96 chevy s10 extcab 4.3 v6

it's my wifes truck, seems she has decided to pull a 2720sl with it. we managed to get a class c hitch, tranny cooler and brake controller put on before we picked up the TM. TM makes the truck squat down bout 6" in the rear. so i'm figuring airbags, airshocks an a wdh would be a good idea. not sure when she planning on getting a bigger truck. i could use some feed back on this idea.

Ya need a WDH....doubt you'd have to mess with air bags and such.

Depending on what differential you have, one of hem is not recommended for towing.

Otherwise, you have eight a 4,000 pound or a 5,500 pound towing capacity (I used data from 1999 S10).

You definitely need a WDH. I sag about 5/8 inch with my full sized trucks.

If you have the 4,000 pound capacity, you should pack light and leave the water tanks empty.

[Bill]

The rear sags 6 inches? Holy cow! How much does the front rise?

As Redhawk and PopBeavers have said, a WDH is a must.

Have you checked the Gross Axle Weight Rating - Rear (GAWR-R) for this vehicle? That much sag suggests you may be in danger of seriously overloading the rear axle. Bags will just lull you into a false sense of security, by reducing the sag but NOT reducing the load on the rear axle.

Bill

Originally Posted by Bill

The rear sags 6 inches? Holy cow! How much does the front rise?

As Redhawk and PopBeavers have said, a WDH is a must.

Have you checked the Gross Axle Weight Rating - Rear (GAWR-R) for this vehicle? That much sag suggests you may be in danger of seriously overloading the rear axle. Bags will just lull you into a false sense of security, by reducing the sag but NOT reducing the load on the rear axle.

Bill

2700. like i said not my truck. i've told her what i think.

[Wavery]

I recently sold our '99 S10. It did a good job of pulling the TM. In fact, the power to weight ratio is better than it is on our current full size p/up with a V8.

Without a WDH, it was a little scary when it came to hard stopping. With the WDH, it was tolerable.

The problem is, the TM is heavier than the S10. The ~500# tongue weight takes a lot of weight off of the front wheels of the TV......

Look under the truck and count the # of u/joints on the drive-shaft. If it's a 5-joint d/shaft, it may not last long towing. I replaced mine with a 3-joint d/shaft and it was a great improvement.

I also suggest switching to synthetic oil in the transmission. If you're interested, I can walk you through the changeover. It isn't hard.

I have to think that your 6" sag may be a guestamate..........I don't think that truck has 6" travel. Mine sagged about 1.5" the WDH took care of that.

Originally Posted by harveyrv

I recently sold our '99 S10. It did a good job of pulling the TM. In fact, the power to weight ratio is better than it is on our current full size p/up with a V8.

Without a WDH, it was a little scary when it came to hard stopping. With the WDH, it was tolerable.

The problem is, the TM is heavier than the S10. The ~500# tongue weight takes a lot of weight off of the front wheels of the TV......

Look under the truck and count the # of u/joints on the drive-shaft. If it's a 5-joint d/shaft, it may not last long towing. I replaced mine with a 3-joint d/shaft and it was a great improvement.

I also suggest switching to synthetic oil in the transmission. If you're interested, I can walk you through the changeover. It isn't hard.

I have to think that your 6" sag may be a guestamate..........I don't think that truck has 6" travel. Mine sagged about 1.5" the WDH took care of that.

it has a 3 joint driveshaft. i wasn't aware they had syn atf. had the tranny fluid changed about a year ago, maybe 5k on the change. yes it was a guestamation on the drop. well the TM is headed to the storage lot today. so will plywood under the jacks be good for storage?