BrokenVet

[BrokenVet]

I have a mostly stock 96 Ram 2500 with the 12 valve with 316,000 & its my daily driver with occasional weekend camper hauling. I hurt may back & hip while I was in the Army & when ever I hit a bump or a dip/pot hole the front end is so very jarring. I need to make this beast ride better without losing its hauling capabilities. I have heard about soft spring & air bags but I don't have a ton of money to just try something to see if it will work. I am thinking that the vast knowledge in this forum could point me in the right direction. Yes that is a little kissing up first.

 

[chri5k]

I put air bags on the rear of my 2016 2500. They made the rear a little bit harsher when not loaded since they need a minimum of 5 Lbs in them. I would think softer springs in the front would make the truck ride "tail high" though the older trucks are not nearly as bad as the newer ones in that regard. A friend of mine with a bad back had his seat redone by an upholstery shop. They added some firm base foam, memory foam in the middle and topped it with a gel pad layer. Redid the seat back as well to improve lower lumber support and make it more cushy. I think it ran $500 - 600 range. He only did the driver seat and said it made a world of difference. There are also air-ride seat bases like 18 wheelers use that might be adaptable to your truck.

Something like this is also an option but pricey. Maybe they have a military discount.
https://www.seat-specialists.com/categories/seats-by-truck/dodge.html

 

[mtnrider]

You are kind of in a pickle here. It's hard to "soften" up the ride without losing capability. Some sort of air assist that you could adjust when not hauling is probably going to be the best bet but being a 96' it's going to be harder and harder to find anything for that year I would think?
Maybe try and let the tire pressure down a little when not towing?

.

 

[BrokenVet]

I found these guys & contacted them about my issues & they said that these bags & shocks kit for the front will help with my issues. They also said that they have an option for the back end too.

https://kelderman.com/shop/1994-2002-ram-2500-3500-4x4-2-stage-front-air-suspension