo – The full springs and airbags will afford you the best on and off-road ride when unloaded AND the airbags will handle that pin-weight with ease. The best part, the airbags will allow you to adjust the rear height to level the truck when the trailer is on vs. the factory leaf springs which will sag to whatever level they’ll sit with that huge trailer, likely leaving you rear-low when hauling.
Greetings,
Thank you for the informative write up. I’m looking to add the 3.5″ Pintop System on a 2022 F350 Tremor. I really want the ride quality associated with the Full Progressive Leaf Pack but I still want to be able to tow my 5th wheel with a 2500-2800 pin weight. This will mainly be my daily driver. My wife is a teacher so summer months will be a lot of highway miles towing the 5th wheel but not so much the rest of the year. Is there a disadvantage or safety concern of going with the full spring pack and airbags over the Add-a-pack? I feel I’ll have to install airbags for leveling even if I go with the Add-a-pack so why not just go full springs?
Hey Max – You bring up a point I neglected to address in the article; thank you for this question! Once you “level” the truck, unloaded, with the Pintop system, you’ll sag to a deficit (rear end low) rather than to level when loaded as you would with a factory stance. Even if you run the add-a-packs, you’ll still sag below level with 2,500lbs of pin-weight. If you’re going to run airbags to prevent sag, you should run the best-riding leaf option to ensure optimal ride when unloaded allowing you to capture more of the spectrum – Best unloaded ride and airbags to support loads up to factory capacity!
Dan, I’ve got a 2020 F350 with a 3.5 pintop leveling (3.5″?) and a bunch of stuff from you guys done by SDHQ here in AZ. With that said, I went with the add a packs instead of the progressive rears because I was pulling a 1500 lb tongue weight bumper pull and didn’t really have a clue at the time when it came to towing lbs and didn’t want to sacrifice anything because I knew the fifth wheel was in the future. I am upgrading to a 5th wheel here shortly and will be running around 3-3200 in pin weight. I already added air bags to my truck and the ride is still great, but are you saying that I should go with the progressive rears instead now that I have the air bags? I have no issue waiting months to get the new rears (waited 9 months for the new radius arms and glad i did!) but is that the best route to go? I won’t lose any “capability” going that route? Thanks!!!
Hey Nick – Precisely! If you’ve added the airbags already, they’ll handle the hauling duty with NO sacrifice to capacity regardless of what you do to the springs. The full progressive leaf springs will ride much better unloaded and your airbags will haul whatever you throw in the bed (or tow) with ease!
I have a 2021 Ford superduty FX4 4WD crew cab. In January I’ll be picking ip our Four wheel camper Hawk model 1500 lbs dry weight. After adding aluminess front and rear bumpers, spare tire rack, box container, bike rack, kayak, other gear I’ll likely be over the 2000 lb range. The camper will stay on full time. Should I still go with the XHD.
Hey Jeff – I would definitely look to the XHD spring and maybe even a 1″ block depending on how the rear end weighs in when your build is complete. The Hawk is perfectly suited to the XHD spring; in fact, it’s what they were built for! Aluminess bumpers shouldn’t add too much to the overall weight, being aluminum, nor should the spare tire rack as it’s eliminating the factory spare. That said, I’d weigh it and let us know the end result; we’ll be better to offer guidance once the weight is confirmed.
I have a 2019 f350 platinum work truck with the carli pintop 4.5 . I went with the add-a-packs at the rear (do to lumber rack and lots of tools.. +/- 1200 lbs ) after the lift was installed I didn’t like that the rear was lower ( carli does say that the 4.5 lift after install will have a slight squat at the rear) and the 1200 lbs in the back of the bed made it squat that much more. So I installed a taller block in the rear to take that squat out, but didn’t like the squat when I would tow a trailer with a good amount of tongue weight, or put heavy loads of lumber on the truck. Finally I put the carli long travel airbags on and I was a happy camper! With just a few clicks of the remote to add pressure in the bags my truck sits level at all times. Now 3 years later and the carli sway bar sitting in my shop for 8 months , I finally installed it a few days ago and I can’t believe how great that bar is…. It feels like I put independent suspension on the truck. That sway bar is absolutely incredible !!!! Always remember all trucks aren’t used the same way… so you have to take all that into consideration when building your truck. Daily drivers, work trucks, off-road use, towing trailers, etc. Carli has all the parts to make your dreams come true, just do your homework and build your truck for what “you” “ not somebody else” use it for!!
Great advise! Glad you build the perfect truck for your application, Ken! Enjoy.