Dang load levelers!

[maroon93limited]

So, bought some Monroe load leveler shocks and thought to myself, I can put these is no problem! I lied. I've got the Ex. completley off the ground in the rear with the suspension at full droop, and my noodly little arms can't compress these shocks enough to get them in. Anybody ever use these? Anyone have any suggestions? I was thinking of putting them in our press and wiring them when they're compressed a few inches.

 

[wolfnutts]

try taking them off compress them should stay for a min put bottom bolt on an cut your wire or a heavy peice of twine an bolt the two small bolts at top

 

[Mark98]

I had them and didn't have any problem compressing them while putting them on.

 

[maroon93limited]

Maybe I just need to work out more, but those coil springs are tight!

 

[Mark98]

Maybe I just need to work out more, but those coil springs are tight!

Really? I could move mine easily. They almost seemed like they weren't effective unless they had at least 100 lbs compressing them.

 

[rjcooperss396]

Get a piece of wood and a floor jack. Set the wood on the floor jack and use it to compress the shock. I've had to do this with gas charged shock before.

 

[general x]

Perhaps your new shocks are longer than the old ones/wrong ones? Are they the same length as your old shocks fully extended? Would hate to you sweating bullets to install them just to find out they were too long and hit full compression before the bump stops!

If so then the other suggestion of compressing the shock in a press and wiring it compressed would be my best guess. Be careful thou, I cant see a shock being very stable in a press and your going to have to wire it like your playing with a bomb O.O I like it when shocks come precompressed in a box with a plastic retainer

 

[maroon93limited]

I had one set side by side with an original, and it was pretty much the exact same length, the Monroe MIGHT be an inch longer. I'm going to bring them to work in the morning to use the press, and then snag a bunch of zap straps to keep it that way so I can throw them in.

I wonder if unhooking the rear sway bar will give me that extra 2 1/2" I need?

 

[general x]

Maybe, it would only really limit down travel if the main bar that attach's to the links are going vertical thou, otherwise it should pivot just fine in the bushings. If the new shocks are longer then my only real concern would be that they need to compress to the same length as the old ones so if you bottom the suspension, the bump stops do their job before the shocks reach full compression. Compressing them all the way in a press to determine compressed length sounds like a dangerous endeavor, perhaps there are specs for the length of the shock online?

I guess this also be irrelevant assuming you don't jump your sploder, it's more of a "If I did happen to bottom the rear, what would happen" Better to be safe than sorry? I suppose an inch is not a lot longer

 

[maroon93limited]

Got em' in this morning! Got to the shop at work (quite the bouncy ride with no rear shocks!) and had them in and the Ex back on the ground in under 1/2 an hour. Didn't have to use the press at all, just stood them up on the ground, put my fulll weight on them as my son weaved a couple of zip ties through some coils and voila, compressed enough to go in nice and easy. What a difference! I always found the rear end a little soft even though the shocks were fine, but these made a world of difference. Only raised the rear end about an inch, which is fine as it was sagging a bit anyway.

Now to see how it does with enough camping gear for a week stowed in the back.

A highly reccomended upgrade, the Monroe part number is 58617.

 

[general x]

Nice! I drove around in a 89 F150 for a few months without front shocks. It surprisingly didn't bounce much but the tires rebounded badly over bumps causing the front end to skip all over the place at speed and if you took a corner too fast you...well, you didn't really take the corner, you just plowed through it!

How much did those shocks set you back $ wise?

 

[maroon93limited]

I think the pair of shocks ran me about 150-ish. Well worth the money.