Anybody got some input on this; Timbren Rear Suspension Enhancement System

[OlySezHey]

I was wondering if they REALLY do all they say they do; http://www.etrailer.com/Vehicle-Susp...id=19721011874

I'm lookin' to set up my truck to pull a 27' camper trailer. Proly gonna max out ol' girl, I guess the trailer weighs about 8K#. Getting a load distributing hitch with the trailer, that will help some, it also will accomodate an anti-sway bar. Shopping around for a class 5 receiver too.

Maybe somebody can point me to a good camper trailer b.b. ?

Thanx for any help

[Jack_71C10]

I think its a gimmick,
use it for towing and offroading.

new favorite pic

[mr48chev]

That style of overload has been around for a long time and the theory behind it is that it doesn't do anything except go along for the ride until you put enough weight on the truck to drop it down to ride on the overloads. Regular ride when you are running empty, extra support when loaded. How good or bad or how they compare I don't know.

[Beat68CST]

Ahhhh Timbrens!

My dad had 2 10yard buckets of gravel in our dually with those.

Work great.

[N2TRUX]

Not familiar to me, but welcome to the forum OlySezHey.

[6772owner]

I would much rather have my air bags, the Timbrens are basically just tall bump stops... the truck has to sag to engage them and then it has basically no uptravel left in the suspension. Not my idea of a good set up, imho.

[Tx Firefighter]

The guys that tow a lot have them and rave about them. The owners are quite passionate that they are worth the money. Many of the local guys around here run them under their welding rigs which are very heavy. After talking with guys who have first hand experience with them I'm convinced.

[HavinSomeFun]

I also pull a camper and have used these for several years. They are awsome. I also know of at least 10 friends that have them and we all agree, they work and are well worth the money.

[MARKDTN]

They definitely have a following in the Heavy Wrecker industry as well. I think in the right application, they work well.

[rpmgroup]

I build a dump bed on my 89 pick up and then added the Timbrens, worked great. Regular ride empty and support when I loaded the bed.

[SWEET7T]

I don't think that the Timbrens would be necessary with a correctly adjusted WD hitch. The tongue weight of the travel trailer will be placed on both the front and rear axle because of the weight distribution; so it will be removing some of the weight from the rear and applying it to the front. The truck wont squat as much and you may never 'engage' the Timbrens.

I have a 21' toyhauler that I pull with my '97 1/2-ton and use an Equalizer 4-way WD hitch. My tongue weight is a little over 600lbs and I have hardly any squat at all when hooked up (my front rides at almost the same height hitched or unhitched). I have the stock suspension.

I'm hoping to use my '70 to pull the toyhauler when I get it finished... I'm betting that the 454/4L80E equipped will have an easier time handling the weight/wind resistance versus my 235k mile non-rebuilt '97 Vortec. Of course I will be doing disc brakes on the truck

[OlySezHey]

Thanx for all the great feedback guys (including anybody who posts after this) - I REALLY appreciate it

[special-K]

It sounds like those who rave about them have trucks that stay loaded. They would benefit from just heavier springs. If you want suspension adjustability I would go for Air Lifts for that money.

[Transformula]

I put some on an 80,000 pound fire truck that really leaned in the corners. They needed this truck to drive like a race car apparently. I installed them in a pre-loadad position in the front and it helped a lot with turning. Since they were pre-loaded already, it changed the way it rode, but they could get to the fire quicker and they were happy with it!

[Tx Firefighter]

Originally Posted by Transformula

I put some on an 80,000 pound fire truck that really leaned in the corners. They needed this truck to drive like a race car apparently. I installed them in a pre-loadad position in the front and it helped a lot with turning. Since they were pre-loaded already, it changed the way it rode, but they could get to the fire quicker and they were happy with it!

I hear what you're saying

<rant on>

I hate guys who drive the fire trucks hell bent for leather. It gives the whole fire service a bad name when you see some jackwagon careening all over the place blowing by cars and generally driving too fast. I've been an engineer for a long time now. The engineer is the designated driver of the truck. I pride myself on driving calmly and smoothly and still getting to the call quickly. Hell, most calls don't really matter how quickly you get there anyway. A few seconds makes no difference. A few months ago we got a call first thing in the morning. I drove code 3 to the call then code 1 back to the station afterwards. When we got back in the house the chief walked over and picked a full cup of coffee off the rear bumper of the truck that one of the other guys had set down before shift change. It rode on the rear bumper the entire way. That's when you know you're doing it right.

<rant off>

I feel better now. You may now resume your discussion about Timbrens.

[rpmgroup]

After pestering my to let me go get my driver license on my upcoming 16th birthday, he set his beer on the rear bumper of the truck and had me drive him around town. I was standing in line, first thing the next morning.

[71swb4x4]

They are used very frequently in the plowing industry. The plow guys really love them and obvsiouly they mainly use them up front.

[brad_man_72]

wow I can't even get a cup to stay in a cupolder!
my truck sits on the bumpstops all of the time. Just gotta ook out for the big bumps in the road. I usually just tow a boat but pulled a bobcat the other day no problem.

[Gromit]

Reviving an old post here in lieu of creating a new thread on the same topic.

Though my question has to do with installation. I looked at the instruction sheet, and the photo they show does not look like the bump stop bracket on my 1970 C10 with factory heavy duty coil springs.

For example, my factory wedge-shaped bump stop does not bolt into a hole in the bracket (as the Timbren instructions seem to imply); instead it has a sort of tab shaped right into the rubber itself that fits into a similarly shaped slot in the steel bracket that is riveted to the frame.

So I'll post a photo of my bump stop and photos of the install sheets (it is only two pages) from Timbren.

I haven't bought these yet but they are about $214 a pair from Summit at the moment.

If anyone has installed these and you are willing to share the knowledge please clue us in.

My springs are probably the original 46 year old ones and probably I should replace them but they are fine when the truck bed is empty - It only becomes a problem if I try to load 900 pounds in the bed; so these extended bumpers if they are easy to install might be the ticket.

[rpmgroup]

if you replace the original stops, you will need to remove the stop and use the little L shaped bracket in the drawing or build your own.

[jeffahart]

I used them on the front of a Dodge with a diesel and a winch. They worked great. Truck had no lift and stock coils up front. Two second bolt in as opposed to getting two stage coils. Ran them for about five years.

[Gromit]

By "L shaped Bracket in the drawing" do you mean the one that comes in the kit (#3 in the Timbren drawing) or the L- shaped bracket that came riveted to the frame?

If installing this SES kit involves chiseling those two factory brackets off (I think there are three rivets in each - oofie), then that is definitely a deal killer - I think it would be easier to get the air bladders that mount inside the springs as SK mentioned below.

I was hoping someone would have a photo of their install. It is possible that the kit comes with a piece of metal that turns the slot into a bolt hole.