Rear Leaf Springs Damaged? Shocks?

scottmoyer · May 30, 2011

Hey all,

Trying to figure out what is up with my truck. A few weeks back, Lowe's had a sale on mulch and my neighbor asked if I could help him get some. They loaded a full pallet of the red mulch in my truck bringing the rear end all the way down. I drove the 10 miles home slowly, but my leafs were as flat as you can get. I then decided that the deal was too good to pass up so I picked up two more pallets for a total of three trips. I then loaded it this week with 2x4s 4x4s for a fence I'm building. It was only 20 green treated 8 foot posts and 60 2x4s and I was down on the bump stops again!

The tires have about 65k miles and will be replaced soon. They drove smooth prior to all of this hauling, but a couple weeks back, I had them balanced and rotated. Now, I feel every contour of the road. The rear end seems to bounce a lot. It feels as if the tires are overinflated and there is no give to them. I checked the air pressure and that's fine. I took the truck back for the tires and found they were still out of balance, so had that fixed. Not sure if my tires are shot or if I damaged the shocks/springs with overloading.

How can I tell? I guess it might be time for some airbags!!!!

scz71864 · May 31, 2011

Hey all,
Trying to figure out what is up with my truck. A few weeks back, Lowe's had a sale on mulch and my neighbor asked if I could help him get some. They loaded a full pallet of the red mulch in my truck bringing the rear end all the way down. I drove the 10 miles home slowly, but my leafs were as flat as you can get. I then decided that the deal was too good to pass up so I picked up two more pallets for a total of three trips. I then loaded it this week with 2x4s 4x4s for a fence I'm building. It was only 20 green treated 8 foot posts and 60 2x4s and I was down on the bump stops again!

The tires have about 65k miles and will be replaced soon. They drove smooth prior to all of this hauling, but a couple weeks back, I had them balanced and rotated. Now, I feel every contour of the road. The rear end seems to bounce a lot. It feels as if the tires are overinflated and there is no give to them. I checked the air pressure and that's fine. I took the truck back for the tires and found they were still out of balance, so had that fixed. Not sure if my tires are shot or if I damaged the shocks/springs with overloading.

How can I tell? I guess it might be time for some airbags!!!!

good god son, i would say you def put the payload to work. you prob damaged the leaf springs if anyting. if you have the time unbolt your rear shocks and see how much pressure they still have on them. also whens the last time you had your shocks replaced? your load you did might just have sent the shocks to the limit

Fobroader · May 31, 2011

Dude, check to see if there is any fluid leaking out of your shocks. I dont think your leafs are damaged, but the shocks are most likely shot.

KMGZ400 · May 31, 2011

Hey all,
Trying to figure out what is up with my truck. A few weeks back, Lowe's had a sale on mulch and my neighbor asked if I could help him get some. They loaded a full pallet of the red mulch in my truck bringing the rear end all the way down. I drove the 10 miles home slowly, but my leafs were as flat as you can get. I then decided that the deal was too good to pass up so I picked up two more pallets for a total of three trips. I then loaded it this week with 2x4s 4x4s for a fence I'm building. It was only 20 green treated 8 foot posts and 60 2x4s and I was down on the bump stops again!

The tires have about 65k miles and will be replaced soon. They drove smooth prior to all of this hauling, but a couple weeks back, I had them balanced and rotated. Now, I feel every contour of the road. The rear end seems to bounce a lot. It feels as if the tires are overinflated and there is no give to them. I checked the air pressure and that's fine. I took the truck back for the tires and found they were still out of balance, so had that fixed. Not sure if my tires are shot or if I damaged the shocks/springs with overloading.

How can I tell? I guess it might be time for some airbags!!!!

holy shit..... id have to say you have bigger balls then me to haul a load that much higher above the cab!!

my 2004 silverado has rarely been used for towing.. maybe 300 miles out of its 89,000 is about 2-3 inches higher in the back then my 2001 silvy with 93,000 which has been towing all sorts of things ranging from 3500lbs to 500lbs for over 70,000 of its miles and my guess is that stuff is just wearing out such as leafs and shocks... i can physically see my leaf springs more worn out on the 01.... i would just get an add a leaf kit if your shocks are not leaking fluid

Fobroader · May 31, 2011

Add a leafs will make the truck ride like shit, Id look for 3/4 ton leaf springs. Much better than add a leaf.

scz71864 · May 31, 2011

Add a leafs will make the truck ride like shit, Id look for 3/4 ton leaf springs. Much better than add a leaf.

will the 3/4 ton springs mount int the same place? and are they the same width as the ones for the 1500s? add a leaf will be a hell of alot cheaper though

ChevyTech77 · May 31, 2011

Add a leafs will make a truck ride stiffer than installing 3/4 ton leafs?? That's got to be the first time I've ever heard that. Not to mention that I don't believe that they are even interchangable but then again, I wouldn't bother with a swap like that.

Looks like its time to replace the shocks and possibly the leaf springs on this one. If you overload something that bad, that many times, stuff like this can happen.

Fobroader · May 31, 2011

On the GMT400s it was commonplace to put in the 3/4 or 1 ton leaf pack if you were consistently hauling heavy stuff. A well engineered leaf pack is much better than a hack job add a leaf.

scz71864 · May 31, 2011

On the GMT400s it was commonplace to put in the 3/4 or 1 ton leaf pack if you were consistently hauling heavy stuff. A well engineered leaf pack is much better than a hack job add a leaf.

i wouldnt go that far is to say its a "hack job" but its a way cheaper way to get just about the same results

scottmoyer · May 31, 2011

I don't want to do a hack job and I'm not interested in buying the cheapest repair possible. If I damaged my 100k mile leaf springs or my 40k mile Bilsteins, then I need to fix it correctly. What springs can I install that will provide additional weight capability without adding lift? I've thought about the 2500 series leafs, but I heard they add lift. I leveled my truck but drag the rear with anything that gets put in the back. Do I need airbags also to maintain a level ride when loading? Can I install airbags in place of new springs? Looking for ideas. Thanks all.

Fobroader · June 1, 2011

A stock set of rear springs and some airbags will be the best way to go, stock ride but way increased load capacity when you need it. Thats what I was gonna do to the 1/2 ton before I bought my 3/4 ton.

scz71864 · June 1, 2011

A stock set of rear springs and some airbags will be the best way to go, stock ride but way increased load capacity when you need it. Thats what I was gonna do to the 1/2 ton before I bought my 3/4 ton.

an add a leaf wouldnt be a hack job, but you could go with replacing the shocks *if they were bad* and doing an air bag. there are other options than bags to help with towing like helper springs,

scottmoyer · June 1, 2011

I checked the shocks and don't see any fluid on them. I also used the old fashioned "bounce" method on the rear bumper. There was a little movement, but it was about the same amount as a friends Avalanche with 60k miles on it with factory shocks. I guess I needed a baseline, but never made one. I'm also questioning the life of a front shock so I will call Bilstein tomorrow and see what they have to say about testing their shocks.

I know that the springs will sag when they get weak and my truck sits level still so if anything, they might need replacing due to age, not because of my overloading. I'm thinking shocks might have gotten damaged or the tires are just worn enough that the front tires, now on the rear, feel different on the rear than they did up front. Again, the feel is like the tires are overinflated, not soft.