I read through what was already posted about this and didn't really find much that was helpful. I'm trying to find a pair of Rear Coil Springs to beef up the rear end of my 2015 Ram 1500 Tradesman OHC Hemi V8 5.7L. I already have Rancho RS5000 Shocks on the way but cant seem to get a straight answer on the coil springs. See attached. I obviously had some issues and should be well within capable of pulling this camper. Something is wrong. Really wrong. I can pull my boat fine (little 18' bass boat) but even that squats the rear end a little. I had some cinder blocks in the back. Maybe 15 of them or so. Still squatting. I'm not sure if the previous owner switched them to something softer or what but its not a good time. I want to be able to pull this camper Summer of 2023. If anyone has any recommendations I'd greatly appreciate it! I've looked at Cargomaxx XHDs and Cargomaxx HDs and not sure where to go that isn't charging arm and a leg for shipping. 70% increase, wouldn't that make it a bumpy ride while empty?? Would the 35% increase be better but can they hold the weight?
First off, as others have said, that gen of 1500 has a softer set of springs to provide a softer ride, generally. I have heard they are progressive rate springs? But I don't have one so I can't confirm that. Which is why even your boat or a load of cinder blocks made it squat quite a bit.
Second, whenever you hook up to a travel trailer with a 1500, you NEED a WDH. There are very few (like the ECO brand trailers) that I wouldn't say you would need one for. Your receiver is only rated to about 500 lbs before it needs a WDH, and judging from that picture you're way past that. Terry campers are notoriously heavy (they're VERY solid units), and even though that is only about 30-ish feet long it's probably got 800+ lbs of tongue weight. So a WDH is going to help you out a LOT, don't forget sway control. You can go built-in or separate unit, I prefer the separate unit but I am evidently in the minority anymore. The advice to get to a scale is good, but I don't recommend pulling that trailer without a WDH - even if it isn't set up correctly at first, any setup is better than no setup.
Third, part of why trucks today are built with so much rake from the factory (nose pointed down) is to help increase the load carrying capability. If you (or anyone else) added a leveling kit to your truck, depending on how it was done they may have actually reduced how much weight you can carry.
To answer your other questions, yes, heavier duty springs WILL make for a rougher ride when unloaded. That's going to be the trade-off no matter what you do, unless you go with airbags, which have their own issues (having to air them up, possible leaks, potential blow-outs, etc. etc.).
