Going to replace my shocks all around. What shocks are people running? Just looking for a good ride, not really towing anything extreme. I have been looking at the KYB Monomax shocks. Opinions?

 

ICON are really popular on some of the other sites I visit. As are the Rancho 9000 shocks actually (the ranchos that come factory are literally just ford stock shocks with rancho stickers on them).

 

Bilstien 5100s are suppose to be really nice.

 

Legs, I tried several diffent shocks, I settled with bilstein 5100's on my f350 and there was some difference in ride quality. The issue is a few things working together (or not working). As Mdub pointed out the rear springs are designed to carry an extra ton of weight in the bed. Removing a leaf would soften the ride out back But, you would also be giving up that weight capacity. You could then add air shocks to bump it back up when towing. Do not add air bags to the leaf springs, they make it stiffer! If you only tow 4 or 5 times a year as you stated consider moving down to load range 'D' tires, the ride difference is significant. Depending on brand the weight capacity is usually only a couple hundred pounds different. I have been using D range ever since a ordering mistake 15yrs ago... I drove away from the tire shop and couldn't belive I was in the right truck. Then I saw the load rating (bfg's look the same in D or E). I tow 40' fifth wheel 10 times a year or so and have not had a tire issue. Someone pointed out that you could also lower the tire pressure. Great idea! Remember the tires say MAX tire pressure, Always find the pressure that wears evenly and rides nice for you. Don't be one of those dummies that wears out the center because of ignorance.
Now, how about driving surface? Are you driving on highways and or interstates? Big rigs are blamed for causing "chopping" of the roads because of their weight. Guess what, crew cab trucks have a wheel base that is close to the same. Because of this our trucks engage the chops at the same time causing the bumpy bumb ride. Cars don't feel it cause they hit one chop at a time. Usually 200-300 lbs in the bed will calm it down but, not many want to tug around the extra weight.
You said that bumps cause the back end to jump the back left and right. That is somewhat of a different issue. The 4" blocks between the axle and spring cause that (axle wrap). If that is an issue you wanna fix, add traction bars.
With all that said, I would say. Try lowerring your air pressure. My tires say MAX 60psi, I run 40psi, they wear nice and flat and the sidewall has plenty of flex to soften the ride. Softer SINGLE shocks will help alittle. Next, consider load range 'D' tires if they are not already.
Oh ya, and even though I think it was a half hearted joke. We are trying to get that tree hug'n bark lickin prius owner that said, "buy a half ton" kicked out... I'm sure if you thought a half ton truck would "get'r dun" you would have bought one.
Good Luck!

 

I will only run D rated tires, and my D rated tires carry a higher load rating capacity than most E's I've had on here. The letter almost means nothing now, read the number on the side of the tire. My 35's with a D rating are rated at 3000lbs per tire. More than sufficient for anything I'm doing, and ride WAY nicer than the factory E rated tires did. Those tires were a danger IMO, traction was MIA and they were so stiff the truck would bounce and ABS would kick in all the time.

 

Good to hear Mdub. I thought I was gonna get beaten up for recomending 'D' rangers... When the mess-up originally happened the tire guy walked me through it peice by peice. The load rating is usually within a couple hundred pounds and the real difference is the amount of layers in the sidewall. This explains why the D's ride SO much smoother! Works great for me and I'm glad I'm not the only one!