Deaver Stage III - Soften Ride?

I had a camper (4WC Swift, ~1000lbs) on my 2018 OR (double cab, 5ft bed). Previous owner swapped stock leaf springs for Deaver Stage III. It rode great with the camper on the bed, but now that I've sold the camper, the truck is miserable to drive. Bounces all over the road and you feel every little bump. The previous owner also installed airbags (put them in before the Deavers, decided they weren't enough for the camper), but I've never pumped them up. My driver's side rear shock may also be blown, not 100% sure.

I don't plan on carrying much weight going forward. I may get a Leer/Snugtop/etc topper down the road, but not much beyond that and camping/climbing/mtb gear. I'm also not doing any offroading beyond the rare relatively gentle gravel/dirt road.

Two questions:
1. Is there anything I can do to make the ride more pleasant without changing the leaf springs? Is it possible the poor ride is because of the (possibly) blown shock, or is it mostly coming from the very heavyweight springs?
2. Suggestions for OEM-ride-like leaf springs on the cheaper end? I'm going to call General Springs, and I'm keeping an eye out for used stock springs. I've been quoted $1500 by two shops to replace the springs with less heavy duty ones, and I'd prefer to bring that price down.

Thanks for any thoughts!

 

Not really much you can do without putting some weight back in the bed. Those stage 3s are serious leafs..

Maybe lower the tire pressure?

Post a pic of the shock that may be blown so we can see

And welcome to TW

 

Disassemble the leaf packs and remove a few leaves would be the cheapest route but may require a couple of iterations to get it just right.

Maybe find someone who's getting a camper to trade your Stage 3 for a Stage 1 or similar? Might take a while to find someone to trade

 

I was considering getting myself 1000lbs of bricks to just carry around...

Pict of the driver's side (1st image) and passenger's side (2nd image). I know nothing about these things, but the guy I sold my camper to thought the driver's side looked blown.

 

I called Deaver and asked about disassembling the pack, and they didn't think it was possible to get it to a comfortable ride with any level of change to it.

Also, great username. Every scene he's in is incredible. Not sure if he or Keef is my favorite, they're all so good.

 

Those shocks aren't leaking, just dirty..

 

Great, thanks for taking a look!

 

Fill the bed with concrete

 

The people at Deaver know their stuff and they're probably right. However, it seems like removing half the leaves would make some kind of difference. Not apples-to-apples exactly but that's how Icon's RXT leaf packs are designed to work.

 

I have the General Spring HD leafs installed. I think theyre great for my purpose. I was able to find them locally to save on shipping.

 

I see what looks like seven leaves on that pack... I'd try removing both the 3rd leaf, and the 5th leaf, and also remove the air bags and see where that gets you. If that loses too much lift, then maybe put back the 3rd leaf (3rd from top).
Deaver may be correct in that it won't ride as nice as their Stage I springs, but this should still make a significant improvement regardless.

×2, I see nothing visibly obvious to indicate those shocks are blown.

 

Are you carrying much weight around? I'll see what GS has to say when I call them on Monday, but I'm worried about switching to these and still finding it too stiff with nothing in the bed. Thanks for sharing!

 

Good tips! Thanks!

 

I installed them when I purchased my Leer fiberglass cap. I also upgraded my shocks at the time. The cap weighs around 250lbs, I think it rides fine. When there is any additional weight back there it rides even better. I have yet to contact my sumo springs.
Edit: I really didn’t want a lift, I just wanted to fix the squat

 

This is one of the reason why I do not want to buy any vehicle that has been modified. Example like yours buying something that the owner did specifically for his purpose now you are stuck to figure out how to fix it. I read some of this stuff all over in TW. Good luck

 

@ggaddamm - where are you located? Many new members appear and don’t share their location (even a vague general location).

Many people on here have spare parts and willing to unload for cheap or free, which would help you out.
Also, including your location would help find someone close to you that would want your leaf springs and/or the airbag setup for their overloaded truck.

You may even make a few bucks (before paying labor for the swap).

 

Thanks for the tip! I added my location to my profile - I'm in the Inland Empire, just east of LA/Orange County.

 

Yeah, I don't think I'd buy another vehicle with mods. However, the upgraded suspension worked well for my camper (which I bought along with the truck). Good few years with it, now the hassle of getting back to stock-ish.

 

Awesome, thanks for the info!

 

Buy a new leaf pack. Install and then wait for the right deal to sell yours.