Whether you have a Dodge Ram 4x4 or some compact Toyota Tacoma, the suspension is an important part of your pickup truck's overall functionality. Comprised of a series of springs and shock absorbers, a suspension system is designed to cushion the driver and the vehicle out of embarrassing hazardous road conditions.

How a Suspension System Works
A suspension process is traditionally created using springs that absorb a portion of the jolt when you hit a bump, permitting the tires and axle to transfer and softening the impact.

If the axle of the truck was attached to the frame you would feel every tiny crack because nothing would be set up to absorb the effect. Since its tires would bounce off the ground if you hit a bump, in reality, you would not be able to control the truck.

One of the first forms of suspension, a leaf spring system consists of one or more long, arched pieces of steel that are made to bend when necessary (like when you hit a bump or put a load in the truck bed), however with the ability to return to the arch's original form.

One end of a leaf spring is connected to the frame, along with the other end is attached to a shackle that may move, allowing the spring's overall length to change up to its arch flexes (after carrying a load or traveling over bumps).

Adding more foliage springs allows the system to encourage more weight, which is why heavier duty trucks have multiple layers of leaf springs.

A leaf spring does not support as heavy of a load as multiples, but it flexes more freely with all the ups and downs of a road, providing a comfortable ride.

A pile of leaf springs supports a heavier load making it more difficult for the primary leaf to flex and preventing the vehicle. The trade-off is a stiffer ride when the truck mattress is vacant, because, with no load, very little flex takes place.

Coil Spring Suspension Systems
Coil spring suspension systems have been used on front and back and on the front of trucks of automobiles. Systems have a single coil on each side of the automobile. The coil moves more freely supplying more along with a comfortable ride.

Back Suspension Systems
Manufacturers have utilized leaf springs for pickup truck rear suspensions since they believed that kind of system provided the best service for heavy loads.

Dodge broke from tradition with its 2009 Ram 1500s, installing a coil spring suspension system that the system would carry a load. The setup has proved to be highly successful.