Part 1, Troubleshooting the Suspension: Out of sight, out of mind. That pretty much sums up how most outdoorsmen view the suspension on their 4x4--until the truck starts bottoming out on rutted trails or groaning like some ghoul in a third-rate direct-to-video horror movie. By this point, you’ve no doubt figured out that something is dreadfully wrong with the vehicle’s ride or handling, but you can’t exactly nail down the problem. What do you do?

Look and Listen: You can help a suspension expert if you conduct a “look and listen” inspection of your rig before taking it to the shop. You’ll need a buddy to help you, preferably one who has not spent a lot of time in the vehicle. (This way he’ll be tuned in to problems that have appeared so gradually you no longer notice them.)

According to the folks at Trailmaster Suspension, your inspection should be as follows:

1) Put your buddy behind the wheel while you slip under the front end. Have him turn the key to unlock the steering column (don’t start the engine) and slightly wiggle the wheel back and forth. Is there excessive free play? Do either of you hear small rattles or squeaks?  Try to determine the exact location of any noise. Under the truck, does anything appear to be loose? Grab the steering components (tie rods, steering links, and Pitman arm) and give each a good yank. Slight free play--the result of normal wear and tear--is acceptable, but anything more means a trip to the shop. (For our purposes, “slight” is defined as .030 inch, the width of a standard paper clip.)

2) Have your friend turn the steering wheel all the way to each side. You’re now listening for big noises: groans, creaks, and the like. As your friend turns the wheel, your eyes are glued to the major suspension mounting points. Depending on the model, these include ball joints, king pins, control arm bushings, and leading or trailing arm bushings. Track down the source of any noise. The guiding principle here is, “Where there is noise, there is movement, and where there is movement, there are worn or loose parts.”

3) The bounce test checks the condition of the shock absorbers and bushings. Have your buddy crouch next to a corner of the vehicle as you push down quickly on the body. The corner should come to a rest quickly; if it continues to bob up and down, the shocks are shot. Groans or creaks heard by your crouching friend are signs of shocks and/or bushings in distress. Either way, get the truck to an expert.

4) Your buddy should run the test drive while you ride shotgun. Have him run the vehicle at highway speeds, and then slowly over a bumpy road. Be alert for shakes in the steering wheel. This could be due to an out-of-balance tire (not serious) or a slowly disintegrating ball joint (big trouble). In an empty parking lot, turn the vehicle in slow circles, first with the wheel cranked hard right, then hard left. Again, both of you are looking and listening for anything out of the ordinary.

This drill may seem to be a lot of trouble, but it can be done in about 30 minutes. Just don’t wait until the night before the deer opener.

Day-to-Day Matters: Every year many hunters and fishermen spend hard-earned money on new suspension accessories only to complain about the vehicle’s lack of performance. The fundamental mistake is that new components were installed on a vehicle with a worn-out suspension. The problem is difficult to self-diagnose because a suspension slowly loses efficiency over the years. You won’t even notice the day-to-day wear.

“When a customer calls, our first question is, ‘How old is the truck?’” says Bruce Snyder, marketing manager of Trailmaster Suspension. “We want to know if the ball joints, tie rod ends, and other original equipment parts--including the springs, bushings, and shock absorbers--are worn out. You gotta fix those first.”

According to Snyder, two of the most important yet overlooked suspension components are bushings and bumpstops. Bushings are designed to separate metal parts and absorb the energy created by the motion of the suspension. You’ll find them throughout the truck--major locations are leaf springs, shock absorbers, on the sway bar and its end links, suspension control arm mounts, and engine and transmission mounts.