Laying Frame and Towing

[leftcoast66]

I apologize as I know this has been beat into the ground, I couldn't find an exact answer to my question though. I'm looking at building my truck into a tow pig for a friends race car, but I still want to be able to lay frame. I'm thinking about doing a dropmember rear and then bracing the inside of the frame along the whole truck as well as a front dropmember, and probably welding in the rear dropmember for additional strength. I know some of the dually guys lay frame and tow as well, so I'm curious if I could do the same with my '66 c10 and a dropmember. Any input and guidance would be really helpful.

[andrewmp6]

Most companies will tell you not to tow with a notch for legal reasons,But Using the rear dropmember and boxing the frame it should be fine to me.I know a few guys with slammed newer duallys that still tow with them they all have a goose neck on to top of the notch tho.

[FnLow69]

If its welded properly, and boxed/gusset'd i cant see why not.

[andrewmp6]

I trust the dropmember more then i do the stock frame lol.

[PBFAB.COM]

We need to keep in mind that air ride suspension system are each designed with a purpose and function. Some are designed specifically to get the vehicle down low, ride smooth, and possibly offer a large amount of lift. Others might be designed a little simpler, with less movement, yet offer a higher load capacity. When considering an air suspension system for your vehicle it's best to look at what the primary purpose of the system will be for. These are just a few term that come to mind in that situation: Fashion, function, stance, ride quality, drive ability, all show, more tow less show, etc.

Most suspension manufactures design their systems for some of the terms outlined above, however you can't always get every option listed with a direct bolt-on kit. At Porterbuilt we design our systems to offer an excellent ride, great suspension travel, killer stance, and easy to install while still keeping the fashion part in line with the function. We offer components that are designed to be bolted on, along with weld-on components. The bolt-on version requires less experience and tools, however the weld-on components can offer a stronger fitment in certain situations.

If you're looking to install an air system, while keeping some load capacity, then you're want to make sure the chassis is in solid working condition. It's not the kit that will fail on you, it's the chassis or how the parts were installed. Case in point, a weld-in notch is only as strong as the welds holding it to the chassis. If the notch isn't properly welded to the chassis, and there isn't sufficient support/crossmembers installed, then you're going to see some failures.

If you plan on towing a trailer then you'll want to consider how much load is being applied to the chassis, in what area ( goose neck, 5th wheel, tow hitch ) so that you can properly brace the chassis in that region. Also be sure that the airbags you choose are rated for the load that you're going to be applying.

Do your homework, consider your options, pick a plan that best suits your particular situation, and always use the best material available. Don't expect a million dollar ride from a ten dollar system. You get what you pay for when it comes to suspension systems.

Good luck with the build, and don't be late with the freight when hauling.


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[claytonisbob]

Are the typical airbags used able to handle the extra load easily? I know that most people aren't going to put a huge amount of tongue weight on their 1/2 ton truck, but I have wondered if they would be adequate pulling a car trailer. I had a similar question as the op, but I don't plan on laying the frame, I just want to lower my truck a couple inches with a schrader/bag setup and some comfy shocks.

[PBFAB.COM]

Bags start off with the simple and smaller sleeve airbag used in combination with leaf springs. The leaf spring is still the primary suspension component that supports the load, and the airbag is a secondary supporting component.

The airbags that most people use to lower their trucks, double convoluted, will work for towing just as well. There are some larger version on the sleeve style bag that work for lowering and towing just as well. Most double convoluted style airbags are rated to hold "X" amount of lbs per bag at a designated pressure. You can find the load rating for most airbag on their manufactures website. Here's a link to Slam Specialties website that list the most popular bags in their related market.
http://www.slamspecialties.com/compare.html

The Slam Specialties popular SS-7 airbag is rated at 2,262 lbs each, so that would be 4,524 lbs of load for the two bags alone. That would be more then enough for a C10 with a tow behind trailer that has a few hundred pounds of tongue weight. The thing to be concerned about is the chassis section where the notch would be installed. Once you modify the factory chassis it can become weak unless you take steps to strengthen it back up. That's why it's recommended to weld in the frame notch as opposed to a bolt-on style when you're going to be towing.

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