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It could be the shocks, also could be over-inflated rear tires. You should set your tire pressure to whatever it says on the inside of the door.
[quote=”wilddj” post=47733]My 96 Dakota has around 137k it and its a 4×4. The rear end in it rides incredibly hard, it almost feels like the axle is welded straight to the frame. Anyway could this be the shocks? It had from what i can tell a long hard life as a farm and plow truck and is now just a daily driver.[/quote]
This could be several things. First make sure the tires are inflated right. Next, make sure the shocks are good. Next look at the rear leaf springs. They may be sagged, have broken leafs, worn bushings, or just plain wrong for the application (IIRC, stiffer springs are on the camper/towing packages and higher GVWR trucks).
Hope that helps, let us know either way.
The dakotas have leaf springs, my leafs look ok but i know enough to know thats not everything. I am going to put some new shocks in when i get the chance and see if that helps. If not then its to the leaf springs. unless it is just some bushings or something small.
Is the rear end of your truck really bouncy if you push it down? It should be kinda stiff, and come back up without bouncing. If it acts kinda like a basket ball, your shocks are gone.
since its leaf springs. check that the leaf/shackle
has not been adjusted. If the truck has the towing
package.it may be set up stiff.It has hardly two inches of travel, I can stand on the back bumper and jump and it hardly moves. If it has the towing package i wouldnt know because it didnt have any wiring for trailer lights or a receiver when the guy i bought it from bought it.
Does it possibly have air shocks or helper bags/springs? Personally, I would be happy if the rear end in my truck was that stiff lol. Sucks when you load up a bunch of wood and your tires are rubbing on the fender flares :P. Check it over really good and look for anything abnormal or broken-looking. Maybe take some pictures and post them up. You might be able to get a few leafs taken out to make the suspension softer.
I don’t think it’s the shocks based on your description. If it was the back end would bounce like a basketball. I’d be taking a close look at the rear springs. If you have an air ride suspension this would be the first place I would look as it sounds like they may not be inflated. If you don’t have air bags look to the springs. You may have a broken one or broken mount.
Thanks all for the suggestions opinions or otherwise. for some odd reason now that its warmer than 5 degrees out it seems to have softened up a little. Everything looked ok when i was under it yesterday (exhaust broke). Now to make a post about something else that is bugging me.
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