You can do the whole thing with hand tools. The shock bolts go into trap nuts that have handles on them so they keep from spinning while you turn the bolt.

BTW, when you're doing this make sure that your shock bolt threads aren't worn down to a smooth shaft. This will cause thumping and rattling. If the threads are fine you can reuse the bolts.

 

Awesome, sounds like something worth trying. Do I need to jack the truck up, or can I just pull one shock out at a time and swap it, and repeat?

 

That's the great thing about the 4x4 trucks, no need for jacks. You can get under it and replace all four shocks with it sitting at ride height.

I always recommend removing the spare tire which makes getting to the rear upper bolts easy.

The front shocks will require the shock cage to be removed, and on mine on the driver's side I had to unbolt the master and move it sideways just to get the old shock out. The one one will drop in and you can get it seated, and bolt the cage back down before you cut the retaining strap off of the shock.

 

Ahh, so I'm gonna have to jack it up, then. It's only a 2wd. Darn :/