----- Original Message -----
From: "Scott Cowle" <scowle@mentorcollege.edu>
To: <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Sent: Tuesday, May 18, 2004 1:39 PM
Subject: towing
> I've got 2 concerns about my tow vehicle this year- 1) The rear leaf
> springs are starting to sag under weight-is it better to add leafs or is it
> okay to use air shocks.
I did the add a leaf to my F150, and have been happy with it. It's not too
jacked up when unloaded,
and I have felt that I've pushed the load limits a few times without bottoming
out or feeling like I
was too overloaded. I looked at the bolt on leafs that go on the top of the
stock ones, but I think
those would have interfered with the filler neck of the rear gas tank. I don't
like air shocks
anymore, I've seen cracks in the mounts from the increased load in other
vehicles, plus uneven
pressures can develop when cornering that can lead to some funky handling.
The only minor problem with my added leafs is that they tend to rotate just a
little, so aren't
properly parallel with the stock ones.
The brakes overheated at least twice on my trip
> to the point I could not get the truck and trailer safely stopped-
I use regular NAPA semi-metallic, plus tend to drive like granny when loaded.
It sounds to me like
you should look into some good trailer brakes, or that something might be wrong
with your brakes.
IMO a modern truck like that should have more than adequate brakes. Is yours an
automatic or manual
trans? I've found that the shift kits for automatics give better downshifting
for trying to stop,
some factory setups seem to freewheel to much.
Way back my tow mule used to be a '66 Galaxie with four wheel drum brakes, and
naturally I learned
something's the hard way with that car. I have a picture of it towing an
Eldorado down from the
Smokey mountains, a rather anxious time, and a bad idea that violated a few
towing rules, like don't
tow something heavier than your mule, don't attempt a steep many mile downhill
grade with a drum
braked Galaxie (I actually had to get out the fire extinguisher once I managed
to stop), etc. ;o)
-Aron-
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