air shock in the rear?!?
 

i am in need of new shocks all the way around. but i do plan on doing some towing with my blazer and i was thinking about putting some air shocks in the rear to help the leafs out a bit...

i havent really made up my mind about which brand to go with yet. but i was wondering if anybody here has maybe a pros/cons list. i just plan on a few dirt bikes and the occasional boat launching. more worried about the dirt bikes seeing as the boat travels in a much larger trailer towed by a much larger truck.

any thoughts???

btw, does anybody know weather or not doing this would affect my 4x4 ability?? it will be mostly just snow in the mountains and dirt getting to a campsite in the desert. nothing too crazy, just maybe a little off camber stuff while out in the dirt.

how about coil over

Buy Monroe Sensa-Trac Load Adjusting Shock Absorber 58523 at Advance Auto Parts

Might wanna re-think the air shocks. Air shocks were not designed to increase load capacity. Shocks dampen the spring action, that's all. Springs are what determine ride height and load capacity. Have a spring shop install stiffer springs on the rear. Not an "add-a-leaf" kit, the entire spring pack. You'll need springs that are designed for the amount of weight that you want to carry. The spring shop will help you determine how stiff you need to go. Something to keep in mind: Lets say your wheel alignment is dead nuts perfect, now you throw 300 pounds of camping gear in the back, hook up the trailer, then the wife and kids hop in, the rear end is gonna sag ;) The sag causes a serious weight transfer to the rear of the vehicle, which substantially affects camber and toe, (the two alignment angles that directly affect tire wear). Your tire wear, control, handling, and braking ability will all be out the window. Hope this helps.

i wonder if he meant these? I had them on my s-10 and they worked well for getting rid of the squat when i was towing. you couldn't even tell they were there until you pumped them up.

Could be. Did you see the tagline? "Capacity is limited by vehicle suspension, tires and transmission. See vehicle owner's manual for details." Exactly what I was referring to. Basically they're a band-aid on a broken leg. You wanna haul a ton? Make it a one ton truck or buy a one ton truck ;)

thanks for the replies guys.
Diaita: i was talking about those, or something similar. and you got the idea, just trying to get rid of the squat so the hitch doesn't drag on driveways and stuff.

Captain Hook: im talking about towing a small 3-rail motorcycle/dirt bike trailer. less than 1000 lbs. when its loaded. i've a 1-ton duramax dually if i want to tow some big stuff. im was just trying to see if anyone had done the same thing that im thinking about doing to see how it effected ride quality when im not towing.

so what do you think about me adding the air shocks? just adding them to keep the truck level when i have something hooked up.

the monroes were the ones i was using. I needed them to be able to tow with my lowered s10 at the time. i would buy them again for sure.

Ahh, I see, shouldn't be a problem with 1000 pounds. Tongue weight should be 10% of total, so 100 pounds it shouldn't squat at all. If it does, the springs are weak. Compare prices on new springs and air shocks installed, probably close in price.

Air shocks involve a bunch of fooling around to keep the vehicle level. If you're prepared for that, go for it. New springs would be the right way to do it though.

Diaita: i was thinking about going with that brand anyway so its good to hear that you would buy them again without thinking.

Capt': i didnt think about changing the leafs....but if i go with air shocks, i will install them myself. its only 3 bolts and moving the spare out of the way. but anyway, its a pretty short trailer with a tool/storage box on the tongue but it shouldnt be more than a few hundred pounds on the hitch. which i need to figure out how to weight...

its something similar to this one.

https://blazerforum.com/forum/attach...ine=1358482606

just find a blazer or s10 with the rpo code z85 it has the stiffer leaf pack for towing. its 5 leafs in total. i picked up a set over the weekend and added anoter leaf to the pack for more strength.