Rear Sagging?

[rusty ol ranger]

That''s not too bad. When you have the rear tires stuffed into the wheelwells.... that's when you have a load on it!

I had 27 bundles of ashphalt shingles in the back or Rusty #1 one time.

 

[Crosscut_Drifter]

When its empty its almost as bad as half loaded.

Like I said, its nit picky.

 

[sgtsandman]

The base plate is straight, so it hasn’t been over loaded.

Can you tell if it had a leveling kit put in it? If so, it would exaggerate any spring sag you might have but from the pictures you posted, if it has a leveling kit, the sag isn’t bad.

It might be time to look at replacement springs. That can be a challenging DIY depending on what kind of tools you have. If you decide to do it, you’ll need new u-bolts and spring bolts too.

 

[Crosscut_Drifter]

The pic is tilted to the left a bit (tell by the curb), noticeable in person, especially when you sit in the truck.

Sorry, how would I know if it has a levelling kit? Its a base Ranger with a 2.3. Don't know why the original owner would buy a small truck for hauling heavy loads. The only tell tale signs of hauling stuff is all the small dent on the inside of the bed. (obviously it didn't have the bed liner in it at the time).

I may bring it by the spring shop in Niagara Falls and see what they say. Of course they'll want to sell me new complete sets, but I'm curious.
Otherwise I just don't surpass the current load capacity.

 

[sgtsandman]

There are are spring cups that can be used to raise the front end up. Some people hate the factory rake that trucks typically have.

 

[Crosscut_Drifter]

I'll check this morning, but I doubt it. I prefer the rake look to the sag. When i see the sag, it looks tired. Rake, ready for work.

 

[pjtoledo]

by 2011 Rangers had roll stability control, RSC. among other things the ride height may be different than earlier models.
get ahold of a 2011 manual to see what the height should be then go from there.

 

[renton]

my rear looked like yours and i got tired of it, after much research i put lift shackles in the back and couldn't be happier. It raised it about 1.5 inches and didn't stiffen the ride at all.

 

[Crosscut_Drifter]

I'll eventually bring it by the one shop to see what they say. If max payload (1400 lbs) makes it sag like in the picture, then I'd know the limit is reached.

 

[Roert42]

These are TRUE sagging rears....your Ranger has nothing to be ashamed of !

You spend too much time at WallyWorld

 

[Crosscut_Drifter]

I brought it down, and they said they just weaken over time, most likely carrying something heavy in the back most of the time.

He suggested adding another leaf spring 2nd or 3rd down from the main spring. Would add 1.5" - 2" bed height and handle the normal payload.

 

[Crosscut_Drifter]

Just an overdue update. We ended up adding an extra leaf below the top two leaf springs. Doesn't sag with the weight and the ride is a lot better as in controlled empty.