My 1993 C3500 rides, well, "like a truck". It is to be expected, but surprisingly rough when empty.

It is used as a fifth-wheel heavy hauler. But I want to tame the beast when empty. So I have purchased helper air bags with the correct load rating, and want to remove one or more of the leaf springs.

The question is, which ones to remove (or cut short). The top one can stay because it only comes into play as an overload spring (last resort). The bottom one is the thickest and could be removed by leaving a piece of it as a spacer. Others could be the same way.

Here are some pictures.

 

Anyone?

 

FYI, I was able to use a cut-off wheel on my grinder and cut the lower leaf spring off within an inch or so of the U-bolts and the bundle of springs. This left the remaining piece as a spacer so that the stack did not need to be disassembled. That alone saved a lot of time, especially because of the locating pin in the base of the bundle and the rear end housing. No need to mess around with something if it is not necessary.

The ride instantly improved by removing the hard bang when hitting bumps in the road. When I install the air ride bags at low pressure and add the new bed to the frame, it should ride very good indeed.

 

FWIW at this point, you took the right approach. The spacer would’ve been necessary, even if you decided to disassemble it and replace it with a kit.

Suspension mods should always be followed up with alignment, regardless of what any manufacturer instruction manual says.

 

Probably a good idea. However, the alignment will not be rechecked until after the air bags are installed, the new deck bed is built and new tool boxes built under it. There is also a large aux fuel tank that goes back on, as well as the fifth-wheel hitch. So the stance of the truck may change a little more. Oh, and the missing spare tire and air compressor will be added as permanent fixtures as well.

 

Good plan. The key to getting alignment correct is making sure the vehicle is loaded like it would be (including a full fuel tank[s]) during expected use.

If it’s loaded with more or less weight, it could potentially offset the caster, which would then affect the overall alignment.

 

Now if only the alignment rack would have room for the truck and the 36' trailer.