Most of the hauling that I do in my '87 Dakota longbed is motorcycles, which require pushing up a ramp and stepping up into the bed, and then the reverse when taking them out. The problem is that the bed wobbles laterally like crazy when I'm doing that, sometimes nearly to the point of knocking me down. Needless to say, falling down would be a Really Bad Thing when I'm trying to maneuver a several-hundred-pound motorcycle. Is there anything I can do to make that more stable? I've already replaced the shocks, could replacing the leaf springs help with that? If not that, is there some aftermarket product or something I could fab up to calm it down?

 

It might be time to get under the truck,look at frame too bed mount,rusted out metal or loose bolts.Check it out..Just a thought................

 

I had the bed off not too long ago to replace the gas tank, everything's good there (it was doing this before as well, it didn't start after that). When I say "bed wobble", I guess I really mean the entire back end of the truck.

 

Addco anti-sway bar in the rear? It'll help spread the weight back and forth between the two sides. I'd also get a beefier front bar so it won't mess up your perception of the handling as much.

RwP

 

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.

 

Something like that is probably exactly what I need. It looks like Addco has them for the Rams of that vintage, but not the Dakotas. It's probably too much to hope that they'd fit, but I'll contact them and see if they have any suggestions.

Good to know, I might replace all of that anyway if it helps that much. In looking around today I did find helper springs that might help with the droop.

 

The current Addco catalog lists bar 416 as a 91-96 (and a 87-90!) part number; just checked it at https://www.addco.net/catalog/dodge/ .

They also list a front bar 4WD 91-96 of 2028; 87-90 4WD is 511; 87-96 2WD is 553 with an alternative of 510.

I don't know where you got that they don't have Dakota sway bars.

Here's one supplier for 2WD rear with one claimed in stock: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B000CFDG0O

RwP

 

I looked at their year/make/model selector on their website and it didn't have the Dakota listed (or a lot of other models that are in the catalog link you shared). Thanks!

 

Heh. That just means the website is b0rked.

RwP

 

In case anybody comes across this in the future, I just called Addco to see if they think it would help (they do, he said it's basically the same effect as cornering, just magnified) and get some clarification on the part numbers. For the front on the 2WD, 553 is the replacement if a factory bar is there, 510 (the alternate) is for when there's not already an existing sway bar. He said they may have to be special ordered at this point, but they can still be ordered.