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Air shockers

losh1971

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Can you still buy air shocks for the rears? I find that when I am fully loaded with say 600kg in the tub the rear sag taking too much weight off the front and it makes it a little swervy if you want to sit on the speed limit. I'd rather not go air bags as they are really exi.
 

vc commodore

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Why not look at heavier rear springs? BTW, unsure if air shocks are available
 

losh1971

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Only issue I have with heavier springs is ride quality across the rough dirt roads. As it is without a load it's pretty uncomfortable if the road home hasn't been graded for some time. Heavier springs will make it even harsher.
 

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EYY

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You can get them for sedans, and probably the utes too. But last time i checked pricing for somebody they were around $300 for the pair. Sounds like you probably need new shocks and springs in the rear and you'll be set.

600kg is a lot of weight. Coil spring rear ends don't spread the load as well as leaf rears though. You'll be able to improve it a little, but it'll never be perfect. Those air shocks put more stress on the shock mounting points too.
 

losh1971

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Yeah I was wondering if the rear shocks might be a tad worn out. It may well not be the weight off the front as much as the rear shocks not able to stop the sway. I will forget air shocks never thought about them putting extra load on a small welded mount. I think the distance between the axle and tailgate doesn't help. I ended up taking a fair amount of wood that was sitting behind the axle off today for the trip home tomorrow. Gonna see how it goes with the load more centered between the front and rear wheels.
 

greenacc

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It's quite easy to pull a shock off the back and have a feel how worn it is. Good chance they'll be buggered unless someone has replaced the originals with a quality set.
 

losh1971

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Not sure if they have been replaced but even so they look old. I'll add them to the long list. But having said that the ute handles great when you are unloaded or a light load in the back. I plan to have it safety inspected before I leave for Adelaide. So hopefully they will tell me if they are worn out. Although it wasn't picked up at the last inspection almost a year ago and i thought then the shocks looked old.
 

Immortality

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Do they test shocks or just give a basic look over?

As the others have suggested, do the shocks first. If that doesn't improve the problem than the airbags are probably your best bet.
 

greenacc

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If the ute is like the VS sedan the shocks are held in by a nut st the top and a nut at the bottom. So easy to remove and install. If you pull them out you. An quickly feel how much resistance is left in them by compressing and extending them by hand. Most original shocks need replacing by 100,000 Ks. There should be a date on the bottom of each one telling the The year it was made.
 
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