I haul alot of stuff.. probably more than I should in a 1/2 ton, and eventually I'd like to get a flat bed and bale spike for hauling hay bales (might need a bigger truck), But I was wondering what you guys thought about those add a leafs or whatever they are, like you can get from JC whitney? How much will they really help. Or maybe someday down the road, maybe putting a 3/4 ton rear end in the ol girl, what all would that entail??

93 F-150
300 I-6
5 spd.
3.55 rear gears

 

Hi BW

Well your starting to get the right idea "a bigger HD truck"

Yes you can add springs/air bags etc to level up the rear end However.....

I suggest before you do that...find out what the axle ratings are front/rear on your truck...cause thats whats gonna hold it all.JMO!

Good luck...OT

btw...ive never done what your asking..maybe someone here has?

 

Add a leafs will lift the height of the truck, as well as give it a bit more 'capacity' (you still can't go over your GAWR however).

These are used to help keep the truck level when hauling payload.

I went with the Hellwig LP-25 overload springs. These attach to the top of the stock leafs and do not 'lift' the rear end as much as the 'add a leaf'. These also help keep the truck from sagging too much when a bag of groceries are place in the bed. My truck dropped to the stops the first time I put #1000 in the bed. How embarrassing......

Added these, and it only drops 2" with a #1000 load now.

 

yeah!!! those look pretty good, and look easy to install, about how much do they run?
I can't believe your sagged with 1,000 lbs. in it, I've had a ton in the back of mine several times, sure it sags, but it'll still travel down the road alright...thanks for the photo, it really helped..

 

Got mine from a local 4x4 shop for $150. Took less then an hour to install from out of the box and onto the truck. You have to assemble each set first, then mounts right on the stock leafs.

Made a world of difference in the handling of the truck. A bit firmer ride, but not harsh and it's still a very smooth ride. It was like driving a Cadilac before. Too bouncy and no payload. Three little leaf springs............. Whatever for a truck. I've seen Rangers with four of them. Well, now I've got six! Looks cool too!

 

Don't bother with the ones from Autozone or Advanced Auto. I had those things on, and they came loose and fell off. They didn't do too much, either.

-Flea

 

I had those sagging problems before as well. I pull a trailer approx 3x a week at 2500-4500# and CONSTANTLY have 500 -750# tools etc in the back of my truck while driving 15-20k a year. I ended up with bad sagging constantly and a broken leaf. Per the spring shops suggestion, they re-arched both sides and replaced the respective broken leaf ($180) to maintain even ride height. A year and a half later I was right back where I started. The problem is you cant cold press (re-arch) thousands of miles of wear out of a heat treated spring. It wont hold its shape and will likely only make it more brittle. Spring shops love it however because they dont drop the main leaf and you get instant results while making tons of $$$.

Against thier suggestion, I ordered a complete new set of springs ($220) and had them add a leaf to each side ($40) for a total of 5 leaves. I expected the ride to be stiffer, it was actually softer because the springs had travel in them. The truck still sits factory height with everything in the back and its been 2 years. Rides great. The only way to go IMO. I only wish that I would have added 2 leafs. I think bolt on overload springs work, but your only supplementing wear if you dont replace the tired factory ones.

Heres a pic of my truck on any given day. I've got 31" tires, so the fender wells are already fuller than stock. Pardon the unpainted tailgate.

I just weighed it the other day. After I subtracted the weight of passengers the truck + contents weighed 5320# I figure the truck weighs 4500-4700# empty, so I got 600-800# in the back right now.

As far as putting a 3/4 rear end under it, the spring shackles might have to be modified slightly (3/4's use wider leaves I believe), the drive shaft yoke may or may not be different, and you would have to use 8 lug wheels, which would be 16" instead of 15". Your front brakes would be undersized still, the frame wouldnt be as strong and your wheels wouldn't match. You probably wouldnt increase your GVWR that much, so I'm not sure it would be worth the hassle.