Rear end like a rock

[JCM5]

1996 Dually
The rear springs ride like a rock, yaa I know its a dually, I do not wnat to buy progressive springs. Is there any after market fix, like adding a new main spring?
I have seen the rubber shackles and not intersested. Lowers ride height and carrying capacity.

I think this has to do more with the unsprung weight coming back down after a bump. Bangs hard. Different shocks? Bilstein correct this or not. Currently using Monroes and not very happy with them. I have ripped two of these units apart at the welds and after 2 weeks of use loose oil in them.

Yes, i load the bed down thats why I bought a dually, but with no load its like a semi.

Any fixes to help or experience with this problem, item tried?

[DmaxMaverick]

Welcome aboard!

Bilstein's would be a good start. You are probably right about the unsprung weight. The rebound does transfer back to the chassis (this is why washboard highways are the worst with it). Good shocks will help, but won't be the fix-all. You can install an air spring setup, and remove the heavy leafs completely. This gives you an option of setting the suspension light for no load, and heavy for tow/haul situations. Airlift is a good brand (I use them), and Summit sells them at the best price. Their hardware kit is more straight forward and much easier to install than the others, without a sacrifice for durability.

[Colorado Kid]

Airing the tires down to around 50 PSI when empty helps quite a bit, but of course airing them back up takes a while with a 12 Volt compressor on a dually. When I had 3/4 and 1-ton trucks I only rarely hauled heavy, so I ran with moderate tire pressures most of the time. Airing up the tires doesn't seem like a big deal when it's part of the process of loading the slide-in camper or hooking up the 5th wheel. It's probably too much trouble if you're hauling every few days though.

By the way, X2 on the Bilsteins. They were the best improvement I made on my 2500HD, and again on the Suburban. They won't necessarily make it ride smooth, but they'll take some of the bang out of it, and you won't break them.