Nagging Bagging Question (rear)

[BKWDco]

Hi, I have a TF truck that is a daily driver. Its also my family work truck, ie last weekend we hauled a couple dirtbikes, then a yard of gravel. That said, I have updated to a TCI front end, which inevitably lowered the front end a couple inches (I didnt go with the drops, because i wanted to maintain a closer to stock ride height) , so now it sits high in the back. I was thinking about updating the rear end to bags. I would like the rear end to sit level with the front, however, when Im hauling a load I'd like the ability to adjust the suspension.

Has anyone used the AirLift bags on these trucks? I was thinking about some thing like this that attaches to the shackles.

Has anyone seen this done or done it? AirLift has a great warranty. I had them on a 2001 silverado, but i havent really seem the name on these forums much. Any thoughts or info on these would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

[joedoh]

Originally Posted by BKWDco

Hi, I have a TF truck that is a daily driver. Its also my family work truck, ie last weekend we hauled a couple dirtbikes, then a yard of gravel. That said, I have updated to a TCI front end, which inevitably lowered the front end a couple inches (I didnt go with the drops, because i wanted to maintain a closer to stock ride height) , so now it sits high in the back. I was thinking about updating the rear end to bags. I would like the rear end to sit level with the front, however, when Im hauling a load I'd like the ability to adjust the suspension.

Has anyone used the AirLift bags on these trucks? I was thinking about some thing like this that attaches to the shackles.

Has anyone seen this done or done it? AirLift has a great warranty. I had them on a 2001 silverado, but i havent really seem the name on these forums much. Any thoughts or info on these would be appreciated, thanks in advance.

how will you lower the rear to match the front? thats the important question, just installing helper bags wont lower your truck. dearching the springs is easily done but if your axle is mounted below the springs you may need to "flip" to the top side instead, dearching with a bottom mounted axle will almost reverse the spring pack and it will ride weird. an axle flip will lower you about 6" and keep your load carrying capacity.
if your axle is above the spring pack already, I would say dearch them the amount you need to drop and add the helper setup.

helper bag setups are a great way to restore ride height and increase load capacity. check out robs COE build, he started with a half ton donor truck and with the helper setup he will be carrying a lot more than that, has added a flatbed and is building a camper to carry.
http://67-72chevytrucks.com/vboard/s...596551&page=23


air lift excels at this kind of setup, they branched out into more custom stuff years ago but they started with these systems.

[OrrieG]

I ran air shocks on mine when it was 2wd to compensate for a 600# camper and hauling concrete and old sod to the dump.

[BKWDco]

That is a good point @joedoh. My dad and I got talking about this yesterday and I got so excited about the possibilty of find a good fix for leveling the truck, I didnt really think about the logistics. The axel is currently mounted under the shackles, so i should be able to flip that over and still make up the difference with the airbags.

[joedoh]

a flip will lower you 5-6" keeping the same spring rate, you are actually only moving the axle center up similar to how a drop spindle works for the front. you will need to pick up a flip kit or some new axle mounting pads. keep in mind that the shocks you have now will be too long to use with the flipped axle unless you get some mount extenders, I dont like them because the shock can hang pretty low when extended. since you are getting a helper spring kit as well, best to upgrade to new shocks of a shorter length.

I havent flipped a TF, but on later model trucks sometimes you need a c notch.

plan plan plan. it could be you could use a flip kit and a lift shackle to give you say, 4" of rear drop. if you want more drop you can use the flip kit and a block to get an 8" rear drop. there are lots of possibilities. good luck!

[dsraven]

you can flip the axlw pretty cheap if you go to a spring/trailer axle shop and get some axle spring pads to fit the axle tube size of your truck axle. some new u bolts would also be a good idea.
if you flip the axle you will likely need a c notch.check ogres build for an idea of what can be done for starters. a short section of flat bar the same width and thickness as the frame can be bent around a piece of pipe to mould it into the shape needed for the notch then weld it in to the notch you made in the frame. the notch doesn't need to be circular, it can be shaped like a U that has the open ends bent out further. remember that welding on the frame can distort due to heat build up and shrinking/stretching that occurs so just weld small lengths and allow to cool between welds so the area doesn't get too hot. do a bit on one side then as it cools you can do some on the other side and so on. if you do a small c notch like that it is recomended to box that section of the frame for added support.the same welding technique is recomended for the boxing plates as well. you can fab them up from 3/16 plate. make a cardboard pattern slightly smaller than the frame height to allow for the welding bead so if/when you grind things smooth there is still actual weld still holding. don't try to hide the boxing plates inside the frame, rather have them proud of the frame so the welding bead can fill that square "corner" that is left between the pieces. magnets do a good job of holding parts in position for tack welding.
good luck and post pics please