would anyone have had a suspension upgrade to their Ranger / BT 50 /Isuzu /Colorado
our van has a tare of 2.8tonne and it weighs the back of the ute down a bit so I'm looking if anyone else has had the same situation
and done an upgrade . It doesn't dip much and the WDH has accounted for any discrepancy .
But I have had bugger all weight in the back of the ute thus far on trips .
We are going to take off on our never ending journey in Nov and the ute will have extra weight in it for sure.
I don't really want to have a rough ride when its empty and no van in tow, it seems that most suspension upgrades do just that
and bounce you around . I was wondering in anyone has had a sax suspension fitted and can review it for us.
Dougwe said
08:42 PM Jun 10, 2016
I had an extra leaf fitted each side rear springs and it raised the Collie 2". I feel no different in the back end when unloaded. Very happy indeed. I got it done by Pedders. I found out later they can do the springs and better shocks in one hit but all tows well for me at this stage so will let the current shocks be as is for now.
OwenK said
09:04 PM Jun 10, 2016
Hi mezza, many years ago I had a 60 series landcruiser with leaf springs had air bags fitted to rear, that worked well. But as Doug said the extra leaf works for him and would be a much cheaper option. Google "Sax Suspension " you'll see some very negative posts, good luck with it.
Cheers Owen.
iana said
09:35 PM Jun 10, 2016
I've had Pedder springs and shocks put on the BT50, rides nice, can find the details if you want.
mezza56 said
08:12 AM Jun 11, 2016
Hi Chief Dougwe
Did you only do the back ? I considered that but didn't want the car to be 2'' higher at the back when the van was not on the car .
A lot of places suggest a lift kit with the suspension , I didn't necessarily want it to be higher just not sag in the rear.
mezza56 said
08:16 AM Jun 11, 2016
Hi Lana
Heard pedders are good with suspension set ups .
What was the cost of your set up , was it a constant 300kg load or 600kg
mezza56 said
08:21 AM Jun 11, 2016
Thxs Owen
Yeah I've read good and back on a lot of them including Sax
They were the only one that claimed a " normal ride " when the load is off.
ARB have a brand new shock set up called bypass technology slows the compression at each end of the piston stroke so its not jerky
I'd like to give it a go but its $4k for the set up where most are around $2k
Brownie2 said
09:00 AM Jun 11, 2016
Just had an "Old Man Emu" BP51 upgrade to the BT50. Extremely happy. Much beefier in the rear, shockers have remote reservoirs for better performance. Beautifully engineered. One drawback is the $4,500 odd price tag!! The ride now, unladen, is quite plush. Can't wait to load up, hook up and be off.
Did you only do the back ? I considered that but didn't want the car to be 2'' higher at the back when the van was not on the car .
A lot of places suggest a lift kit with the suspension , I didn't necessarily want it to be higher just not sag in the rear.
Just the back Mezza. I don't mind the back being higher than the front. I too yhought about Sax but after reading the negative stuff about them and being told the same by Pedders I did it the way I did. As said, very happy for around $600 fitted.
iana said
09:22 PM Jun 11, 2016
Looked for the paperwork by Pedders, can't find it. I think mine was the 300kg permanent load. Only did the back. with the van coupled it all sits nice and level. Choose pedders as it has a nation wide service for parts and warranty.
mezza56 said
08:48 AM Jun 12, 2016
Hi Brownie
I have seen them and the guys at ARB suggested them , only thing that was a put off was the price , as I'm having other things done as well
But I'm happy to pay it if it achieves what I want , did you get a lift kit (2") with constant 300 kg rating or 600kg .
When you say plush with no load , you dont get jerked around in the car going over say corrugations ?
Brownie2 said
09:53 AM Jun 12, 2016
Hi Mark (Mezza56), Yes, I went for the higher rating given the the steel bull bar on the Mazda, and the fact that the van is pretty heavy. I have a set of Black Widow drawers in the back and travel with an Engel and tool box etc. The ride unladen is fantastic, at first it took some getting used to after the original set up. It sits up that extra 2 inches all round and it seemed a bit top heavy at first ie. a bit of a sway over uneven roads if that makes sense. Part of the kit is a spacer for the driveshaft/s to keep them straight after the lift. Have had it over corrugated dirt roads unladen and it performed beautifully. Not at all skittish. I reckon the Mazda felt better over those roads than Pauline's sons LandCruiser 200! Of course remember that the front springs are adjustable, and all shockers are adjustable for both rebound and compression, but I haven't had to alter mine since the guys fitted the gear and set it up. They did ask lots of questions about the sort of travelling we'll be doing. Great set up, good back up with ARB all over the country too. I think you get what you pay for. Cheers, Bob
ken thomas said
03:22 PM Jun 12, 2016
I had ironman helper springs put on my ranger and lifted it about 40 mm and very happy with the ride
Cost was $135 pair and fitted easily to the rear springs
Ken
Gus1949 said
05:05 PM Jun 14, 2016
We have a 2015 Ranger towing a tandem 2800kg van and fill the tub usually to the top with general stuff you take away like chairs, table, fishing gear dogs bits and pieces. It has 185kg on the ball and drops the tail 20 to 25mm. The WDH levels it out. Tows like a dream and often don't use the WDH on trips of less than 2hrs. The Ranger has a carrying capacity of between 900kg and 1300kg depending on the model and a suspension built to handle this so why would you want to give a suspension company a couple of grand of your hard earned? I would work out what weight the canopy (if you have one) weighs plus other stuff you put in the tub to see if an upgrade is necessary. If you are going into rough country modifications may be a good ides.
GregE said
08:35 AM Jun 16, 2016
Our PX Ranger had the tail sagging problem when the tub was heavily loaded and the van's water tanks in front of the axles were full. We don't use a WDH. Had an addition to the rear suspension by Pedders in Bendigo that solved the problem with no noticeable effect on the unladen ride of the ute so I have been delighted by the result. About $650 to do and cheaper than any of the other soultions I looked at.
Greg
would anyone have had a suspension upgrade to their Ranger / BT 50 /Isuzu /Colorado
our van has a tare of 2.8tonne and it weighs the back of the ute down a bit so I'm looking if anyone else has had the same situation
and done an upgrade . It doesn't dip much and the WDH has accounted for any discrepancy .
But I have had bugger all weight in the back of the ute thus far on trips .
We are going to take off on our never ending journey in Nov and the ute will have extra weight in it for sure.
I don't really want to have a rough ride when its empty and no van in tow, it seems that most suspension upgrades do just that
and bounce you around . I was wondering in anyone has had a sax suspension fitted and can review it for us.
Hi mezza, many years ago I had a 60 series landcruiser with leaf springs had air bags fitted to rear, that worked well. But as Doug said the extra leaf works for him and would be a much cheaper option. Google "Sax Suspension " you'll see some very negative posts, good luck with it.
Cheers Owen.
Hi Chief Dougwe
Did you only do the back ? I considered that but didn't want the car to be 2'' higher at the back when the van was not on the car .
A lot of places suggest a lift kit with the suspension , I didn't necessarily want it to be higher just not sag in the rear.
Hi Lana
Heard pedders are good with suspension set ups .
What was the cost of your set up , was it a constant 300kg load or 600kg
Thxs Owen
Yeah I've read good and back on a lot of them including Sax
They were the only one that claimed a " normal ride " when the load is off.
ARB have a brand new shock set up called bypass technology slows the compression at each end of the piston stroke so its not jerky
I'd like to give it a go but its $4k for the set up where most are around $2k
Just had an "Old Man Emu" BP51 upgrade to the BT50. Extremely happy. Much beefier in the rear, shockers have remote reservoirs for better performance. Beautifully engineered.
The ride now, unladen, is quite plush. Can't wait to load up, hook up and be off.
One drawback is the $4,500 odd price tag!!
http://www.arb.com.au/products/old-man-emu-4x4-suspension/bp-51/
Cheers, Bob
Just the back Mezza. I don't mind the back being higher than the front. I too yhought about Sax but after reading the negative stuff about them and being told the same by Pedders I did it the way I did. As said, very happy for around $600 fitted.
Hi Brownie
I have seen them and the guys at ARB suggested them , only thing that was a put off was the price , as I'm having other things done as well
But I'm happy to pay it if it achieves what I want , did you get a lift kit (2") with constant 300 kg rating or 600kg .
When you say plush with no load , you dont get jerked around in the car going over say corrugations ?
Hi Mark (Mezza56),
Yes, I went for the higher rating given the the steel bull bar on the Mazda, and the fact that the van is pretty heavy. I have a set of Black Widow drawers in the back and travel with an Engel and tool box etc. The ride unladen is fantastic, at first it took some getting used to after the original set up. It sits up that extra 2 inches all round and it seemed a bit top heavy at first ie. a bit of a sway over uneven roads if that makes sense. Part of the kit is a spacer for the driveshaft/s to keep them straight after the lift. Have had it over corrugated dirt roads unladen and it performed beautifully. Not at all skittish. I reckon the Mazda felt better over those roads than Pauline's sons LandCruiser 200! Of course remember that the front springs are adjustable, and all shockers are adjustable for both rebound and compression, but I haven't had to alter mine since the guys fitted the gear and set it up. They did ask lots of questions about the sort of travelling we'll be doing. Great set up, good back up with ARB all over the country too. I think you get what you pay for. Cheers, Bob
Cost was $135 pair and fitted easily to the rear springs
Ken
We have a 2015 Ranger towing a tandem 2800kg van and fill the tub usually to the top with general stuff you take away like chairs, table, fishing gear dogs bits and pieces. It has 185kg on the ball and drops the tail 20 to 25mm. The WDH levels it out. Tows like a dream and often don't use the WDH on trips of less than 2hrs. The Ranger has a carrying capacity of between 900kg and 1300kg depending on the model and a suspension built to handle this so why would you want to give a suspension company a couple of grand of your hard earned? I would work out what weight the canopy (if you have one) weighs plus other stuff you put in the tub to see if an upgrade is necessary. If you are going into rough country modifications may be a good ides.
Greg