Dually rear suspension??

[ericjon262]

I have a 1987 R30, and I'm thinking about pulling the bed to tackle some rust issues and maybe install a set of helper bags after removing a few leafs to soften the ride some. is there a better rear suspension setup for a dually that offers a decent ride, and a nice load capacity?

Thanks for any help-

Eric.

[ozark]

Originally Posted by ericjon262

is there a better rear suspension setup for a dually that offers a decent ride, and a nice load capacity?

Thanks for any help-

Eric.

Bag it, make it fully air ride

[ericjon262]

it's not out of the question. I'm just not too familiar with how airbags handle loads, it's a truck, and I intend to use it like one and have it look good!

I don't want to lower the truck's stock capacity, 3613 pounds. increasing is cool with me, but this truck has the potential to be pulling a 6000 pound boat on occasion, or a load of concrete, ect...

[ozark]

Think of it this way. Almost all overtheroad trucks are air ride today. They carry more wieght than your dually does. The same air bags can be adapted to your truck.

[ericjon262]

Originally Posted by ozark

Think of it this way. Almost all overtheroad trucks are air ride today. They carry more wieght than your dually does. The same air bags can be adapted to your truck.

I understand that, but do the kits that allow you to use said airbags support the load?

any links to a good kit?

Thanks-

Eric.

[mcmlxix]

You had the right idea ... Keep the leaf springs as a way to keep the axle located but remove some leaves. Add some large bags with a solid mounting location and you should be good to go...

Check out these guys.... http://*************/catalog/-63-87-fullsize-chevy-parts

[ericjon262]

does this seem like a decent kit to do what I want?

http://www.ultimateautoaccessories.c.../PROD/AIR/2071

I eventually plan to do something similar up front too. I want the truck to still be practical, but not ride like everything's solid mounted when I don't have a load on it.

[mcmlxix]

JEGS and Summit sells the same kit for less... but that should be fine as long as you dont try and go beyond the kits capacity... download and read the instructions...

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/FIP-2071

[ericjon262]

thanks for the help. I think thats probably what I'm going to do then!

[ozark]

not the same year but general idea will apply to your truck.
http://www.airbagit.com/v/vspfiles/p...hevy_PAGE.html

[ericjon262]

anyone running the airbar kit? I've been emailing back and forth with air rides's tech support, and they say it shouldn't affect weight capacity at all.

http://*************/airride-technolo...t-73-92-gm-c30

Thanks-

Eric.

[meter swinger]

You might give duallyscene.com a look. While they are big into the slammed trucks on alcoas, they are very knowledgeable about bagged tow rigs. Also on facecrook is the custom six wheeler group, which has some experienced people. The airride kit looks nice, thats been tempting me as well. 2k is a good deal of coin but you get what you pay for.
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btw i see your in my former home. Miss the weather there, its 25° right now

[SCOTI]

DuallyScene doesn't have near the info I was looking for & hoping to find when I started seeking info on my 89 CC's suspension. That place moves @ the speed of sludge compared to this site....

For the rear suspension, there are several possibilities out there that allow installing a trick 2-link/4-link air suspension set-up. Ride Tech's rear HD AirBar is one of the BEST kits to consider if you plan to use your truck as a truck. Engineered & proven over thousands of cross country miles because they tow their enclosed trailers from coast to coast w/duallys lowered using their kits. It completely replaces the rough riding leaf spring arrangement w/a 4-bar & air bag set-up. The air management system can be high end or budget friendly depending on your needs.

Their kit doesn't allow for extreme drop.... but it does allow for moderate drop w/o compromising the original frame strength or capacity all while delivering a much improved ride (especially when compared to an air over leaf set-up).

http://www.ridetech.com/store/suspen...ar-system.html

[hick]

Originally Posted by scoti

duallyscene doesn't have near the info i was looking for & hoping to find when i started seeking info on my 89 cc's suspension. That place moves @ the speed of sludge compared to this site....

For the rear suspension, there are several possibilities out there that allow installing a trick 2-link/4-link air suspension set-up. Ride tech's rear hd airbar is one of the best kits to consider if you plan to use your truck as a truck. Engineered & proven over thousands of cross country miles because they tow their enclosed trailers from coast to coast w/duallys lowered using their kits. It completely replaces the rough riding leaf spring arrangement w/a 4-bar & air bag set-up. The air management system can be high end or budget friendly depending on your needs.

Their kit doesn't allow for extreme drop.... But it does allow for moderate drop w/o compromising the original frame strength or capacity all while delivering a much improved ride (especially when compared to an air over leaf set-up).

http://www.ridetech.com/store/suspen...ar-system.html

thank you

[andrewmp6]

Scoti is right you can't go wrong with ridetech and its all made in the usa.

[BigBlocksRule]

One thing that most overlook when trying to improve the ride of a dually is the tires. Sidewalls on the first one I owned were like steel, there was no flex in them at all. I'd pee blood after about an hour on the road, it was like riding in an iron wheeled wagon. I swapped those out for some rated at lower load with highway tread and it was like driving a different truck.
I've removed the bottom leaf from the spring pack on the '97 I'm rebuilding and will add helper bags. I've never carried more than about a ton in the back of any truck I've owned, if you need more than that it's trailer time

[SCOTI]

While I agree the tires play a big role in the overall ride quality, the rear HD leafs are the major contributor to poor ride quality.

I've had 2 very similar swb trucks, a 68 & a 74. Both were dropped the same up front but the rear set-ups were different (truck-arm/air bag vs leafs/aol). The truck-arm/air bag arrangement provided a much better ride quality vs the HD leafs using the same size BFG's.

I thought my CC dually would have a better ride quality because of its longer wheelbase & greater GVW.... it does not. This is why I sold my C-30 flip-kit/AOL set-up for RideTechs HD AirBar (to eliminate the leafs).