Quote:

Originally Posted by onemore94dak

I don't haul bikes but I did change my leaf springs, shackles and bushings and shocks.The whole truck feels like it is on rails when I am going around a curve. It still seems to have the same load droop when I get something dumped into the bed which is what I was trying to overcome.Also the tires might have weak side walls.

I agree....

you can get poly bushings for the springs. But first I would look real hard at the springs and their condition.

Another way to consider this, the dakota springs seem to range from 1200 lbs to 2500 lbs. If you have (worst case) 26 year old 1200 lb springs with worn bushings and shackles, that could be your sway right there.....

 

Things like motorcycles, especially if they're older or heavy (think 80's Suzuki or Honda 750 etc) then you're putting a 450 lb (each) tall object in the bed and raising the center of gravity quite a bit. And this is a modest truck by any means, it's not HD in any way, the frame is clearly not HD. And that doesn't take into account if you've lifted your truck along with that.

I admit that there's a lot of flex in these, but that was a consequence of what they were building and not things that happen over time unless bed mounts are gone or extensive lifting has been done or the frame is about shot. I personally would have much preferred a full box frame over what the Dak got but that's not what they were going for.

Going with the sway bar will help some I would think but again it's kind of a consequence of what you're hauling, or how much of it too.

Good luck
Steve

 

I am not really sure that a sway bar would really make all that much difference..... Would certainly make the truck handle a bit better with a load... but, I suspect the 'wobble' is more side to side, than up and down at different rates on each side... I would think a panhard bar is more along the lines of what he would be looking for. (which never came stock on these trucks, and would have to be completely custom fabricated.)