Heavy duty shocks

jforse

Observer
Another vote for the Bilsteins. I run them on my truck and have been very happy with them. I think mine are the 5100 series.
 

highdesertranger

Adventurer
let me ask? your pulling 2 draft horses with a f-150. heavy duty shocks will not help you. you need a f-250 at least. weigh the trailer fully loaded if you are any where close to the gvwr stop and think. you have livestock back there, be careful. btw i speak from experiance i'm a cattle rancher and transport livestock all the time. highdesertranger
 

Carlyle

Explorer
let me ask? your pulling 2 draft horses with a f-150. heavy duty shocks will not help you. you need a f-250 at least. weigh the trailer fully loaded if you are any where close to the gvwr stop and think. you have livestock back there, be careful. btw i speak from experiance i'm a cattle rancher and transport livestock all the time. highdesertranger


Very true, the best shocks in the world won't change the fact you are over loaded.
 

Regcabguy

Oil eater.
Offroad Warehouse discontinued Rancho's yrs ago here. They were the most frequently replaced shocks they'd ever carried.
 

bob91yj

Resident **************
Hopping on the Bilstein 5100 bandwagon. best bang for the buck shock available IMO. I'd also go with air bags rather than heavier springs. The bags are infintely adjustable, with the springs, you get what you get whether running empty or overloaded (as I suspect your truck is going to be a time or two:sombrero:0

I've had Rancho 9000's on my LJ, hated them. They would fade to useless in less than 5 minutes of hard running in the desert
 

Buliwyf

Viking with a Hammer
Hopping on the Bilstein 5100 bandwagon. best bang for the buck shock available IMO. I'd also go with air bags rather than heavier springs. The bags are infintely adjustable, with the springs, you get what you get whether running empty or overloaded (as I suspect your truck is going to be a time or two:sombrero:0

I've had Rancho 9000's on my LJ, hated them. They would fade to useless in less than 5 minutes of hard running in the desert

+1.

AirRide air bags are an excellent option for towing trailers and hauling slide in campers. Running a ton of air in mine, they don't really hurt ride quality at all with my setup, but they do lessen roll and keep the truck level. My truck rides smoother with them with a trailer and a bed filled with cargo. Way smoother than stiffer heavy leaf springs alone.

The new extreme bags have a mini Timbren style jounce bumper inside the bag. Since it takesup a bit of volume, the bags can safely be run at zero psi as long as you have the valves in as the bag builds up pressure quicker when it's compressed so it deosn't collapse when compressed at low pressure.
 

Allof75

Pathfinder
Good choice on the Bilsteins. I have the Bilstein HDs (4600) on my Pathfinder, can't say enough about them, excellent shock for both on and off road. Extremely well controlled ride and markedly improved handling. They didn't make much of a difference in the load carrying ability though, I still suffer pretty dramatic squat with any more than 100 pounds, but that's the springs' issue.

I suggest some rear suspension airbags as well, we have Firestone Ride-Rite 5000lb capacity on our family Ram; you don't notice them around town at around 5psi, and when you do tow, they make the biggest difference in trailer control, squat, and ride. Very highly recommended. The largest trailer we've pulled with it was around 7000 lbs I believe, and the truck was completely level with about 35 psi in the bags. Rode like a Lincoln.

However, there is nothing that will fix an overloaded truck- things like brakes, axles, the transmission, basically anything involving movement that would suffer extra stress from too much weight, could create an unsafe situation, either from failure, or simply not being up to the task. But if you're within the weight limits of your F150, then by all means enjoy the aftermarket solutions. :sombrero:
 

chilliwak

Expedition Leader
I am a huge Bilstein fan as I have them both front....

DSCF2119_zps9abd2570.jpg


and rear....

ChevRearShock1.jpg


The set of Ranchos I had only lasted 2 years....:Wow1:
 

BCHauler

Adventurer
I just installed KGB monomax on my 99 f150. I like a firm ride and they are great. This is the second vehicle I've put them in. Not sure how off road they are, but for load control, I like them a lot.
 

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