[A/S] Re: Hard ride

["vrmanac" <andy@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Hi Jim

I don't think you will find that the problem is in the hitch.  If you 
can move the ball closer to the bumber by redrilling the shank it 
will help a bit.

Something you might want to look at is the rear helper springs on the 
Suburban.  The Suburban has a 6000 lb rear axle capacity which far 
exceeds anything you will load on it towing an Airstream.

If you look at the rear leafs you will notice that there is a very 
thick helper spring at the bottom.  When the Suburban is unloaded 
there will be some space between the helper and the main leafs.  What 
I have found is that often when the trailer is connected there is 
enough weight to settle the main leafs onto the helper spring but not 
enough to flex it resulting in a very stiff ride at the rear of the 
Suburban.  

The solution is to have a spring shop reverse arc the helper spring 
so the main leafs have more travel before they come into contact with 
it.

A second step would be softer front spings to smooth out the front 
suspension.  We used the springs for a 1/2 ton deisel and this 
seemped to work out well.  At the same time as softening the springs 
you need to increase shock control so you do not have a handling 
problem.  Munroe "Sens a trac" gas charged shocks do this well.

If you are replacing your Sub sometime the latest generation 1/2 tons 
have coil springs at the rear.  The coils have a wider stance than 
the leaf springs so even though the suspension is softer there is no 
penalty in handling.  The 1/2 ton won't have quite the power your 454 
has unless you get the 6.0 Litre Denali but your neck is likely more 
important than a bit of acceleration.  

The other option is the 2003 Ford Explorer or Expedition with 
Independent rear suspension which will ride even better with much 
improved handling, independent rear suspension lets you have your 
cake and eat it to. This likely sounds funny but when you have 
independent suspension the suspension stance is projected out to the 
width of the tire track 64" instead of the 42" of the leaf springs.  
The other advantage with indepent suspension is a huge reduction in 
unsprung weight.  This eliminates that bit of thump you feel each 
time the rear axle has to move over a joint in the road.


I hope this helps you out let me know if you have any questions.

Andy