Shackle lift for added weight of canopy and RTT?

I'm looking for a solution to my rear suspension sagging issue. 99% of the time I'm driving my truck, I don't have anything in the bed and really like the height that the rear suspension sits at. A handful of times a year I go camping and put a canopy and CVT tent on my truck. This causes the rear end of the truck to sag way down. I know that this is what air bags are for, but they're pretty spendy, and likely won't be able to handle the wheeling that I do when my truck bed is empty.

So heres my idea... Buy an aftermarket shackle for 1-2'' of lift and use that when I have weight in my bed. Then I can just go back to the stock shackle when I'm unloaded. I know that the aftermarket shackle will cause my suspension to cycle a little different, but I wouldn't be wheeling very hard when my truck is loaded down with camping stuff.

Will this work okay? or is it a bad idea and why?

 

You don't really want to swap out that shackle all the time do you?
what leaf pack do you have?

 

Are you opposed to having the rear sit a little bit higher when the bed is unloaded, or do you prefer the leveled look?

I would suggest a 1" AAL on each side to lift the rear about an inch, which will also increase your payload capacity by about 15% depending on which AAL you go with.

IMO a truck should sit a little higher in the rear, that's how they come from the factory to account for the weight of a load, but to each their own.

 

I wouldn't mind it. I'm currently running the OME Dakar pack without the AAL.

 

I've been thinking about going that route, I'm just worried that the ride will be rough when the bed is empty.

 

Same setup as me, I just installed the Dakars a few weeks ago. I have an RTT on my bed 24/7 which has caused the Dakars to settle a bit and now my truck is leveled (it was sitting about a half inch higher than the front).

Personally, I don't care for the leveled look and want the rake back...plus, once I load up my camping/wheeling gear in the back it will make it sag even more. I ordered the 1" OME Dakar AALs through Headstrong this afternoon

 

I would do the AAL, I had it and it wasn't enough with my swingout bumper. But with no swingout you should be fine. Its a pretty soft pack to begin with. You might feel a little bumpy but it is a 4x4 not a caddy!

 

Well...if you're willing to wait a few weeks I can report back once I install my AALs, lol. I highly doubt a single AAL will affect the ride very much. Dakars are pretty smooth riding leaf packs anyhow so I'm not too worried about that

 

I'll give the AAL a shot and if I don't like it I can always just take it out. Thanks guys!