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Seasick From Sway? "SuperSprings"
Long springs on late model pickups make for a smoother ride, but they also make for a sloppier ride, especially under load. If you've ever felt a little seasick from the sway as your truck leaned too far into a corner, Mr. Truck thinks he has found the answer.
  "SuperSprings are single leaf springs that attach to the original spring with a rolling shackle that self-adjusts to your spring movement," says Mr. Truck, AKA H. Kent Sundling. He runs a truck accessory website at www.MrTruck.com. "It looks too simple to work, but it does. The tapered ends allow more movement so they don't interfere with the soft empty ride, and the wider part, in the middle of the spring, gives you support under load."
  Other options exist for older trucks, such as air bags that slow the spring travel. And aftermarket overload springs help under load, but make the empty ride rougher.
  The problem with options like aftermarket air bags, as well as bumper pads, is that they have to be drilled and bolted to the truck frame. SuperSprings simply attach to the springs, giving you the best of both worlds without having to drill holes, says Mr. Truck. "They even work as a rear axle stabilizer for anti-sway to eliminate wheel hop."
  To test the SuperSprings, Mr. Truck overloaded a 1990 GMC 1500 (1/2-ton) with 221,000 miles on it and original factory springs. He mounted a friend's 10-ft. camper on it, but slid it only 2/3 of the way into the bed.
  "It dipped and bucked going down the road," says Mr. Truck. "The extra spring travel with the longer leaf springs make a big difference how much farther the truck will lean on curves and bounce out of ruts and washboards. I used a camper for the load because they attract side wind like a magnet."
  The first step in Mr. Truck's test was to mount SuperSprings to only the right side of the overloaded truck. When the truck was driven through some potholes, the impact of the SuperSprings was immediate.
  "The right side didn't move much, but the left side without the SuperSprings bounced like a basketball," he recalls. "SuperSprings superbly controlled the movement of the truck's factory springs. They are self adjusting and require no air or air tank, no drilling and no welding."
  The SuperSprings come in three weight ratings: regular ($249), heavy duty ($285) and extra heavy duty ($370). The roller shackles attach at both ends of the factory installed springs. If springs sit on top of the axle, a mounting kit may be needed to provide the proper torque.
  Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Kent Sundling, MrTruck.net, 1020 Downing Way, Denver Colo. 80229 (ph 303 288-2082; website: www.MrTruck.com or www. overloadsprings.com).


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2004 - Volume #28, Issue #5