Canadian Dodge, 3 ton 4x2

[Lang]

Kevin

I once drove one of those Dodges on a 300km each way trip. One way loaded and one way empty.

The ride loaded was of course very smooth but the empty ride was also quite good. I personally would not be creating a mess and bandaging springs as I doubt the improvement, if any, in the ride would be worth the effort.

Any empty truck will jolt over a deep pothole due to the sheer strength of the springs not sufficiently bending, no amount of greasing is going to alter this. Most trucks partially overcome this hard empty ride with a secondary helper spring which does not come into play until the load pushes the truck down to engage the helpers on their support brackets.

A bit of research will find evidence that greased springs are detrimental to ride as they rely in friction between the leaves to smooth out the bounce, particularly on the rebound. That is one reason coil springs are unworkable without shock absorbers while leaves still give a reasonable ride.

I would talk to somebody who has actually greased their springs to make sure it is worth the effort.

Lang