Overall it doesn't 'look' bad, but I have a few questions...
Rear springs. Are they blocking at full bump? Are you running any bumpstop extension? Typically springs break because manufacturing defects ( quality issues ) or because they are binding at full compression. If both broke, I would lean towards coil bind rather than a double defect....
The extra front end weight isn't helping anything.
Are the bumpstops acting as the bumpstops....not a shock that is too long or some other hidden issue. Shocks acting as bumpstops or limiting straps is generally bad.
Do you have the ability to video the front suspension at your common play speeds? They sell some pretty decent action cams now for not that much money. Having video, especially if you can watch how often the front bumpstop is contacting, and to what degree, is a good place to start. You can even get some with Wifi and watch what the suspension is going on your phone...with a slight lag....
The short version would be that the spring holds the vehicle up. The shock slows the axle down. Running heavier rate springs will help with sway, but will make it more challenging for the shock to do it's job. Too heavy a spring rate and you will have to worry more about what the shock is doing on the rebound cycle to prevent other bad quirks from happening.
You need enough compression damping on the shock to keep the front axle off the bumpstops at the speeds you want to travel. For a heavy cruiser a middle of the road 2.0 shock might not be enough to do that for very long. Once the shock gets to a certain temp it could start to fade basically as the oil thins compared to the damping curve. That temp is typically higher than most people think, but it can happen depending on what weight/viscosity oil is used in the shock. If the shock is emmulsion based it won't be consistent. If the shock doesn't have enough gas charge to keep the oil from cavitating things start to go down hill.
Another interesting question to ask....where are you happy with the ride now?
I hope that gets the wheels turning.
Lots of food for thought there.
The bump stops do hit before the shock up-travel stops and I have no limiting straps.
I did have an issue with the shock limiting the down-travel until I just got new shocks.
The shocks are 3 mo old Bilstein 5100 with 2.5" added travel from stock.
I added 2-5"x1.5" aluminum computer heat sinks to each shock to try to dissipate the heat since the faster parts of the roads are essentially like washboard, but made of rock and really heat up the shocks. That seems to help get rid of some heat.
Even with tire pressure at 20psi for these dirt roads, and the extra shock absorbing I get from the lower air pressure, I do occasionally hit the bump stops, but not too hard. I have considered giving myself some extra clearance to the bumpstop, but I don't want to ruin these shocks too quickly by bottoming them out.
The rear springs broke from overloading in the rear combined with some really bad dirt roads with giant potholes. Had to ride about 60 miles on the rear bumpstops to get home, that was a rough ride, but no rear axle damage. The rear axle must be stronger than the front axle. Just to show, OME Springs can break.
Great idea to stick a camera down there, but I don't have one. That would really reveal the truth about what I think is going on.
Thanks for all the good info.
And Yes, I am happy with the ride. Generally about 60 mph is the fastest that I can go on paved roads, and usually only about 10 mph on any dirt roads.
