Front end woes

Chad H · February 9, 2004

Hey guys,

I got a little dilemma. I want to put a warn brushguard w/ a winch on my truck but I dont want the front end to sag because of it. I am running 285's Dueler M/T's with the Torsion bars jacked. Now, I dont know how much they are jacked, but they are. What can I do to prevent it from sagging or will it at all? And also, if anybody has some pics of new body styles with brushguards w/ winches pref. black, I would love to see them.

Thanks,

Chad

Chad H · February 10, 2004

Bump, c'mon guys, I need some advice and pics.

seadoons · February 10, 2004

My suggestion would be that if you already have the t-bars cranked up, go ahead and put the guard and winch on there. If it does sag, then you can decide on what you need to do. You won't know for sure that it is going to sag until you try it -

Chad H · February 10, 2004

Yeah, thats what I am gonna have to do I guess. Can I not install a set of Ford Keys and fix the problem? I am not very enlighten on that type of thing. So fill me in.

tmoreau · February 10, 2004

I'm going to babble a bit so here is the short answer first. Should be fine, the truck will likely sit a little lower but probably not all the way back to stock.

1) The more weight you add the more it will sag

2) The more preload you put on your springs (cranking up the torsion bars adds preload) the more you will compensate for sag (you can, as you know, lift your truck a little by adding preload)

3) Static height aside, making changes like this will change ride and handling characteristics

All of these things are going to be very minor though. If you can crank up your torsion bars enough to lift the front of the truck while its sitting then that should certainly compensate for a couple hundred pounds of brush gaurd. Have a friend stand on the front bumper and you will see how much it will change the height (assuming he weighs about the same as a brush gaurd... shouldnt be too far off though).

If you added preload to your torsion bars the ride should have stiffened up a bit, adding weight will compensate and bring you closer to stock height AND ride firmness. If your brush gaurd and winch are three hundred pounds, thats how much preload you need in addition to the stock setting for nothing to change on your truck. If you then want it to sit higher you need additional preload, ford keys, or a lift kit. I'll bet you have plenty of preload though.