Hello Guys I'm new to this forum. I tournement fish all over the country. I put allot of miles on my vehicle and am always towing my 21'6" Cobra Coosa bass boat. If I'm not towing that I'm pulling around a trailer with 2 commercial mowers and weedeaters. I know thats not allot of weight to be towing but the bass boat especially really makes my truck squat, and ride like crap.

I have been browsing around the internet for a long time tryign to figure out what i want to do. I have put together a couple of options but dont know what to go with.

My first question is if i go with add-a-leafs with 2" or 3" lift can i still use a standard shock?

If so here is what i am thinking:

• Tuff Country Add-A-Leaf 3" Lift
• Keyway-3 (1-3" Lift Torsion Key)

I am trying to work as cheep as possible. I dont need that much added from stock. I just want it to sit level with the boat on the back, maybe add some lift, and have a good ride. Here are teh shocks i was thinking about. Which would be the best option? Or is there something else you all would suggest that are similarly priced?

REAR

• Air Shocks - Not air bags, cant afford those, lol
• Monroe Sensatrac Load Adjusting
• Gas Magnum
• Gabriel Ultra

Front

• Gas Magnum
• Sensatrac
• Gabriel Ultra

Thanks for any help and advice guys!

 

92 views and nobody has a comment?
anything please, lol

 

you say you cant afford air bags but they would be the best thing for you.

 

I think most may be put off by the fact that you haul this nice *** bass boat all over the country competing, and you want to go the cheapest route possible on your tow vehicle that you practically live in...really dude?? Combine with the fact you stated you can't afford anything the majority of us would recommend. As stated above, the airbags would be perfectly suited to solve everything you're trying to accomplish. Just go to Sears and tell them to throw on the cheapest shocks and add-a-leafs they've got on sale and it will suit you.

My recommendations...stay clear of air shocks, keys, and overload shocks (any shock with a spring made on it). Besides that...

 

The reason I need to go cheep is i need shocks now mine are toast. If i get the truck rocking with my hand pushing it. After i stop it will rock back and forth 12 times before stoping. Its to the point i dont feel safe towing with it.
But i was forced to switch jobs and go back to school to finish my degree so i dont have any spare funds. I am working side jobs just to fix my truck up.
This is a very inoportune time for this to happen. I also have an exhaust issue i must address as well as tie rod ends and other maintanence.
So i'm tryign to get the best with what i have.

 

Just for the sake of knowing what, if i had the money, would be a reasonably priced solution. I need new shocks in the front and rear, and want to prevent sag from the trailer, and possible add a little lift to front and back, but that isnt my main concern.

I really dont know what all options are out there what price point they are at. So maybe I am just missing knowledge. I dont want to make an un-informed decision.

 

add a leafs would work but I wouldn't lift the front and your ride would get terrible.

 

i'm not concerned about the ride. Right now the truck is so soft and bouncy that it makes me sea sick. I'd rather have my teeth rattled out any day.

 

Crank your stock keys up to a desired height in the front, Firestone air bags for the rear, and a good set of shocks all the way around...none of which you mentioned. Go for Edelbrock, Rancho (good ones, not the 5000's), or Bilstein. Done.

 

I put add a leafs on my 02 screw and it tows great. I tow an 18' enclosed trailer a couple times a year and it doesn't sag at all. I also get loads of mulch every year and it doesn't even sag the rear. I did put torsion keys on the front of the truck to level it out but I am ready to either lift the truck the right way or take them off. The ride is terrible and both of my cv boots are torn. Air bags would be the way to go in my opinion.

 

Look for airbags on craigslist. I got mine for $50 and tabbed up some brackts out of some scrap 3/16" steel I had laying around. Air shocks are not good for on road use IMO.

 

All great info and ideas. Thanks guys. I'm going to check on some air bags.

 

Looks like even if i went with Firestone bags off ebay, and cheep gabriel shocks, i'm still going to be looking at close to $500 before i'm done. I just cant come up with that much money at the moment.
So I thought well maybe add-a-leaf and good shocks. But it looks like any of the shocks you all mentioned is going to be close to $300 for a set. So again i'm back to $500.
So now what i need to know is if u were forced to go with a lower end shock what would be the least of all evils.
Gabriel, Monroe gas-magnum, rough country? I dunno...

 

Check out this thread it might be a solution for you. https://www.f150online.com/forums/20...cs-inside.html

 

yeah those are the monroe load adj shocks i was talking about in my thread, but someone said not to use shocks with springs.