Adding Leaf Springs

[Cowboy_120]

I am about to buy a 4 horse gooseneck trailer which has 32 feet of bed and 8 feet in the gooseneck making it a total of 40 feet long. We have calculated that approximately 6000-7000 lbs will be sitting directing on top of the truck. My question is do I need to do anything to the springs of the truck to increase the load it can take? Thanks in advance

[mark45678]

6~7K are you sure? on a 3500? that sure is ALOT!!! 7500 lbs empty,11000 gvw.....do the math!3500lbs max!!!!

[Maverick]

I am going to add a few leafs to the overloads. When I pull my 51' car hauler with 3 vehicles, it squats it pretty good. I have't ran it across the scale yet but I bet I have you beat for pin weight. :eek:

[DSLPOWR]

Have you considered air bags?- www.airlift.com I have used these in the past with excellent results. When you are severly overloaded they improve the ride quality and raise the "squat" out of the loaded truck. And when empty/unloaded they don't effect the ride at all so there is nothing lost. Not too expensive either. (compared to heavier springs)

[Cowboy_120]

The trailer we are looking at is 40 feet long, and loaded will be close to 16,000 lbs. The way the axles are placed I am looking at a 35-40% weight transfer to the truck. 5600 - 6400 lbs in the truck. I am going to wait until i load the trailer first and then I will see. Thanks for the replies guys.

[ih1466]

I have a 30'GN flat bed that I haul hay and tractors. I have Air-Lift air bags on both my trucks and even my 1980 Pontiac Bonniville. I can't say anything bad about them. I can put 5000lbs of seed in the back and it sits level. I can drive a tractor to the front of the gn and it and the bags handle it. I use my trucks for everthing under the sun so I would not want to run more springs when on a trip empty 2000 miles out west. Unless you are never going to unhook the trailer I would not put springs in it. And the air bags only take about a hour to put in.

[Maverick]

DSLPOWER,
I don't know from first hand experience but the word I get from anybody that lives around snow, ice, & salt is that they will work for a year then leak. Has anybody ran them for 5 years without turning a single flare fitting? How long do pumps last? I am listening with an open mind. Fill me in.

[ih1466]

I live in Wisconsin and they like to use alot a salt. I have had them on my 93 GMC since 94 and have not had any trouble. I do not have an onboard compressor. I just use the compressor in the garage before I leave to go tractor pulling.

[Cowboy_120]

Thanks for the info guys. i may decided to put those air bags in because I dont want to make the ride any harsher than I have too.

[CanadaKev]

Cowboy_120,
I would be surprised if you can get 6000lbs on your hitch with 4 horses unless you pack lots of heavy gear up in the nose. When you get it loaded I hope you have a chance to scale it so you can let us know. Your 3500 will handle it just tickity without airbags. I have had airbags on two previous trucks, '91 chev. 2500 & '99 GMC 3500 and they work great. But you need to check your air pressure in the bags consistently, just like you would your tires. You can't run your bags without air because it will wreck them. When you are going to haul you can crank them up to 80-110lbs depending on which brand you purchase. When you run without a load you can drop the pressure down to about 30 lbs. It does stiffen up the back of the truck and will raise the back 2-3" depending on how much pressure you have in them when you are empty. Currently when you run unloaded your overloads are not in contact with the frame. They only come into play when you have a load on. My goose-neck is 20,000lbs loaded. I figure approx. 30% on the hitch but I haven't scaled it yet and the truck takes it fine. In my opinion it doesn't need airbags but they sure don't hurt.kev

[DSLPOWR]

Had a set on my '96 F-350 for four years and never had any problems whatsoever. They salt the roads pretty generously here in michigan too. I found if you buy the high quality bags (Airlifts Super-duty series, or the Firestones) you won't have a problem. My original pump still worked when I sold the truck, I even used it to air tires when off roading at silver lake. :rolleyes: