Shock Absorbers for Dodge Ram 1500 - Dutchmen Owners
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Old 08-03-2013, 10:47 PM   #1
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Shock Absorbers for Dodge Ram 1500

OK so I spent a few hours today setting up my hitch so the trailer would tow level. Mission accomplished but I'm not happy with a 2 1/2in drop. I have a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn edition with leaf springs and some small looking shocks.

Any suggestions on shocks? Can the leaf springs be stiffened?
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Old 08-03-2013, 11:27 PM   #2
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Originally Posted by Sailmaker View Post
OK so I spent a few hours today setting up my hitch so the trailer would tow level. Mission accomplished but I'm not happy with a 2 1/2in drop. I have a 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn edition with leaf springs and some small looking shocks.

Any suggestions on shocks? Can the leaf springs be stiffened?
If the shocks are still OEM then they may be getting to the end of the duty cycle.

Shocks are to control rebound vs carry weight added by the TT. Replacing the shocks won't do what you want the to do unless you go with a coil over shock or an air ajustable shock.

You can have an extra leaf added to the spring pack, but be prepared to sacrifice ride quality when your running empty. I did this on a 2000 F150, cost me $120.00, so figure inflation.

The first thing that I would look at is the weight of your TT and the rating on your hitches spring bars. I just went from an 8K TT with 10K spring bars to a 12K TT. I had to upgrade the spring bars to get back to level.

Have you scaled your rig with it loaded? That's the true test of the weight distribution. Eyeballing can get you close, but it is the weight transfer from the rear axel to the front axel that you are trying to balance.

Every trip out I hit the first scale I come to, just to check that I have the weight transfer that I need. Give it a shot you may find that you don't have a problem with the Ram.
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Old 08-04-2013, 12:05 AM   #3
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Thanks hddecker. I tried several settings on the weight distribution bars and the best configuration was a 1in drop in the front and 2 1/2in in the rear. Im not sure of the actual weights added to each axle. The tt runs 6600#. Add another est. 800 for water, propane and misc. Vehicle rated for 8500#.
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Old 08-04-2013, 04:51 AM   #4
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Thanks hddecker. I tried several settings on the weight distribution bars and the best configuration was a 1in drop in the front and 2 1/2in in the rear. Im not sure of the actual weights added to each axle. The tt runs 6600#. Add another est. 800 for water, propane and misc. Vehicle rated for 8500#.
Just going from the amount of drop front and rear, I don't think you are to far away from the ideal. The best way to judge is still scaling the truck and trailer, fully loaded.

When I first read your post, I had the vision of many of the rigs I see running down the road, with the rear bumper dragging and the headlights hitting the tops of the trees. The amazing thing with these units is the fact that they manage to stay on the asphalt, even when they use all 4 lanes to do it.

When I see a rig like that I either slow down and let him get far enough ahead that I won't have to see the carnage, or thank my lucky stars that they passed me going the other direction and didn't run me off the road.
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