Solutions for Reducing Rear Sag on Lowered 2013 Ford F-150 Towing Trailer

Question:

Will these achieve full height with 2000# of load on the truck? I tow a trailer with ~800 lbs tongue weight and I also run a WDH system. But with a 2inch drop on the rear of my 2013 F150 2wd I get sag beyond level of the truck. I installed Timbrens custom set rated 8600# w/ 1/2inch gap over axle but the sag is still more than desired. Im about to raise the truck back up and put standard bags on it. With a family of 5 also in the truck I would like to be confident the 2000# rating means the bags can fully raise a 2000# load, even though my cargo is below the 1700# truck payload.

asked by: Daniel R

Expert Reply:

The Air Lift SlamAir Air Helper Springs # AL59210 that you referenced are designed specifically for lowered trucks and are confirmed to fit your 2013 Ford F-150. The rear sag that you are experiencing is not unusual for a lowered truck, as they will typically have a weakened load capacity because of it. These air springs will definitely do a nice job of reducing that rear sag with their 2,000 pound capacity. With that being said though, I'm not sure how much better a job they will do on top of what you experienced with the Timbrens installed.

Typically when rear sag on a vehicle is primarily the result of a trailer's tongue weight (and not just cargo loaded onto the truck itself), the best and most effective solution is a weight distribution system. As long as you are within your truck's capacity, which it seems like you are, you really shouldn't be having the sag you described with your weight distribution system installed.

I recommend first making sure that your weight distribution system is rated properly for your setup. You will want to make sure your total tongue weight (loaded tongue weight of the trauler plus any additional cargo weight coming from behind the F-150's rear axle) falls within the tongue weight capacity of your system. Also make sure that everything is adjusted properly according to the installation instructions.

If you find that your system isn't rated correctly, you should be able to just change out the spring bars to a set that has the capacity you need. If you can tell me what model weight distribution system you have and your total tongue weight, I can verify if it is the best system for you or recommend a different set of bars.

expert reply by: Chris R