I frequently tow heavy loads my dakota as well and offroad it so I also
wanted to get air shocks to allow me to adjust for the conditions. I found
that no one makes a air shock or a shock with an external spring for the
dakota. I believe the reason being that the top of the shocks is not
fastened to the frame rails, like most trucks, but rather a cross beam
along the bottom of the bed. I think this cross beam is not designed to
handle the additional stress of supporting the force that would result
from using air shocks, because some of the load is now supported by
the shocks rather than the springs. I plan on installing a universal fit
helper leaf spring, about $25 at any auto parts store, and dealing with
the stiff unloaded ride. This is probably a whole lot cheaper than getting
the 2000 lb springs, though the truck would probably handle a bit better
with if you use the 2000 lb springs, and will achieve the desired result of
not having a sagging truck while towing a trailer.
Brent Cring
91 V-8 4x4
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