I am trying to figure out why this truck rides like a 1940 bulldozer, How do I check for trackbar wear?

 

Have somebody inside the truck turn the steering wheel back and forth while you watch the ball joint end of the track bar, (the end thats mounted to the frame). If there is movement in the ball joint, it's time for a new track bar.

 

i think you are going to find that your truck rides like a dozer no matter what you do....i think it is just dodge powered trucks....lol.....but i dont mind at all that they are not that smooth...i love my dodge truck!!!! by the way you have to remember that these are dodge trucks and not nissans or toyota trucks but there may be some upgrades you can do to smooth it out a little better!!!!!

 

mine rides like a cadillac

 

One thing is for certian, This dodge Ram does not even compare to my F150 supercrew I just sold. Not even in the same league.

 

Actually, there will be some movement at that joint no matter what condition your track bar is in (I recently installed a brand new OEM style bar, and just to compare it with my old one, I did this test, and there was still movement at the joint, just not as bad). It is the degree of movement and direction of movement that is a better indicator of whether your bar is bad or not.

When you say it rides like a bulldozer, what specifically do you mean? Not smooth on bumps, loose steering, won't push dirt???? Give us some more detail. Could be a number of things from your shocks, springs, stabilizer, damper, steering box, etc... People are quick to blame the track bar on Dodge trucks (they are infamous), but i'd hate to see you spend the money on a new one if it is something else entirely.