Hey guys, Recently picked up my brother-in-laws trailer for him and had to tow it about 15 miles. His ford is in the shop. It had about 5000lbs of 8 inch steel pipe on the trailer. Well when the loaded the trailer they had most of the weight up front of the trailer. My truck pulled it just fine but i noticed it looked like it was hurting with the payload. I never bottomed out but it made my truck look like hell. Do they sell anything for adding payload to the 06-08 rams?

Would you recommed airbags or an add a leaf system.

I tow my car trailer with my nova, and i noticed it sag also, just would like to make it look level while towing...

Thanks
Ed

 

Depending on how much you would want to spend you could add a leaf or get a little more serious and put some air bags in it.

 

Can you say airbags? The problem with leafs is that when the bed is empty you'll bounce all over the road it'll be so stiff.
Unless you haul/tow regularly, don't mess with the onboard compressor, auto levelers and such. You can get a set of bags and put them on yourself in the driveway for around $200.
With the simple valve stem mounted I air 'em up with my compressor at the house, a small DC one I keep in my toolbox or even the local 7/11 when I need to, then air 'em back down when I'm done.
I have the Air Lift Ride Controls, handle 2000 lbs. in the bed or similar tonque weight. They make 'em heavy duty up to 5000 lbs. but I can't expect you to do anything with a 1500 truck that would put anywhere near the capacity of the 2000 lb. set.
I basically bought mine because my 650+ lb. ATV sits with 80% of the weight rear of the back axle because of my toolbox, my rear wheels are barely on the tailgate. Made my rear sit so low & front sit so high, I was blinding people with my low beams on the highway and my highs were up in the tree tops.
Max is 100 lbs. of air, but even with the ATV sitting basically over the tongue/tailgate, I am perfectly level with just 30#s.
As you can see by the pic, I welded my bracket on. Only deviation I did from the instructions. The kit comes with bolts to bolt it on, but personally, I'd rather weld it than drill holes...

 

Hammer
Hmmm, i'm likeing that idea.
From what ive been reading about add a leaf is they add about 2 inches. Which would make me have to get a leveling kit to make my truck look right.

Do your bags ever leak? and when your not towing, do you take them down to zero?

 

Get a weight distribution hitch. My 08 only drops about 2" with a 2400lb trailer with a 5000lb car on it.
Works great for me http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

 

Never a leak, have had them since early '06 and have had the truck off road "hard" on more than a few occasions, the rubber is about the same as a tire compound. You have to leave just a touch of air in them, about 5 lbs. just so the bag keeps it's shape and wont chafe itself rubbing when it's completely deflated, I just let the air almost out and check with a tire gauge. When I air 'em up to 30#'s just before putting the ATV on it raises the back about 1/2 inch, and settles back to level when the ATV is on the back of the bed. I've put the max 100# in with no weight to see the "lift height" just for the hell of it and it's about 1 1/2"...
When I pull my buddy's trailer (a monster 20' with dual axles and three of our ATVs on it (I have no idea of the weight, because I don't know how heavy the beast trailer is) the ATV's alone are about 2000 lbs, I'm guessing the tongue weight is about 200# and 15 lbs. will keep it perfectly level. That's why I say this 2000 lb. capacity model is all you'd ever need.
But I'll show you how far back the ATV sits with the toolbox and you'll see why I had to do something...

 

Get the Ride-rite kit by firestone. I have them and they are the heavy duty bags that can take 5,000lbs. Unlike the Air lift that requires welding the rife-rite replaces your bumps stops and can be installed with regular tools. I have had no leaks with mine just be sure you route the lines through the frame or away from any exhaust. I put my valve stems on the rear bumper right next to the lisence plate. I pull a 10,000 gross trailer, with the tongue being at 1000lbs. Before I was riding on my bumps stops but now its sits perfectly level. Airbags are the best way to go and for around $200 they should have came from the factory from the beginning. Put it this way when I am all loaded up and I hit a speed bump, the front suspension I can feel but the rear is literally riding on air so it's so smooth. What ever you do don't get a add-a-leaf, it makes the truck ride stiffer all the time, raises it in the rear totally making it look like a stink bug, and its not adjustable. IF you do get airbags just make sure to leave 5lbs in the bags and when you put the truck on the lift, raise it by the axles so you don't strech out a bag.

 

I also have the firestones and love them. I had the same setup on my 98 durango and beat the crap out of it and they held up fine! They are awesome for towing. Really helps the control by leveling out the back. eliminates the wishy washy feeling when towing large stuff....firestone all the way. check ebay thats where I got mine for like 180

 

I FOUND A SET FOR 199

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Ride-...QQcmdZViewItem

 

I actually went to buy the Firestone's when I got mine. Dealt with a friend (old computer network customer of mine for 12+ years, and his step son is in my hunting club) who owns a pair of tire/automotive repair centers who talked me out of them and into the Air Lifts. (By the way, you DO NOT have to weld them, the instructions don't even mention welding, I just happened to have welded mine, you are supposed to bolt the brackets directly to the frame). Seems they had seen a couple failures of the Firestones, not the bags, but the brackets cracking and leaving the units in pieces. On 4x4's, lifted and mostly heavy and hard off-roaders. One broke his while on a washboard dirt road. Seems with them sitting on the leafs supported only by carraige bolts. The side to side motion can crack a bracket starting at the hole where the carraige bolt goes through.
Now keep in mind this is only what I was advised. I personally know two guys who have the Firestone's on 4x4's and neither has had an issue. I'm not trying to recommend one brand over the other but simply telling you why I went in for Firestone's and left with the Air Rides. Price/profit had nothing to do with it, I have a deal with the guy where I get my stuff for cost and he doesn't pay for computer/network labor so he wasn't making anything on the deal (it's also where I've gotten my tires, wheels and some other components as I like paying wholesale ). I think the install might be a little easier with the Firestones, because you add them over the leafs just like you would an add-a-leaf, but the Air Rides were not that difficult either. With either brand, you are better off with an air bag setup than add-a-leafs...