Sagging back on truck

[xtal_01]

Hey everyone!

My neighbor is an older farmer. He has a 2012 Ram 4 WD 1500 Big Horn (no air suspension).

It gets used as a farm truck .. overloaded.

The back end is now sagging / bottoming.

He was just going to throw on some shock.

I told him we needed to replace the springs (he said fine .. but he still wants new shocks).

OK ... went on RockAuto ... I found these:

https://tinyurl.com/vtcfub4s

They say they will handle 70% more capacity.

Only problem I see there is a note about ride height "empty height may vary ... loaded height stock plus 1").

I am looking at shocks no the same page ....

Some say "Raised Height 0" "

So does this mean I might have problems with the springs being slightly higher?

Also ... here are two of the shocks I am looking at ... is one better than other ... or is there another I should look at?

https://tinyurl.com/fhd46uss

https://tinyurl.com/3zuunvmp

This is not a fancy truck ... but it runs well and he like most farmers will probably drive it till the wheels fall off ... money is always very tight for these small farmers.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks! Mike

 

[kurek]

Hard to guess a precise ride height result - a reg cab short bed Tradesman weighs probably a thousand pounds less than a crew cab Laramie - put the same springs on either of those and you end up with very different ride height.

That's an extreme comparison but every part of the truck weighs something so how it's optioned is going to affect the net height you get..

The good news is there's really no problem associated with slight differences in height, unless you're really picky about the cosmetic appearance you get from it. Ignoring aesthetics, a pickup truck should have a little bit of rake to it (rear slightly higher than front) so that it stays level under load - this helps keep handling predictable, maintains visibility for shorter drivers and can help keep headlights aimed at the road not airplanes.

Nothing wrong with those shocks, Monroe claims the Gas-Magnum ones are "premium" but both shocks have the same piston size & volume according to their specs so I'd expect the only difference will be in valving (how i rides). No first hand experience with them so I can't offer opinions on that but if it was my money between those two I'd just buy the lower priced one.

 

[xtal_01]

Awesome! He did say the back use to be high .. now it is slightly low.

He doesn't care about looks. He was getting worried because it started bottoming out.

Thanks for the advice!

Mike

 

[Dave2018]

Welcome to the Forums xtal_01!

New springs are the way to go. I'd hold off on shocks unless these are worn out/ little / no resistance or oil leaking. You didn't indicate mileage on the truck. Rough riding can be a couple of things, including old brittle / hard tires. If they are over 5 years old, they might be getting hard and that will be a big contributor to a rough ride.

 

[Livinalittle]

https://www.airliftcompany.com/products/air-springs/air-lift-1000-hd/

He may also want to look at these. They're very easy to install, cost less than $200 and, may save his drive train in the long run.
I usually leave mine at about 10 psi, the most I've ever had to fill was 15 psi (they're good up to 50)

 

[xtal_01]

Thanks!

I agree ... no reason to get shock ... for some reason he wants to.

I actually don't think he cares about the ride ... all short hauls .. dragging around bags of feed and moving around a horse trailer once in a while (as I said, I am pretty sure he over loads this truck all the time).

Funny, we were talking about air bags for his other truck. I think it is a 3500. He uses it for longer hauls. He wanted a little extra capacity when he takes out the "big" trailer (I have seen him haul a mini excavator with it).

Thanks again !!!!!!!

Mike