Add a leaf diy difficulty

2022 TRDOR. Have a little squat in the rear and too much bounce with the added weight from cap and some tools. Put on the blue SUMO springs and I'm pretty much riding on top of them. Thinking of doing an add a leaf? Any suggestions? How hard is it to do by yourself to those that have done it?

 

It's not hard to do. Clamps are necessary or a ball joint press. Do one side at a time

 

Or you could do airbags and cradles and have complete control of how much weight you can hold back there + articulation…about $400 give or take

I run them and use a small hand bike pump. Works great for all situations

 

I'm open to that. Wouldn't they replace the SUMOs i put on? How is the longevity of air bags?

 

Need good quality c-clamps. pay attention to axle walking off of the seat. Have deep sockets and hack saw

 

At one point to seat the axle back on the leaf. I had to grab the drum and place my feet on the leaf pack pull and push. I did it as one person and I'm confident you could do it also.

 

When I did the other side, I ratchet the axle to the front so it won't wall off.

 

it would replace the sumos. I live by the desert. 4 years so far, no issues. If you consider this, PM me. I have some small things that can make this setup quiet too

 

I think I'm gonna go with the airbags. Will be a job for the spring. Have no garage to work in and it's way too cold to spend time under my truck. Live in NY. TY

 

I'm running the bags with cradles and they can be noisy. What are you using to keep them quiet?

 

For constant load, use add-a-leaf instead of airbags.

Do one side at a time. Loosen (but don't remove) the U-bolts on the other side. That'll give you the wiggle room the move the axle to line up with the new center pin.

Two chineseium C-clamps can hold the leaf pack together with no issues while you remove the center pin.

 

You asked the magic question

Piece of cake…just cut a circle of yoga mat, cut drain holes in it for water and small rocks/dirt, and silicone glue it into the cradles. Noise gone

 

AAL isn’t too bad of a job with two people.

you also might want to look at Road Active Suspension. I would do RAS before AAL if you want the extra load capability, but not the lift.