Things You Need to Know to Tow with a Lifted Truck Safely
Introduction
Are you wondering if it’s a good idea to tow a trailer with a lifted truck? The following article will try to answer this question. We’ll also answer questions like:
- Can you tow with a lifted truck?
- Can you make towing with a lifted truck safer?
- Can you fix the squat on your lifted pick-up?
- What are Timbren spacer kits for?
Can you tow with a lifted truck?
In answer to the above question, absolutely you can! But a lifted truck isn’t the most ideal setup for towing. When you modify the suspension, things like steering, braking, aerodynamics, and stability are suddenly altered. In some cases, your personal safety will be compromised. There are basically two reasons why a lifted truck is less than ideal for towing:
First, the extra-height of a lifted truck will make it difficult to keep the trailer stable. When you change the factory geometry of a standard suspension, you change a lot of things. One of them is the location of the hitch. If the tongue on the trailer doesn’t line up properly with the hitch on the truck, that’s a problem.
Second, the truck’s softer, off-road suspension will squat under load. If the rear of your lifted truck squats, the front end is going to sit higher than normal. If that happens, the front tires will lose their traction, creating a serious issue with steering. At the end of the day, a sagging rear suspension creates instability, hampered steering, and reduced traction – an accident just waiting to happen.
* One more thing you should know: If you regularly tow with a saggy rear end, the suspension components will wear out faster. There are solutions to this problem which we’ll cover in the next section.
Can you make towing with a lifted truck safer?
Even though a lifted truck isn’t the most ideal arrangement for towing, you can increase safety and performance by applying some precautionary measures.
- To stabilize the trailer, you’ll need to install a drop hitch. Thanks to its shape, this accessory lowers the ball joint to a manageable height. A drop hitch is fairly easy to install and will allow the hitch on the truck to line up properly with the tongue on the trailer. Even though a drop hitch improves trailer height, it can’t address the squat on the tow vehicle.
- When you add weight to the back, you can expect the truck’s rear end to sag. This situation happens even if the load is within the vehicle’s original towing capacity. To prevent the back end of your truck from sagging under the additional weight of the trailer, it will be necessary to install a suspension helper spring. There are various types of helper springs on the market. The most popular are leaf, air, and rubber. The strongest and most reliable are rubber springs.
Can you fix the squat on your lifted pick-up?
So far, we have clearly stated: A lifted tow vehicle that squats under load puts added stress on the suspension components. Additionally, a sagging rear suspension creates instability, hampered steering, and reduced traction.
The best solution to the problem of suspension squat is a Timbren SES upgrade kit. Timbren SES (Suspension Enhancement System) kits for pickups are designed to work with a standard-height suspension. Unfortunately, if installed on a pickup with a 2”- 3” lift, the truck will continue to squat.
Hey, no worries! A simple-to-install Timbren spacer kit will compensate for the extra height.
Here’s how it works: Each spacer kit comes with two 1” and two 1/2” spacers along with all the necessary hardware, allowing the customer to mix and match the components to achieve the desired ride height. For more information on how to install a Timbren spacer kit click on the image below.
To find out what is currently available, visit our website.
Conclusion
Even though a lifted truck isn’t the most ideal setup for towing, with a few easy adjustments you’ll be able to pull a trailer without the usual safety issues.
A Timbren SES kit is the best way to reduce squatting and increase stability. However, if you’re still experiencing squatting and instability after installing it on your lifted pickup truck, you can add a Timbren spacer kit to ensure you’re getting the biggest bang for your buck.
