I'm a new member, and I've been reading this forum for several years. I finally am at a point where I could really use some advice for my truck (didn't see any similar posts). I've had this truck since new, and plan on keeping it forever, but since it's not my primary vehicle and I drive it less than 1,000 miles a year, I can put up with some of the minor issues it has. The suspension, however, is at the point where I barely feel safe driving it on these pot hole laden roads of NE Ohio. I literally feel like the truck has wooden 2x4's for suspension, and when hitting these rough spots at highway speeds, it seems like everything will rattle loose as the truck tries to hop sideways.
Everything is factory on the truck except for the Rancho RS9000 shocks I put on 15 years ago or so. I'm not sure where to start or who to take this to for service, as I'm not inclined to do this myself. I don't mind dropping some money into this thing as it's been a great vehicle and has a lot of life left. I also don't haul too much anymore other than a 5,000 lb boat periodically and a bed full of rock or mulch from the landscape yard.
Any suggestions where to start?

 

How are the front tires? Strange wear patterns with cupped out places or inside worn more than the outside?

 

They actually have been wearing pretty evenly with no wear patterns on inside or out. They are quite old, so I'll be replacing them this year due to their age (showing signs of dry rot), not wear.

 

How badly have the front springs sagged? There's very little spring travel in a leaf spring TTB to begin with. If the springs have sagged much you could be hitting end-of-travel pretty easily which would give an awful ride. Typically the camber would be pretty far out by that time as well, so the fact that your tires are wearing well might say this isn't the problem, but it's a place to look.

 

If it were mine, I would start with the 15yo shocks. If the springs aren't sagging too much, new rubber bushings on each end will do wonders. Don't forget about the rear, it is responsible for some of the ride too. Do you have sway bars? Worn bushings in them will sometimes make things act squirrelly.

 

I think the shocks are a good idea as well as inspecting the bushings. Some look to be cracking from what I can see from crawling underneath, and I think they're original. How do I tell if the springs are sagging? Here's a couple of pictures of it, so not sure if it's something you can see visually or if you need to pop a wheel off to get a better look.

 

Looks like it is sitting just the way it is supposed to. Look at the bump stops that are fastened to the frame sitting just above the front axle on each side. If they have been bumping the stop, the springs have gotten too weak. But normally if that is happening the front would be sagging enough that it would be easy to see what was wrong. I would concentrate on shocks and spring bushings first.