Tech Chat

Options to Bag Your Truck

We get a lot of questions on how to bag trucks. Trucks are some of the most popular vehicles to install air suspensions on. There are many options from just a regular air bag install to a full body drop. This month we will discuss the different ways to bag a truck and put your ass in the grass.

When deciding to bag your truck, you need to have an idea on how low you want to go. The lower you go the more work you will need to do (mostly cutting and welding). You can drop the truck to the ground or lower it just a little. It all depends on your preference and of course your wallet.

The Basic Drop

We will start with a basic drop which requires no major modifications. This is for those of you who want the look of a dropped vehicle, but don’t really want to “cut up” the truck. The first thing you will need is the front brackets and bags. This will be the best place to start. Most brackets will bolt right in place of your springs. Others will need to be welded in.

The second item you will need is the rear brackets and bags. The bolt-on brackets don’t allow the truck to sit real low. The best brackets are the weld-on kind. You weld the lower bracket to the axle and bolt the upper bracket to the frame rail. This will allow the rear of the truck to lower much more.

Now for the rear of the truck, you will need to modify the leaf spring pack. What you need to do is remove the rear leaf springs, then remove all of the leafs except for the main leaf. You will recognize the main leaf by the fact that it is the one that has the bolt holes on it. Removing the leaf spring packs allows the rear of the truck to lower. The leaf springs will not be holding the weight of the vehicle that is what the air bags are for. The only thing the leaf springs will do now is keep the axle centered.

Laying Frame

The next step is laying frame. Basically this is where you lower the truck far enough to sit the frame rails on the ground. This is a major modification to the truck which requires some cutting and welding. This is not for the inexperienced or the weak of heart.

The front is done pretty much the same as above. You can use drop spindles or dropped lower control arms to make the front lower. The rear is where the fun is at. You will need a 4-link, c-notch, bags, and some cutting and welding tools.

The first thing to do is remove the bed of the truck as it will make it much easier to work. Next you will need to completely remove the rear suspension. You won’t need the leaf springs anymore. The 4-link can be welded or bolted on. I would recommend the welded 4-links as they are cheaper. If you properly weld the 4-link on, you will have no problems with it. The 4-link will give the suspension much greater travel then using the brackets with the factory leaf springs.

The other thing you will need to install is a c-notch. A c-notch installs in the frame above the axle. What it does is allow the axle to move up into the frame rails higher. This will then allow the rear of the truck to sit lower. There are different sizes of c-notches. How much of the frame you need to cut depends on the size of the c-notch.

The last thing you will need to modify is the fenders and the bed of the truck. Since the tires will now be moving up higher into the fenders, you will need to cut and modify the fenders to allow the tires to move up. You will also need to cut the bed of the truck to allow the axle to move up into the bed of the truck.

As you can see, there are some major modifications that need to be done to put the frame on the ground.

Body Drop

This is the most radical and hardest drop to do. A body drop is where the frame rails of the truck are moved up into the body. The floor of the truck is then even with the bottom of the frame rails so when the truck is lowered, the body is sitting on the ground. The rest of the suspension is done like above (see laying frame above).

As you can see there are several options when bagging your truck. From the minimal to the radical, you have many choices. If you have any questions about this article, drop us a line at sales@kmwperformance.com. If you are in the market for items to drop your truck, visit us at www.kmwperformance.com. We carry everything you need to make your truck into a show winner.

Vincent Wright
sales@kmwperformance.com
http://www.kmwperformance.com