Monroe 58629 Load Adjusting Shock Absorber & Coil Spring Assembly Kit (2-Pack) - Compatible with Ford F-150 2004-2014 - Heavy Duty Suspension Upgrade for Towing & Off-Road Driving

I like these Monroe spring / shocks, and am sure they will give me the look, lift, and weight transfer to front I was looking for. These are very difficult (bugger) to put on as others have said. I expected the trouble, as I put some on an older Camaro for lift several years ago. Rubber bushings at top are very thick and stiff (good and bad). Difficult to get the upper nut started, you will need a pickle fork or nail pry tool to push the shock washer down enough to start the nut. This was NOT easy. For the bottom, you will need a jack with a 3/4 long socket to compress the spring about three inches to reach the axle bracket. Some advice, get new lower attachment bolts, nuts and washers (all Grade 8 or better). Torque lower bolt to at least 90 ft/lbs and double nut. Tighten upper nut till you have a slight bulge in the bushing and double nut. I recommend using bushing lube on all rubber grommets and bolts to stop squeaks. Also recommend replacing the stabilizer links on the front end with quality Moog parts. Would rather have the shocks long than short. This took well over 2 hours to do on a 2002 Ford F-150 Super Crew below 7,700 GVWR. They are the right rear shocks for this truck. Only Time will tell if they stand the test of time, to see if they last (just like Van Halen said). This is my first shot at Monroe Load Adjusting Shocks. These replaced some KYB Gas-a-just shocks (there is no gas adjusting). These Gas Pressure shocks caused excessive bounce, jounce, porposeing, and trouble with control over bad road surfaces with a trailer. They were very smooth and extra soft shocks. Would rather have my old stiff truck shocks than a bounce house soft suspension with gas pressurized shocks. These Monroe Load Leveling shocks / springs are slightly stiff empty, very good off-road on washboard. I use about 300lb weight in the rear of the bed when trailer is not hooked up. This works great to calm springs. Have also used Gabriel Hydraulics on this truck, and these did pretty good for 5-6 years. I will likely use Rancho or HD bushings in the front to tighten up the shocks and links. I gained about 1.5 inches in the rear (at wheel well) and brought down the front about .5 inches. Trailer has a tongue load of about 650 lbs with stabilizer bars attached. Specs say these can add the equivalent of 1,200 lbs of load. No more low suspension in the rear. Still within GAWR, GVWR and Payload for truck.