Why with weight in truck bed it rides better (sorry posted in wrong category and I can't find out how to move thread)

[Jhbryaniv]

I guess the easy answer then is to leave 100# of something back there. Two bags of pine pellets would weigh about 90# and wouldn't take up too much room. Thanks everyone for the input!

A bag of rocks might be a better solution as it won't deteriorate... I carry a waterproof tote with some tools in it back there and it's not bad.

How long have you had the 5100's on? Which leaf springs do you have back there?

It is possible that changing your leaf springs and shocks would provide a more plush ride without weight, but at a cost.

If you don't haul often it might be worth it for you to change the rear suspension components.

Also, when you say it rides better, watvarr you referring to? The amount of bouncing after hitting a bump? The handling around corners?

I have the Tremor package so my leaf springs and shocks are different than most, when I hit railroad tracks at speed (45mph) with an empty bed my suspension cycles a few times than settles down. With a small load (maybe hundred pounds) it might cycle twice and settles back out...

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[NotBudule]

If I had money to spend , I would add one of those "deck systems " with the drawers , that adds about 200lb , plus I could add even more weight on the right hand side and counteract my fat ass and the natural "Ranger lean"...if I had money ? to spend...

 

[Jhbryaniv]

If I had money to spend , I would add one of those "deck systems " with the drawers , that adds about 200lb , plus I could add even more weight on the right hand side and counteract my fat ass and the natural "Ranger lean"...if I had money ? to spend...

It's fine, it's tax return season, there are probably some sales going on...

In all seriousness though, aren't there a bunch of the first Gen drawers for sale be a use people upgraded to the second Gen?

 

[NotBudule]

It's fine, it's tax return season, there are probably some sales going on...

In all seriousness though, aren't there a bunch of the first Gen drawers for sale be a use people upgraded to the second Gen?

? mine rides like a dream when I leave HomeDepot sometimes , if they rattle though, I'm out...
I do like the idea of offsetting some of the weight to the passenger side ...

 

[Jamie Jack]

Funny you should mention about drawers. I'm building my Ranger as a fly fishing transportation, and decided to add some drawers. The plan is to add one large drawer for all my gear, and flip my 7' pram over on top of the deck to transport it. As well, I'm building a battery box, connected to the bed's 12VDC so that I can recharge my electric motor battery on the way home.

I looked at the commercial drawers and they are about $2200 here in Canada, which was insane, so I decided to build my own. Lots of good tutorials on YOUTUBE. So I've built and painted them, but not installed them. I need the plug in harness from Ford to provide power to my 12VDC battery charger, and I'm still waiting for delivery. Materials were 1 sheet of 1/2' plywood ($30C), 2 sheets of 5/8"plywood ($100C), and the 500# drawer slides (from Amazon $145C). Once I get the power installed, I'll install the drawer system and send you all a few pics. Weight is about 100#.

 

[Grandaccess]

21 XLT FX4 but rough country aftermarket Lift, I dont notice a difference in ride until I get over 500 Lbs, then yes feels like a Caddy, the most I have had in the bed was 1100 Lbs of steel rollers, didnt squat still handled good ...

 

[5thranger]

So I normally take the old Mountaineer to Tractor Supply when I need a few bags of pine shavings and pine pellets for horse bedding (I like to mix it in with the bulk sawdust I buy), it's just easier for me to load and unload because the cargo area sits lower. But yesterday, I was coming home from the Ford dealership where I had the oil change and yearly state inspection done on the Ranger, so I stopped at Tractor Supply to get 3 bags of shavings and 2 bags of pellets, enough to hold me over a few days. I'm figuring that was about a 200 to 225 lb load in the bed. Now I already had the rear shocks upgraded to Eibach 5100 and that eliminated the "kerplunk" in the rear a bit, but with this added weight the improvement in the rear and was much more noticeable when going over bumps in the road.

I am a lil older lady with no car mechanics capability, so I have to ask.... what do I need to have done or replaced to get that better ride permanently that this added weight gave?? And would you only let a Ford dealership do the work or is any reputable local shop ok?

I would haul the replacement transmission back there that you will need in the future.

 

[paval3]

Wow, what do truck bed mats cost down there? Currently on sale up here in Canada for C$54/US$40. 85 pounds, 5/8 thick, crowned so water runs off.

The name brand mats, about $140 USD. I think on line you can find some no-name mats a lil cheaper. We have noticed when we bought the cheaper ones, we tended to get mats with the a petroleum smell (best I can describe it).

 

[paval3]

A bag of rocks might be a better solution as it won't deteriorate... I carry a waterproof tote with some tools in it back there and it's not bad.

How long have you had the 5100's on? Which leaf springs do you have back there?

It is possible that changing your leaf springs and shocks would provide a more plush ride without weight, but at a cost.

If you don't haul often it might be worth it for you to change the rear suspension components.

Also, when you say it rides better, watvarr you referring to? The amount of bouncing after hitting a bump? The handling around corners?

I have the Tremor package so my leaf springs and shocks are different than most, when I hit railroad tracks at speed (45mph) with an empty bed my suspension cycles a few times than settles down. With a small load (maybe hundred pounds) it might cycle twice and settles back out...

I'm at almost 13,000 miles on the truck... it will be 3 years old in April. I the Eibach 5100 rear shocks put on at about 900 miles. Still stock leaf springs. With the 200# of weight in the back, it just felt so much more planted and bumps/breaks in the road weren't nearly as noticeable.

I do use the Ranger when I need to pull my utility trailer to go pick up a load of bulk sawdust/shavings for horse bedding. I have no idea what that load weighs. It's a aluminum utility trailer with 2' high wooden sides and holds 4 scoops of bedding heaped on.

Well I still have the waddle in the front, but the rear Eibachs helped dampen the rear kerplunk over every little bump in the road. I've learned not to compare the handling of the Ranger to my 2003 Mountaineer Premier (yes, it still drives that nice and tight) and to just appreciate the RAnger for the fun and pep when driving.

 

[YaBoiNewton]

So I normally take the old Mountaineer to Tractor Supply when I need a few bags of pine shavings and pine pellets for horse bedding (I like to mix it in with the bulk sawdust I buy), it's just easier for me to load and unload because the cargo area sits lower. But yesterday, I was coming home from the Ford dealership where I had the oil change and yearly state inspection done on the Ranger, so I stopped at Tractor Supply to get 3 bags of shavings and 2 bags of pellets, enough to hold me over a few days. I'm figuring that was about a 200 to 225 lb load in the bed. Now I already had the rear shocks upgraded to Eibach 5100 and that eliminated the "kerplunk" in the rear a bit, but with this added weight the improvement in the rear and was much more noticeable when going over bumps in the road.

I am a lil older lady with no car mechanics capability, so I have to ask.... what do I need to have done or replaced to get that better ride permanently that this added weight gave?? And would you only let a Ford dealership do the work or is any reputable local shop ok?

It's not a flaw - it's a feature!

Without getting too deep in the physics, there's a suspension characteristic called the Damping Ratio that measures how quickly a system returns to steady state after bouncing. A high damping ratio will have a very short response time and may feel harsh. A lower ratio may feel less harsh, but it will also take more time to settle/bounce more.

The damping ratio is also inversely proportional to the mass of the system. i.e. the damping ratio goes down as mass goes up.

Pickup truck suspension is usually designed to have a relatively high damping ratio while unloaded so that the suspension can still work while loaded to its max rating. While this makes the unloaded ride quality feel harsh to some, it guarantees that your truck won't bounce its way into a ditch when you load up the bed!

I'd just leave some sand bags in the bed if you like the way it rides.

 

[paval3]

I just looked up the weight of the DeeZee brand rubber met mat. It only weights 40 lbs. for the Ranger 5' bed, so probably not enough weight for what I was hoping. I do have the factory lined truck bed and for the type of cargo I usually might haul, sliding hasn't been a problem. I did buy one of the hook pole things and keep it in the bed (I have a tonneau cover) in case I have a box slide forward and so I don't have to climb in the bed.

 

[JohnnyO]

It rides better with weight in the bed because the springs are compressed and get to work a bit.
Mine is smoother right now because I have three 60 lb sandbags in the back for winter and a frame made from 2x4's to hold them over the axle.

 

[pismo1]

I just looked up the weight of the DeeZee brand rubber met mat. It only weights 40 lbs. for the Ranger 5' bed, so probably not enough weight for what I was hoping. I do have the factory lined truck bed and for the type of cargo I usually might haul, sliding hasn't been a problem. I did buy one of the hook pole things and keep it in the bed (I have a tonneau cover) in case I have a box slide forward and so I don't have to climb in the bed.

I have the 6 foot version and it weighs maybe 25 pounds.

 

[Dgc333]

It rides better with weight in the bed because the springs are compressed and get to work a bit.
Mine is smoother right now because I have three 60 lb sandbags in the back for winter and a frame made from 2x4's to hold them over the axle.

It does not ride better because the springs are compressed. It rides better because the additional weight is a better match for the spring rate of the springs.

The spring rate is chosen to safety support the max payload of the truck. What they do do is add a helper leaf to the spring pack that once the spring is compressed enough that the helper contacts the rest of the pack increasing the spring rate. This allows for a lower rate unloaded for a better ride while still having capacity for a full load.

 

[Frenchy]

It's common for pickup trucks to ride better with added weight vs no weight in the back. They are designed to be loaded(even though many think they are a status symbol) and do well when loaded as intended(of course within certain limits)

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