Hi -

I thought I posted this before, but it did not seem to make it...

I am away from my 2004 SMB EB with a quigley conversion, but want to order Deaver rear springs for when I get back.

They need an estimate on the weight of the vehicle to build the springs, and would like to get them started if an approximate weight is possible to guess at:

2004 Ford EB, V10, quigley conversion
Manual pop top
Roof rack w/rocket box, thule wire rack, 10 gallons of water and wood
10 gallon fresh tank inside
50 gallons of gas
larger fridge
Aluminess bumpers front and rear
Aluminess galley box on back
Bike rack w/100 lbs of bikes
30 lbs of skis

And packed with all supporting gear, boots, food, packs, etc, plus 4 adults.

Any guesses?

Thanks,

- Tom

9,600 to 10,000 lb would be my guess.

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2005 E350 RB 6.0 PSD for extended fun
1989 Landcruiser FJ62 for local fun
2011 VW TDI Golf for hwy fun

Thanks!

Aye. I got Deavers last Dec. You'll love them and Jeff is great to work with. My rig is similar to yours except I have the 6.0 and 2 kids instead of 2 adults. You could be a little heavier than 5 tons but not by much.

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2005 E350 RB 6.0 PSD for extended fun
1989 Landcruiser FJ62 for local fun
2011 VW TDI Golf for hwy fun

I would recommend, as others have, to find a scale and weigh front and back, (really just need rear and total) I went to my local waste disposal site where they have a scale and were willing to help out before I ordered mine. I was just under 10K total, similar configuration w/7.3 diesel, forget the breakdown front/rear.

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'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
(de)SMB'd Custom RB-50
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile Offroad's R.I.P. package
CCV High Profile Pop Top

Here are my weights from a while ago (which I sent to Deaver)

9160 lb total weight
5420 on rear axle
3740 on front axle

2002, V10 EB50 Quigley
elec PH
16 gal fresh
46 gal fuel (half full)
4cuft fridge (?)
Aluminess bumpers front and rear
Aluminess galley box on back

Minimal gear, 1 driver.

(weighed prior to installing winch)

By my math that puts you well over 10k with passengers.

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Sportsmobile-less.

"A job worth doing is worth doing at least twice."

FWIW

You may want to let them know what type of driving/ride you want when ordering the springs.

I have had springs from Deaver and National built for my vans and for the type of driving I do they made very little difference in the ride. I asked both times to have the softest smoothest ride possible. I shared with them that I drive slow off road with all the gear I typically have with me and because it's a daily driver It's on the pavement 95% of the time.

When I test drove the van with both companies after the install stating I did not notice a ride difference the first thing they did when we went on a test drive was hit the nearest dip in the road and speed bumps at 50+mph. Both times they said "Hey, it drives great". Yes, it did drive great over those things but that's not the majority of my driving.

Once Ramsey from Agile Off Road took out a couple leaves I got the ride I was looking for but the rear of the van dropped a couple inches. We then put the rear blocks back in to bring the height back up. It would have been nice to have the rear at the right height without the blocks.

Your needs may be completely different but thought it might be with mentioning.

The ride is great now.

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Brent

2006 EB 350 QuadVan V-10 (Working on Build out now)
2006 Quigley V-10 (Sold)
https://www.BrentHaywoodPhotography.com
https://www.facebook.com/haywoodphoto (Almost Daily Updates)

Hmm...I'm guessing it was just too stiff, Even with running good shocks? The other solution would have been to have Deaver or National remove some of the spring pack leafs and re-arch the remaining ones to eliminate the need for blocks, maybe? So is your setup essentially back to stock now? Just with aftermarket springs.
Haywood...although your needs as you said are unique, you do raise a good point, most of us have ordered new spring packs without mentioning what kind of driving we'll be doing, just that it will be a big improvement over what we are trying to replace. Although in your case it didn't seem to make a difference with the end product.

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'03 Ford E350 7.3L Diesel
(de)SMB'd Custom RB-50
Quigley 4X4 w/Deavers & Agile Offroad's R.I.P. package
CCV High Profile Pop Top

Rick, I found this to be a common thing amongst us while chatting at campfires in the evening. Just order the part or piece and you will get what others have or want. I still know very little in the scope of things but watching Ramsey at Agile Off Road tweak my van and others has showed me what these micro adjustments can do.

I thought about the re arch thing but I really want it right. Contemplating selling my springs and ordering a new set. Couple of friends have expressed interest as they are about the same weight etc. Being a daily driver I notice these small differences. If it was just my weekend/trip rig I would probably opt for the bomber spring/suspension setup but the reality is I don't drive like that. Even on the highway I drive at or below the speed limit most of the time.

Killed a few hours last week out at Ramsey's shop last week and we drove one of his new arrivals out to pickup a driveshaft for another van. While driving he mentioned how soft and mushy the suspension was as it was an older stock 2wd with a partial conversion in it. My immediate response was I really liked it. Great for my needs but not his. He is 50mph through the desert and I'm 15 mph.

As will all know it will be a lifelong project and never perfect but I have fun trying.

Ramsey noticed on our last desert trip my front end was coming off the ground while driving up a step whoops hill (Maybe he will chime in here to explain, sounded like a foreign language to me when he was thinking about solutions). That's the next project and probably extensive......good times.

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Brent

2006 EB 350 QuadVan V-10 (Working on Build out now)
2006 Quigley V-10 (Sold)
https://www.BrentHaywoodPhotography.com
https://www.facebook.com/haywoodphoto (Almost Daily Updates)

Another, often overlooked, factor is replacing a worn-out suspension system with a new suspension system will be an improvement even if it's the exact same set up that you had. Springs and shocks wear out and need to be replaced/reworked/rebuilt if you want a good ride.

A lot of people make a change and then attribute the improvement to brand XYZ, when a major factor in the improvement can be attributed from going worn-out shocks with brand new shocks (same holds true for springs). My point here is to reinforce what some others are saying; what works for one person or more importantly another driver, isn't necessarily the same for everyone else. An off the shelf solution will generally improve your vehicle's ride, but a solution specific to your vehicle and what you want from your vehicle, will optimize what you get from your vehicle.


Herb

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SMB-less as of 02/04/2012. Our savings account is richer, but our adventures are poorer.