I am wondering if anyone knows who makes a good set of adjustable air shocks for the front end. I would like to put some in to stiff up the front in the winter with the 8.5' plow I resently put on, because right now with the plow up the 285's rub pretty good. I don't want to put a leveling kit in though.
Any info is greatly appreciated, Tim.

 

Does your truck have the snowplow prep package? I beleive it included heavier springs, mine has snowplow prep on it , and it rides ALOT as in EXTREMELY rougher than our 96 service truck at work...

 

JKM,
The truck is stock suspension, bought the plow used, 8.5 fisher v-plow. When the plow is up the truck drops a decent amount probably a good 2-3".
Tim.

 

Do they make an air shock for the front end? I have used them on the rear a of a 1500 Suburban for towing and they have always worked great. Do you think adding some weight all the way back at the tail gate would help just while you are using the plow.

 

last i knew (several years ago) air shocks were illegal for front use. loss of air could be catastophic. now you are not using them as the only means of suspending the front end, but shocks for that application may be real tough to find (liability issues for manufacturer, etc). try to match up the mount point styles and shock min/max lengths to find some that might work. other than that, a real airbag front suspension may be the only adjustable option. expensive but probably the best for your situation.

 

I put air shocks on for the same reason.I could ot find ones to fit between the spring so i made my own mounts so it is on the outside of coil.It helped a lot,i'll fill them up to plow and lower them down to 25 psi when not.
tom

 

i know skyjacker makes a dual shock kit, not sure if it will work with the stock stuff. puts the second shock outside the coil. maybe other suspension companies make them as well if you aren't in ot the fab part yourself.

 

Tim,
Check out the Timbren rubber spring kit. They are supposed to install with minimal suspension contact unloaded so ride and height is not affected. When loaded they compress and prevent drooping the front end. I was looking at these for my 1500 a while back to support my camper. Got a bigger truck instead.
As for air shocks on front, I only saw them available for VWs in a JC Whitney catalog a long time ago. You might get a Rear Dodge Dart air shock if the eye to eye dim is correct. Also air shocks are pretty fat so it might not fit inside the spring mount.
The Timbrens might cost about $130.00.

(Oops...Tom already addressed some of this)

 

I have seen air bags made for the front of some trucks. You could check with Firestone. I can't remember the other company that makes the air bags. There not air shocks but will keep the front from sagging.

Just a thought, Rodney

 

I put Rancho 9000 adjustable shocks all around. There is a small compressor that you mount in the engine compartment, and control in the cab with a button to stiffen or relax them.

 

Rancho 9000 shocks in no way aid in suspending the vehicle......they are only there to dampen the spring. Turning them up or down changes the rate of compression and rebound dampening but they cannot change the overall spring rate.

 

Your are right about that, good call.

 

Beast2B, Ya a loss of air wouldn't be a good thing, airbags might be the way to go.
Civille6, I have about 1200lbs. in the back for counter wieght, helps but doesn't do the trick.
Blueram01, I'll take a look at the timbrems.
I would like to go with airbags, but anybody have a idea on the cost for a front end kit? I've searched a bit on the firestone's, but haven't found a price or place to get them for the front,
Tim.

 

The timbren front kit only costs about $160 which isn't bad at all, anyone have experience with them and a plow, will it keep it from dropping the 2-3" that it drops now?

 

You need to go with either timbrens or a heavier spring combo, like a 047/048. These are mopar springs and are super stiff. When I ran them with the blizzard plow it would only drop the front about 1.25". And that plow weighs about 1,050 lbs. The ideal situation is to run the timbrens with the heavier springs, however either will do by itself. The timbrens are less than half the price of new springs, and are easier to install. Just like was mentioned they are a progressive rubber bump stop that doesn't affect the ride unloaded, but supports the load when you have the plow on. The springs you will obviously feel all the time, mine rode like a brick **** house, put the D25s on and felt like I was riding on air. If it were me I'd do the timbrens though...