Torsion bar swap and crank

[9812VDually]

Hey I got a k3500 dually with 33's and 6GL, 7GL's torsion bars that are max cranked. It rides like a wooden wagon on the Oregon Trail.

I have another set of TB's that are 6GG, 7GG's. I'd like to slap the GGs in and crank them and hope for a softer ride. Maybe put a softer shock in as well later.
Good idea?
How stupid am I?

 

[Keeper]

I'd focus on softening up the rear first, lose some leafs (leaves?) and use helper bags and/or timbren bump stops for loads.
Are your tires actually 33" measured on the truck, or was that the advertised size? Do you have a lift on it? Also, what tire pressures are you running?

edit: I went thru your posts, no pics!!! Share the love

 

[9812VDually]

I'd focus on softening up the rear first, lose some leafs (leaves?) and use helper bags and/or timbren bump stops for loads.
Are your tires actually 33" measured on the truck, or was that the advertised size? Also, what tire pressure are you running up front?

Ya my tires are 245/70r19.5s. I'm running 120 psi.
I can deflate the fronts just don't know what would be safe for the tires to bring it down to.

 

[Keeper]

That's a hard tire. I can believe it rides like a wagon!

I'd start there. Different tires of course, but I run 55 psi up front and 70 in rear on a dually

But I am curious to see what people say about the TB switch

 

[9812VDually]

You run 55psi on 19.5's?
Doing some reading it seems all over the place what people recommend as far as the least amount of pressure.
Some say 60psi, others 70 without fear of spinning the tire on the rim

 

[Keeper]

You run 55psi on 19.5's?
Doing some reading it seems all over the place what people recommend as far as the least amount of pressure.
Some say 60psi, others 70 without fear of spinning the tire on the rim

LOL... noooo, I've got 255/85r16's (32" on truck) on stock steelies on the dually... they are an 80 psi tire.

I am getting some 34's mounted on 8 lug 20's this week though. I have been thinking about what psi they will end up at, but they are on a K2500 burb. They are also an 80 psi tire. BFG AT K02

 

[9812VDually]

edit: I went thru your posts, no pics!!! Share the love

Behold my sh!tbox!!

 

[9812VDually]

Are ball joint spacers a good idea to get some space back between my bump stops? I'm + cambered way out as well, so much so that I'm getting a wander in the wheel. Is this fixable with said ball joint spacers and cam plate kit?

 

[454cid]

Are ball joint spacers a good idea to get some space back between my bump stops? I'm + cambered way out as well, so much so that I'm getting a wander in the wheel. Is this fixable with said ball joint spacers and cam plate kit?

Ok, here goes.... if you've got the t-bars cranked as high as they'll go, you'll have no downward travel from rest. That will get you a harsh ride all by itself. If spacers would get you any downward travel that would likely help, however, you're probably already killing your CV shafts, and ball joints, and additional travel is just going to make it worse. In general it's often possible to run something a bit outside it's design parameters, but it sounds like you're going for a-lot-a-bit, not a-little-bit.

 

[KansasOBS]

120 is a lot. On my beater Ford I have a tire that likes to go flat overnight, somedays I just give it all the air, so I'm not waking up to a flat the next morning. Never hit it with a gauge, but sometimes I can definitely tell from the roughness there is a fair bit in it.

I just recently mounted some new rubber on the dually. Which is a lot of damn work, I will say. Anyhow the old tires I was running, and these new ones. I just put 50lbs in. They are 24.5's. Bought some with open shoulders, so they look more like a traditional truck tire.

People will probably say you cant do that, but so far Ive had no issues. Maybe try airing down a little if you're not going to be pulling anything. I pulled a few people out of the snow last winter, never had any slippage issues on the worn out semi truck take offs, with dry rotted cracked beads. Though I don't really plan to pull much, and its relatively lightweight for a 3500 4x4 dually.

I have no clue what numbers are on my torsion bars, but I threw the ones from a 06 2500HD in there, along with 06 2500HD lower arms. 50lbs in the tires, and maybe the new big RC shocks help also, but it rides really nice with the keys pretty much cranked.

"Really nice" may be subjective. Ive had 4x4 squarebodies that didnt ride much different than an old 64 C60 grain truck, but this rides nice to me. (Aside from current new tire rubbage issues.)