not what i had bargained for

W

wellcraftv20step

Senior Member
just bought a new dodge ram 1500 quad cab with a 4.7, i was loving my truck till i put a cap on and put about 200 lbs of tools in the bed. i would tthink about 400 lbs total. Now the rear of the truck looks and feels like it has dropped about 4 inches:cry:.I knew dodge had done away with the leaf springs and now use the coil for a better ride ,i guess this is what dodge did when they figured out that the majority of people now buy this truck for looks and not work! i guess i,ll have to put in a heavier spring to correct this. oh and i can only imagine what will happen when i hook the v up to it ! if anyone has any other ideas on this please feel free.
 
I have a couple of friends who had the same experience.One went with airbags and now he's happy.
What made me wonder about them was how many I've seen that have began rusting out/paint peeling.Reminded me of so many 80's ford pickups.
 
Air bags are the way to go, I have a friend that had to do the same. I am sorry but you could not give me a Dodge anything!!
That said they all have there issues, Ford, GM, Toyota,But Dodge :cen:

i have 09 Silverado 1500 4X4, and they are to low to begin with, the Sea Ox is a heavy boat, then I have a 7000# 30' camper so what I have done to the last 3 GM's was put 3/4 ton springs in and no issues.
But you are right why did they go away from leafs? GM went to torsion bars in the front to get away from there sagging fronts, but now have gone back to coils also. So far there ok but I just turned 45,000 will see in a little more time.
 
I am very happy with my 1996 GMC 2500s rear end. It has never sagged past an inch in all the loads i have towed with it. My heaviest load to date was a load to the dump. Truck trailer and load were just shy of 10 tons! Truck sagged a little but not enough for me to complain.

As for the front end. All that IFS crap is going in the scrap pile in the next year. As soon as a find a Ford Dana 60 i can afford, its going under the front end with 6" of lift leaf springs.

Ever notice only the gasser guys call their dodge a dodge? If its got a Cummins it gets called a Cummins not a dodge truck.

I think air bags are the way to go for your truck. You can get just the bags and air them with an air chuck or go to an onboard compressor, and fill tires, run train horns, etc
 
jasoncooperpcola said:
I am very happy with my 1996 GMC 2500s rear end. It has never sagged past an inch in all the loads i have towed with it. My heaviest load to date was a load to the dump. Truck trailer and load were just shy of 10 tons! Truck sagged a little but not enough for me to complain.

As for the front end. All that IFS crap is going in the scrap pile in the next year. As soon as a find a Ford Dana 60 i can ats going under the front end with 6" of lift leaf springs.

Ever notice only the gasser guys call their dodge a dodge? If its got a Cummins it gets called a Cummins not a dodge truck.

I think air bags are the way to go for your truck. You can get just the bags and air them with an air chuck or go to an onboard compressor, and fill tires, run train horns, etc
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The only dodge I've ever owed was a 2002 cummins diesel. It was a P.O.S!!!!!!! I bought the truck with 20,000 miles on it and sold it with 60,000 miles. I replaced a very expensive injector pump, transmission coolent line fittings, and a A/C vacumn switch. The truck when I bought it was show room condition and when I sold it it was imaculate. That truck put a bad taste in my mouth for dodge trucks, plus it was made in Mexico!!!! That made me even madder!!!!
 
Simply put, airbags in the rear of a truck are like trim tabs on the rear of a V. Not necessary, but they make a huge difference in the ride. Less sag, less sway, better ride. Get em... you'll thank us later. :beer:
 
Ive already stated how much I loathed my Dodge. It was a happy day when I sold it.....

I just bought a '05 Chevy 2500 Quad 4x4 and will be towin it down to the keys for the first time next month. I will be 12,000lbs in motion....watch out!!!!
 
Thanks for the input guys, I will look into every suggestion offered. i have thought about the air bags, i was just wondering how long they generaly last. i actually called an auto spring place today he suggests a heavier spring. I'll let you know what i go with .And as usual thanks again guys for taking the time to help.even though i senced a little hostility. lol
 
i have a 95 dodge 1500 and i usually carry about 500-800 lb of tools, fittings , etc. plus i haul a trencher (5000 lb) or a tractor ( 7000lb). i got a set of 1500 springs from the scrap yard and doubled up on the 2 longest leafs (leaves?). it helped a lot.
 
wellcraftv20step said:
Thanks for the input guys, I will look into every suggestion offered. i have thought about the air bags, i was just wondering how long they generaly last. i actually called an auto spring place today he suggests a heavier spring. I'll let you know what i go with .And as usual thanks again guys for taking the time to help.even though i senced a little hostility. lol
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with heavier springs your ride quality could suffer. Unless you get progressive springs. With the airbags you still retain your 1500 ride but when you need it you get 2500 capacity. What year Ram is it? I have a 2006 2500 and I love it. It has a Hemi and a 6speed gear box.
 
Pete, it,s a 2012 1500 4x4 . and i think i am going to go with the airbags as so many of you guys have suggested, just worried about how long they will last. Barnegatev20 suggested the sensatrack load leveling shock but it's not made for my truck yet. and Phat, the main problem is that Ddodge did away with the leaf springs on this model,they say it eliminates high speed wheel hop , gee thanks alot for that one Dodge.
 
unfortunatly all the auto makers are trying to make their half ton trucks ride like cars. I think it's bullsh**! If you have a truck it should be a truck. My truck has leaf srpings in the back but coils up front. It still has live axles front and rear. My truck actually rides smoother with a few hundred pounds in the back. And it doesn't squat. Only if there is a lot of weight back there,especially since I installed a leveling kit to the front. To clear 35" tires.
 
I bought a set of shocks that have a coil spring around it for my 98 F 150 to keep it from squatting when I hook the big trailer with the tractor to it. It raised the amount of weight I could carry by a minimum of 1,500lbs.
I love them. P/sI put the same type on the front.
 
so we had an end of season family bbq yesterday and i was discussing this problem with my wifes cousin who is a mechanic. He told that i need to be very carefull about what i add to the truck as it could cause warranty problems. He then told me his very close friend is the parts manager at the local dodge dealership who he will speak to monday and hopefully get my truck rite = discounted part (i hope ).
 
I bought a 2012 Quad cab sport with the hemi. for 80 you can get the helper bags for the rear. Fill her up with air and you are good to go. Best riding truck I have driven.
 
well not much help from the dealer.they checked my truck and say this is normal. their advice is to do air bags with a compressor ( big bucks ). so i found a company that makes a spring just for this model, year and problem. it will give me more support and lift me back up, and just a small comfort difference. For 140.00 i ordered them. Let you know whwt happens.
 
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