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Old     (tyler97217)      Join Date: Aug 2004       04-21-2011, 2:17 PM Reply   
What is the cheapest easiest way to reduce sag when the boat is hooked up? I have a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 and will only be keeping it for the summer to tow the boat, so I am looking for the cheapest way to level it up. I am getting a lot of sag when the boat is hooked up. I figure I could do airbags and have used them before. Is there anything cheaper I can do or easier?
Old     (murphy_smith)      Join Date: Dec 2005       04-21-2011, 2:19 PM Reply   
I have these on my Tahoe - and I really like them. I don't think they will work with a dodge but see if you can find another shock mfgr that uses the same principle

http://www.shockwarehouse.com/site/monroe_nivomat.cfm
Old     (gwnkids)      Join Date: Nov 2003       04-21-2011, 2:37 PM Reply   
I think this answers your own question

Note: These can only be used as a direct replacement on vehicles that already have a Nivomat suspension from the factory. They are not for adapting to non-Nivomat factory suspensions.

If you want I have one of these that you may be able to adapt $ 100 + shipping

http://activesuspension.com/
Old     (MattieK27)      Join Date: Mar 2010       04-21-2011, 2:37 PM Reply   
Cheap? These work pretty well...

http://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index....4&currency=USD

Airbags are probably the cheapest option.
Old     (chpthril)      Join Date: Oct 2007       04-21-2011, 3:18 PM Reply   
How level is the trailer when its hooked up?

Is it the same modified truck in your profile?
Old     (RanchDweller)      Join Date: Jun 2010       04-21-2011, 3:22 PM Reply   
Try Timbrens. Only 1 bolt to put on. Cheap and easy. Less than $200
Old     (adamp)      Join Date: Mar 2011       04-21-2011, 3:52 PM Reply   
I dont think it is TigeMike... the one in his profile is a 2500 Cummins.... He mentions 1500 in his post... also, in the profile, it looks like an '05 or so
Old     (unclesam)      Join Date: Nov 2005       04-21-2011, 4:41 PM Reply   
Hookup to H1 and leave Dodge parked.... problem solved.
Old     (wakesk8er2)      Join Date: Mar 2002       04-21-2011, 6:04 PM Reply   
I've got firestone airbags on my tundra. They work well, theyre relatively inexpensive, and easy to install.
Old     (nailem)      Join Date: Apr 2011       04-21-2011, 6:11 PM Reply   
weight distribution hitch. you can use it on your next truck. my brother-in-law installed one on his moomba xlv and pulls it with his trailblazer fully loaded with wife and kids.

http://www.towshop.com/weight_distribution_eazlift.htm
or sear for weight distribution hitch
Old     (wake_upppp)      Join Date: Nov 2003       04-21-2011, 7:57 PM Reply   
Airbags all the way with the wireless remote control. H1? My Dodge will tow circles around an H1 and look better doing it! Ha
Old     (mendo247)      Join Date: Mar 2005       04-21-2011, 9:34 PM Reply   
Lots of weight in the rear of the boat.... lol
Old     (lionel)      Join Date: Nov 2005       04-21-2011, 11:06 PM Reply   
Tyler, how big of a drop are you using? TigeMike might be correct. If you're using a 2" drop, flip it over to a 1" rise. If the trailer is still level and your sag is gone, you could be good.
Old     (will5150)      Join Date: Oct 2002       04-22-2011, 5:47 AM Reply   
Like rusty said, a weight distribution hitch- these are the best thing for your truck and really work.
Old     (jonyb)      Join Date: Nov 2008       04-22-2011, 5:56 AM Reply   
www.ride-rite.com

Last edited by jonyb; 04-22-2011 at 6:00 AM.
Old     (tyler97217)      Join Date: Aug 2004       04-22-2011, 6:41 AM Reply   
Thanks all. Sorry I have not been online. The truck in my profile is not the same truck. That is my old truck. I will have to go and change that now....
Lionel - I was thinking the same thing. I raised my hitch and will be towing with it today, so will see if that helps and if not, will start considering all these options. Thanks guys.
Old     (882001)      Join Date: Nov 2003       04-22-2011, 6:42 AM Reply   
http://www.equalizerhitch.com/ i use this on my 10k travel trailer, no sag no sway
Old     (tyler97217)      Join Date: Aug 2004       04-22-2011, 6:49 AM Reply   
Here is the updated profile pic and the sag....
Attached Images
 
Old     (Thrall)      Join Date: Oct 2010       04-22-2011, 7:19 AM Reply   
Cheapest way and they work great are overload coils. Less than $100 and they work great.
Next cheapest add a leaf overloads, bolt on top of the leaf springs less than $200.
Old     (wake_upppp)      Join Date: Nov 2003       04-22-2011, 7:28 AM Reply   
I dont see how flipping the hitch is going to change the tounge weight myself.
Old     (lionel)      Join Date: Nov 2005       04-22-2011, 7:35 AM Reply   
^See how the trailer is pointed down a bit? He can flip the hitch, get the trailer level. I don't know the physics of picking the weight up earlier, but usually less weight=less sag
Old     (Thrall)      Join Date: Oct 2010       04-22-2011, 7:40 AM Reply   
^ Not going to change how much weight is on the tongue by much at all. Will level the trailer which is much better for surge brakes and torsion axles.
Old     (elc)      Join Date: Jan 2008       04-22-2011, 8:30 AM Reply   
I have a 2010 Crew Ram. Since you have rear coils the most cost effective solution are the ride-rite or air lift helper springs. http://www.suspensionconnection.com/...-air-bags.html - Easy install and they will get rid of the sag. I use them on my wifes truck and will install them on the Dodge. If your truck is lifted you may have to measure the inside of the coil to ensure the helper spring will give you the lift you are looking for.
Old     (gregtay)      Join Date: Aug 2008       04-22-2011, 9:45 AM Reply   
Here's the not so cheap way to solve the problem... zero sag.. ever.
Attached Images
  
Old     (wake_upppp)      Join Date: Nov 2003       04-22-2011, 10:06 AM Reply   
^^^^^^^ That boat drarfs that little VW. Good luck in any kind of evasive situation. That boat will push that little thing all over the place!
Old     (gregtay)      Join Date: Aug 2008       04-22-2011, 10:43 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by wake_upppp View Post
^^^^^^^ That boat drarfs that little VW. Good luck in any kind of evasive situation. That boat will push that little thing all over the place!

You are very wrong. "That" Touareg is 6000+ pounds dry and pulls the 23LSV better than my 07 Tundra or 08 Armada did. I also was in the camp that we all needed 3/4 ton trucks to pull our boats.. but turns out the Germans have this figured out. The Touareg is rock solid towing... it's not "on the edge of safe" or"barely gets the job done".... you really forget the boat is back there.. it's that good (I know.. you aren't going to believe me because it's not a jacked up huge monster truck.) The Touareg has huge brakes, 4 corner air susp, tow management systems that keep everything in check... and a V10 twin turbo TDI under the hood that delivers more power than i will ever need. It's got the power to pull and the brakes and technology to stop on a dime or manover quickly.. there is no (and i mean none) "wagging the dog."
Old     (ilikebeaverandboats)      Join Date: Jul 2007       04-22-2011, 11:04 AM Reply   
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregtay View Post
You are very wrong. "That" Touareg is 6000+ pounds dry and pulls the 23LSV better than my 07 Tundra or 08 Armada did. I also was in the camp that we all needed 3/4 ton trucks to pull our boats.. but turns out the Germans have this figured out. The Touareg is rock solid towing... it's not "on the edge of safe" or"barely gets the job done".... you really forget the boat is back there.. it's that good (I know.. you aren't going to believe me because it's not a jacked up huge monster truck.) The Touareg has huge brakes, 4 corner air susp, tow management systems that keep everything in check... and a V10 twin turbo TDI under the hood that delivers more power than i will ever need. It's got the power to pull and the brakes and technology to stop on a dime or manover quickly.. there is no (and i mean none) "wagging the dog."
the reason that sucker tows so well is the same reason that a big diesel truck will tow well....IT HAS A DIESEL. haha dude a V10, twin turbo Diesel is going to pull that sucker like no ones business. add in the air suspension (im assuming it auto levels) and you have a pretty solid tow vehicle. I wouldnt tow a big toy hauler with it, but its perfect for the boat. The shorter and narrower stance will impact towing big long trailers, but thats what big diesel trucks are for!.

So ill have to say you are kinda in the "diesels tow better camp" because if that thing was a gasser, it would be a completely different story. you dont need a huge monster truck to tow well, you need a diesel to tow well. The V10 option adds about 1000lbs which will help with controlling the weight also.
I like it man, I didnt know you could get a big diesel in those things. Completely changed my outlook on touregs!
Old     (wake_upppp)      Join Date: Nov 2003       04-22-2011, 11:51 AM Reply   
If the VW is good for you thats all that matters. Its just too small for my liking. Doesent matter that it weighs 6k its still small. German vehicles are characteristicly heavy by design. I am sure it has a decent towing capacity tho.
Old     (Jeff)      Join Date: May 2010       04-22-2011, 12:18 PM Reply   
I doubt you're hurting anything on the Dodge with it sagging like that. I'd guess the only reason it's leaning back like that is because it's a 4x4 and it sits pretty level from the factory. My 2WD Dodge 1500 sits perfectly level under the weight of my 23' MasterCraft but that's because it has a forward rake with no weight in the rear (Rear is 3-4" higher than the front).

I don't know the ratings for an '09 4x4 but that Supra is probably right at the max before the manual suggests a weight distributing hitch. The airbags will make it look right, ride nice and reduce wear on the rear springs but they won't address the core issue quite like a weight distributing hitch will. The issue with heavy tongue weights isn't only the sagging of the rear it's the cantilevering effect that it has on the front axle. This causes a disproportionately large portion of the burden of the truck and the trailer to be carried by the rear axle. So, (With excessive tongue weight which you may not have) you're overloading the rear axle and actually lightening the load on the front axle. This can cause loss of control especially when you come over a bump, that tongue weight becomes effectively heavier and your front end becomes effectively lighter.

The weight distribution hitch controls the amount of vertical pivot that is allowed between the tow vehicle and trailer with a pair of spring steel arms extending off of the hitch that connect to the trailer's 2 main beams. This reverses some of the cantilever effect and transfers some of the weight burden back to the front axle.

A friend of mine was in a pretty major trailering accident when they didn't respect the forces at play. They were towing a Monte Carlo that he had just purchased on a tandem axle trailer with a 1/2 ton truck. The car was loaded too far forward on the trailer creating a heavy tongue weight likely far in excess of the truck's rating. They were on the interstate and came over and overpass. As they returned to level highway the tongue weight became much greater due to the inertia of the car. This made the front end of the truck become extremely light to the point that they lost control. I believe the tow vehicle survived but his new Monte Carlo and the trailer were destroyed.

If this was a permanent tow vehicle for you and you do a decent amount of highway trailering I'd do a weight distributing hitch and probably airbags too. If it's just to get you through the season for short trips you're probably just within the limits that you could leave it as is and be safe but check your vehicle's ratings against the trailer+boat+gear weight.

Dodge has a decent site setup to determine tow ratings:
http://www.dodge.com/towing/D/home.html
Old     (guido)      Join Date: Jul 2002       04-22-2011, 12:32 PM Reply   
Greg, I'm a huge fan of my Rover with the air suspension, too. No trailer sag ever. I really like it for hauling my dirtbike on the hitch hauler. Unfortunately it doesn't have quite the motor or your Touareg. That thing is a beast. Nice boat, too. We'll be picking our '11 up this coming week. I'm super excited.

OP.... I'm assuming that thing has rear leaf springs (I know nothing about Dodge 1/2 tons). Helper springs or add-a-leaf is the cheapest and easiest. Less than $100. Can be installed in less than and hour by anybody decent with a wrench.

If you're only towing for the summer, then why bother. Other than cosmetics it should tow OK unless you're going long distances and are worried about weight distribution.
Old     (lionel)      Join Date: Nov 2005       04-22-2011, 3:49 PM Reply   
I think you're right Thrall. On my 4Runner with a 2" drop I had terrible sag and trailer pointing down. Switched it to 1" rise, less sag and level trailer. I now have a Tundra with 2" drop. Trailer is level and the truck is level with the boat attached I don't have a level kit for the front, if I did it would probably sag a bit.
Old     (tyler97217)      Join Date: Aug 2004       04-24-2011, 2:00 PM Reply   
lionel
you were right. i put less drop on my hitch and it solved most of the sag. still sags a bit, but much better. I think I will live with it. thanks man.

My main concern was cosmetic and the fact that at night my lights were shining in peoples faces.

Thanks all for your advice.
Old     (PictureMeRollin)      Join Date: Apr 2010       04-25-2011, 2:16 PM Reply   
that Toureg is sweet!! Those things have some killer brakes.

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