Well, the first big test of my "new" used 1991 F-150 came up this weekend. Had to trailer my horse 350 miles to El Paso (and back) for a big horseback ride. (We placed 7/22--not bad for a 20 year old horse trotting 30 miles!)
Well, problem 1 occurred when hitching up my trailer... Had a bit more load than normal. My mud flaps hand about 1.5-2" off the ground normall, and not much less when the trailer and horse are hooked up. Had more gear this time, and my flaps were about 1/4 inch off the ground--had to remove them to keep them from dragging.

So, the first question is... What can I do to make this truck's rear end stick up in the air a bit--like the Ranger's do? And what can I do to keep the bed from sagging under load? I was thinking about an add-a-leaf, but might just go with a full set of Hellwig leaf springs. Thoughts?

If I do change leaf springs, will that bring up any concerns when I want to put new shocks on the truck--as far as safety is concerned?

Also, for you 1988-1991 351 owners, how well does your 351 tow? My trailer weighs about 3500 pounds--but occasionally pull 4500. May just go with a standard 351 swap instead of a performance rebuild. I was somewhat let down by this 302--had trouble on hills even out of overdrive (my 1998 F-150 pulled as well or better with a V-6.)

Thanks,

Mike

 

Hey Mike,

I would go with some kind of air helper springs. Before I got the F150, I had a chevy S10 that was lowered and I had to pull a 16ft. dual axle pace trailer for my band's equipment. Without the air bags, the fenders of the truck would be pressing on the sidewalls of the back tires.

The air bags mount between the frame and the leaf springs and are pretty easy to install. I just ran an air line to inside my gas cap door, so all I had to do was to pull up to the air pump and put some air in when I needed to tow.

Perhaps the biggest advantage of this kind of system is that you can deflate the bags when not towing so the truck rides completely normal then. You can also get kits with compressors and guages so you don't even have to go by a gas station to use the air hose.

Hope this helps.


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Chris Thomas
1998 F-150XLT Flareside STX Sport Package, 4.6L Auto 3.55 Oxford White/Gray interior, Factory Anti-theft system
Picture: http://216.147.104.171/Y2K/members/ChrisT/christ1a.jpg
Homepage: Chris & Brandi's Universe
Mods: A.R.E. Decklid/Oxford White with gray fabric liner, K&N filter with Airbox Mod (removed silencer), Tinted Windows, GTS sloted taillight covers (painted Oxford white to match), Removed STX stickers
Audio: Kenwood Truck speakers with 10" woofers, Rockford Fosgate and Alpine Amps, Ford 10 disk CD changer
Future Mods: 3/4 Lowering Kit (Maybe 4/6 if I don't have to change tires at the same time), 20" rims and tires, True duals with Supertrap tunable mufflers, Superchip, Supercharger, Jacobs Ignition, NOS, and whatever else I can think of!!!

 

Thanks for your reply. I'll check into it... Still regular springs may not be a bad idea for my needs...

Heheheh. An s-10, eh? Heheheheh. It's funny how a "truck" carrying 200 pounds in the back end sags so much... I have laughed at more than one s-10 looking like it's about to die under the weight of a few sacks of horse feed...

-Mike