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Pacbrake Blog

Tow/Haul With Confidence

June 3, 2014

Do you ever get the feeling that your truck isn’t driving as smoothly as it could??
When you add weight, do you immediately notice a difference in control??

When towing or hauling heavy, it is imperative that the load is properly balanced for safe driving. Vehicle ‘sag’, ‘sway’, and ‘bottoming out’ are common issues resulting from an improperly loaded truck bed or trailer. The goal is to have the weight evenly distributed across all tires which provides optimum vehicle control in both handling and braking. Correct weight distribution also avoids damage to the body of the truck, drive train and suspension. ***Always be aware of your truck’s GVW rating. ½ ton trucks might look similar to ¾ or 1 ton trucks, but they do not have the same payload capacities.

How to properly load a truck bed:
1. Make sure the truck bed is flat, level and stable
2. Begin loading at the front and work your way back to the tail gate, remembering to load the heaviest items in first while ensuring they are securely fastened. Even the weight distribution from side to side.

Proper loading procedure for a trailer:
Similar to loading a truck bed, the heavy items should be loaded first and securely fastened. The tongue weight needs to be approx 15% of the total trailer weight. To achieve this, the heavier items need to be placed in front of the trailer axle – keeping in mind that excessive tongue weight will cause a sagging rear end in your truck, poor traction on your front tires and possibly cause the vehicle to bottom-out.

How Air Springs Can Help:
In many cases, the addition of an air suspension kit is a simple bolt-on installation. Air springs provide support and stability to your trucks suspension, giving you a level stance, comfortable ride and confident handling. With the ability to adjust the air in each spring, you can achieve proper weight distribution, restored ride height, correct hitch alignment, and improved headlight aim.

Pacbrake has been in the tow/haul business of building premium heavy duty products for over 50 years and their line of AMP air management products are no exception. Backed by a lifetime warranty, the AMP air springs are made of 2 ply rubber with one-piece aluminum end caps – having no installed bushings or fittings to eliminate potential leakage points.

Each kit comes complete with 2 air springs, laser-cut and powder coated mounting brackets, corrosion resistant roll plates, quick-connect fittings, airline and all the other necessary hardware for installation.