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Rear leaf springs possible sagging

dbrannon79

I'm getting there!
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Location
Seguin, TX
Hey guys, I need some advice and some opinions here on my 95 C3500 truck. The other day I was just looking under my truck and noticed that the rear leaf springs were just barley above the overload spring and it dawned on me that this could be the cause of a stiffer ride! being that this is a 1 ton pickup I knew it was gonna be way rougher than a 1/2 ton to begin with, but considering the age at 25 years old the suspension is probably worn some. When I sat on the tailgate the overloads would touch, the crazy part is truck seems to have a good stance and doesn't look like it's sagging. I know the only true fix would be to replace the rear springs, but I don't really want to spend that kind of money right now. I was pondering the idea of installing a set of air shocks just to give it a slight lift so I'm not on top of the overloads since I don't really tow or haul anything heavy. what's y'alls opinion on this and would it help ride smoother on the roads without a load?
 
Mine bumps up against the overload springs all the time. Still haven't done anything about it, am considering having the main pack rearched.
 
Mine bumps up against the overload springs all the time. Still haven't done anything about it, am considering having the main pack rearched.
I've thought about that also but heard that is just about as expensive as buying new! we've had that done here at work with some of the semi-trucks and they didn't last too long, we ended up replacing them. have you heard of any ill effects of doing that?
 
my theroy behind using air shocks is for the $60 investment, it might give some lift and take care of the stiff ride for a short time (year or so) and since I need new rear shocks anyway. the rubber is gone on once of the shock mounts :D
 
Owning the truck equipment shop, we saw these all the time and had customers choose different options.
There is no replacement for replacement.
You can do airbags, provided they are installed proper.

Having them re arched is good, but only if they are in good condition (no rust) and you know the shop you have do it has a good reputation. Some of our customers were people that had it done at crappy shops.

No on the air shocks. All the weight you take off the springs gets put on the shock mounts and they can fail. Also with them pressurized so hard they hold the weight, they cant do much dampening of the bounce.

As to judging ride height or quality- what you have seems “normal” until you drive someone else’s truck that everything is in new condition then you realize how off your is.

Add a leaf or worse yet- Timberens, which I used to sell because it’s the cheap answer customers want... don’t do it. If you are broke and HAVE TO do something then jam a railroad tie in there until your next paycheck and save the overload money towards real springs wether leaf or air bags. I made it clear to every customer- they are not good and the only thing I will do is 10% off labor of removal later when they learn.

The happiest customers, and some we had comparing were fleet service trucks where they had 10 identical rigs- were ALWAYS full air suspension conversions. UNLESS they go offroading. On road use, nothing will handle it like airbags and adjustable ride shocks.

Offroad airbags simply don’t react quickly enough, and fight any idea of independence.

So I say price out from reputable shop redoing yours (prices vary greatly by area and how bad they need the work that week), new springs, and air ride.

Add a leaf is a good option in certain circumstances, but overload air bags usually out perform them.
 
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