JRscooby wrote:
IMHO, the OP, wanting to modify suspension to solve a non-problem is the 1 overcomplicating it
Yep, OP IS making there rig more complicated.
More complicated has more pitfalls.
The more non value added moving parts you add to a device, the higher chances you have of those parts failing or causing other parts to fail..
On of the greatest lessons given in Tech school was the K.I.S.S.(Keep It Simple Silly) method to things in life.
If you think this through a bit you would realize that air shocks will need air lines, valves, some sort of limiting devices/switches at a minimum.
Air shocks just like hydraulic jacks do tend to leak down, they do not stay at that extended height indefinitely, that is a given, OP if staying for a long enough time will need to check and refill the lost air to re-establish the height they desire.
Air fill valves do leak, just takes a small speck of dirt.
Air lines need to be protected from abrasion and potential damage caused by sticks and rocks and other objects that may be flung around while driving.
The elephant in the room is what happens to the spring mounts when you start forcing the springs past the design limits. As you force the springs, the ends now start pulling the spring mounts inwards towards the springs. Go far enough and you might find yourself stranded with no spring mount with perhaps a touch of damage to the frame as the spring mounts rip and tear off.
A few blocks of wood is all it takes, nothing more.
Blocks of wood have a much lower probability of failure or causing damage or failure to your trailer.
Blocks of wood do not lose air, have no hoses, valves or seals.
Blocks of wood are very cheap, easy to install and remove and will outlast the life of the trailer.
And like you, I can take a quick visual from my drivers seat and guess on the nose how much blocking is needed. Less experienced folks may need a helping hand, those graduated levels are what those folks need..
If you wanted to automate that, there are devices you can buy that are mounted to the trailer, connect via BT to your phone, tablet, laptop and read out directly in inches from your drivers seat.
While applaud the idea of thinking outside the box with technology, sometimes the less technology you apply to a problem the more reliable it is..
Folks now days over rely on technology, when the technology fails or leads you down a rabbit hole folks have no idea how to deal with the problems.
Technology and computer programs are only as smart as the one that built it or the programmer that wrote the programs.
Pretty much the same issue with vehicle manufacturers right now, way over the top high tech computer systems controlling everything that because of the chip shortages going on has shuttered quite a few vehicle plants with no end in site..
But yet, if they were still manufacturing vehicles with less computer integrated non value added stuff they would not be experiencing this issue to this degree..
