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Thought I would post this Update under the Vehicle topic since it is more related to specific Truck upgrades. The stuff more related to the Camper I will post under the Camper Forum. Many of you have already seen the Camper I chose, (In my member profile for February)... but I wanted to show the suspension work I have done to prep for the extra load the truck will be carrying. (2000Lbs).
Truck Specs again: 2002 Chevy Silverado LT 2500HD 4X4 Crew Cab 8FT Long Bed. 6.6L Duramax Diesel, Allison 4 spd Automatic Trans.
Again I purchased this Truck new back '02. I've personlaly driven it most of the 280,000 miles I just reached recently. When I purchased it I always figured I would keep it forever, it will probably out live in fact.
I like to do most of the work myself, that I can do. Some things Like Injector replacement I do leave to the full professionals.
This post I will show some photos of the complete front end suspension, and complete 4 wheel Brake Rotors, calipers, Master cylinder, hydroboost, and front bearing hubs. I had replaced the front CV axles just a couple years ago, so they are fairly new as well.
I decided to go with the beefed up Kryptonite Upper control arms and ball joints. As well as the beefed up Kryptonite Death Grip tie rod ends, which you can see in photos are on steroids compared to the stock size tie rod ends. I also installed these Pitman and Idler arm supports which help reduce the slack in steering, and give extra support to those steering components. I reeally like the upper balls joints as they are boltled on, instead of pressed in like the stock ball joints, which I have had them push loose in the past.
They upper control arm bushings also have grease zerks , and I found some stabilizer bars components with grease zerks as well, which the stock bushings do not normally have.
So basically the Truck now has a completely new Front suspension and brake system.
Next Post I will show the rear supension and new shocks.
Follow Up on my Camper Rig.
If you saw my past post, I totally rebuilt my entire front suspension and brake system before loading the camper.
After loading my camper, I did a follow up weight check to see how much my load will be. It came in over 2000 lbs., (Ton). Which I knew it spec'd out at 1910 dry weight, with no water or gear loaded. It only squatted down about 2 1/2 inches, and handled it fine on the road, but I decided to still upgrade my springs from 2000 lb. to 3000 lb. capacity each. That give me an additional over 2000 lb capacity on my rear axle, and also gives me a 3-to-4-inch lift in the rear, so if I also want to tow a trailer, it can handle the extra tongue weight. Plus, I installed some new Bilstein 4600 Shocks which are highly recommended for Truck Camper loads.
I also had my front torsion bars adjusted up which gave me a few inches of extra lift in the front.
So my upgraded springs gave me not just more capacity, but a nice lift, They ride a bit stiffer of course with no load, but my Truck is a 2500HD, which is a 3/4 Ton. So now it is more like a 3500 1 ton.
The recommend Camper weight on the Glove Box manufacturer sticker is 1600 Lbs. That is with the stock springs and tires. So, with my heavier rated tires and upgrade springs, I sort of kill 2 birds with one stone.
Many say the load capacity is around 3000 lbs., that includes 5 passengers at 150 Lbs. each, is what the manufacturer goes by, but that is with stock tires, and springs.
Tires are always the weak link, in your load and capacity ratings, and it can get somewhat confusing as to how much you can safely haul. Most people way overload their vehicles, and you can see them going down the road, all squatted in the rear. This can be dangerous, not just to them, but to other drivers on the road.
Huge liability issue as well, if you wreck and injure someone, with a load that is higher than your vehicle rating. Check your door and glove box sticker for recommended weight limits. (Note: Modifications do not legally increase your load rating, but at least you can show you did make some effort, short of buying a new vehicle). Some states will check your ratings and weigh your vehicle.
Air bags are another option I considered, but those have their issues as well. You must have a compressor installed, which then requires constant maintenance and issues. But is a good option if you are not carrying a heavy load all the time and can give a softer ride. I like the solid feel of heavy springs, with basically, adding Zero new maintenance issues to the vehicle.
That is some pretty great work thanks for sharing John. I love all the pics. It is pretty amazing how the weight of things sure start to add up don't they? And for goodness sake there is no way we should have to compromise our weight as far as water goes because what is camping/overlanding if there isn't enough H2O for Morning coffee!! Or afternoon and evening coffee!!! Haha well that is just my thought on water weight. Enjoy the new rig!
That looks like some really good work! The brake and steering improvements will surely help keep your stress levels minimal while under way so you can enjoy the drive - I'm sure you've been around long enough to know the difference between a long day behind the wheel fighting ruts and wind and bumps and curves, or the same number of miles in a rig that just rolls where you tell it.
The rear leaf pack looks like it means business 🤣
It was fun to tour your rig when we were down there. I love how you shared the graphic overlays on your photos showing the difference in clearance and walked through the process.
So many people don't make the kind of adjustments you've made to your truck to haul that load. After letting go our Camp X truck camper I kept the air bags in the rear coils. I use them all the time. Especially when having to haul our 270 gallon water tank on refills (we don't fill it up all the way as a full tank would weigh 2241lb plus the tank itself. We generally only go about half full which is still a lot of weight. But we take it slow.
The addition of bags is an easy upgrade compared to completely swapping out your springs for air suspension. It took us very little time to add the bags to Scott's Rebel and its good to see that its getting used in more way than one!
Looks like that is working out well for Scott's Rig for sure!
I was on the fence between Air bags and Springs swap. Ultimately I decided with Springs as my preference since I was doing it myself, it only took me a couple of hours for each side, 4 hours total roughly. Adding 1 Ton (2000 lbs) of dry weight, plus gear, and potentially adding any tongue weight with unknown trailer or towing options, the Springs gave me that extra 2000 lbs capacity, but also the extra several inches of clearance, which especially helps since it is a crew cab, with 8 ft long bed.with out a lift kit. I did have to accept the stiffer ride, when not loaded, but Not an extreme change.
Air bags would have actually been a less expensive option if I had paid someone to install vs Springs install, as I priced it out from 3rd parties.
I use to work for a Heavy hauling, Crane and Rigging Outfit back in the early 80`s. I guess I'm sort of old school and prefer super solid suspension, as I've seen many hydraulic and Air bag systems fail, while on and off the road, with Tons of weight! not fun! Lol!