Hey all, have been wanting to replace the shocks for awhile now on my 1500, but have gotten some mixed reviews as to why I'm blowin out rear shocks. Guy at parts store told me that if I have overloaded my truck in the past that I probably weakened the leafsprings to the point that the shocks are bearing most of the weight when loaded. Lets be honest, I've hauled a ton of material a time or two, but never heard of the springs weakening. I have seen cracks in springs, but not on mine. Mine look good except for a little surface rust. My questions are these: Is the guy right, first of all?...If so, should I wait to replace the shocks until I get the spring issue resolved..Will 3/4 ton leafsprings fit on a 1/2 ton and would this solve my problem..I've seen "add a leafs" but would rather replace the original with a heavier one out of a 3/4 if possible..I just want to get a decent ride AND be able to haul my load without buying a whole new truck..Thanx for any info..

 

The shocks don't bear any weight, so the guy is wrong. And 2500 leafs will not directly fit on a 1500. What brand shocks are you buying? Buy some better ones with a life time warranty and keep the receipt.

 

zman is correct. as for heavier duty springs, the only way 3/4 tonners will work is if you replace all the mounts as well as the springs. skyjacker makes a 2" HD add a leaf. i have this aal and let me just say...its amazing! if you want to get a stiffer ride, and less droop while towing or hauling anything than this is your best route. you can get it from summit for about 100 bucks shipped to your door step.

 

i have an 01 1500 and haul heavy loads , i used timbren springs which are lifetime warrantied when weight comes on the springs they take over so when empty you still have a nice smooth ride , what they do is mount to the frame and hit the lift blocks , the rear end dosent sag then so steering and every thing stays good i bought mine direct from them , think they were only around $140.00

 

zman, when I changed the originals out, I bought a set of four Rancho RS5000. Lasted about 2 weeks. Parts place tested them when I took them off and said they were bad from the factory. Repeated same thing...4 new ones out of box...both rear shocks blew out about same amount of time. If you know me, you know that mine is the worst friggin luck in the world, but c'mon man, 2 sets of bad shocks in a row..SO, I had THEM put the third set on, and same result!! This is no BS. I've read that Rancho are better for off-road because of their long travel, and that a Monroe Sensa-trac or Reflex would give a better on-road ride. Keep in mind I don't do much off-roadin, but I do use my rig for heavy haulin from time to time, so I'm trying to find the happy medium between good ride and good stability. Any brand names out there would be appreciated. Thanx

 

have u thought about these http://www.rockauto.com/catalog/moreinfo.php?pk=60653

 

I just put a set of rough country nitro 9000 shocks on today I only got the front on but will put the back on tommrow so far i like them

 

i've NEVER heard of anyone having repeated shock failure in a stock type setup. the only way i can imagine that happening would be excessively too long or too short shocks that are hitting their stops on every bounce. what the heck have you got going on? and how do you define a "blown out" shock? leaking fluid, or reduced resistance to expand/contract? or what?


+1 on timbrens as helper springs. my truck used to squat bad with almost nothing in the bed. now i round it up with firewood and go. it sits down on the timbrens and then doesn't go any further, yet it drives and rides decent with a heavy load.

 

shocks are very powerful, lots of resistence when I first install them. After I took them off, my 5 year old daughter could push them down with no problem at all. Absolutely no resistence whatsoever.

dodgeman, thanks for the link....I was offered the coil over Monroe shocks at the shop, but was told road ride would go to **** if not loaded down, possibility of severe wheel hop around washboard turns, etc.. Decided against them for now.

dhvaughan, will the timbrens raise the rear when unloaded, and will I have to level out the front..Not too familiar with them. thanx

 

Timbrens should only come into play, when the truck is actually loaded. Under normal circumstances, with nothing in the bed, they just hang out there, and look nice, they don't actually DO anything.