ehart814
Well-Known Member
Lifetime Member
Club Contributor
After having my Pioneer 1000-5 for almost 4 years and doing a fair amount of upgrading, I became even more frustrated with the suspension - most notably the front. The suspension was never "good" with the factory shocks on a deluxe model, but after adding the heavy JEI bumper, extra battery, heavy Warn Axon winch, and several other accessories that added weight to the machine, the shocks were just not up to the task of dampening. Bottoming out the front shocks became a daily occurrence. Keep in mind that I am not an aggressive rider. I've never bent a tie rod or an a-arm or broken anything in over 4000 miles. Also, since I have bought the machine I have gone through some life changes that have really changed my priorities when it comes to discretionary spending (i.e. upgrading the Pioneer)
. I'm not doing much recreational riding anymore. My Pioneer is primarily a work machine. Hauling wood and hunting equipment. Planting trees, property maintenance, food plots, plowing snow - almost daily I'm using the Pioneer for these tasks.
Memorial day weekend I did get to go camping at a riding resort and put 80 or so miles on the Pioneer just riding the trails for fun. This was the last straw. Constant bottoming out, even riding conservatively.
Enter the Rough Country shocks. For at least a couple years I have been wanting to upgrade the shocks but just couldn't swallow the price tag. But for $370 out the door I decided to take a shot just on the front shocks. Purchased them locally from a Rough Country dealer and had them installed quickly and easily.
Boom - Immediately got approximately 3" higher at the front end. Have not even come close to bottoming out since installing. Does it ride like a cadillac? No. But it does actually have some damping now. The front absorbs bumps and the rear end bounces up afterward since there is pretty much zero rebound control from the factory shocks. I did not mess with the preload - I installed them how they were set from the factory. I will probably back it off a bit because there is very little sag as it sits - maybe 1/2" if I had to guess.
I know this isn't very scientific as I didn't take measurements or anything. But if there is anyone out there like me that is looking to solve the weak front shocks and drastically reduce bottoming out (for not a ton of $$$), these shocks are the ticket. It was money well spent and I don't have to do mental gymnastics to justify the purchase as it actually solved some legitimate issues I had. I'm sure it will also help drastically when I have to put the snow plow back on.
If anything changes, I will update
Hope this helps!
. I'm not doing much recreational riding anymore. My Pioneer is primarily a work machine. Hauling wood and hunting equipment. Planting trees, property maintenance, food plots, plowing snow - almost daily I'm using the Pioneer for these tasks.
Memorial day weekend I did get to go camping at a riding resort and put 80 or so miles on the Pioneer just riding the trails for fun. This was the last straw. Constant bottoming out, even riding conservatively.
Enter the Rough Country shocks. For at least a couple years I have been wanting to upgrade the shocks but just couldn't swallow the price tag. But for $370 out the door I decided to take a shot just on the front shocks. Purchased them locally from a Rough Country dealer and had them installed quickly and easily.
Boom - Immediately got approximately 3" higher at the front end. Have not even come close to bottoming out since installing. Does it ride like a cadillac? No. But it does actually have some damping now. The front absorbs bumps and the rear end bounces up afterward since there is pretty much zero rebound control from the factory shocks. I did not mess with the preload - I installed them how they were set from the factory. I will probably back it off a bit because there is very little sag as it sits - maybe 1/2" if I had to guess.
I know this isn't very scientific as I didn't take measurements or anything. But if there is anyone out there like me that is looking to solve the weak front shocks and drastically reduce bottoming out (for not a ton of $$$), these shocks are the ticket. It was money well spent and I don't have to do mental gymnastics to justify the purchase as it actually solved some legitimate issues I had. I'm sure it will also help drastically when I have to put the snow plow back on.
If anything changes, I will update
Hope this helps!
