So I recently bought a 1998 2dr 4wd. I noticed the right rear was wearing on the outside edge and, having not owned a truck in so long, thought "it just needs an alignment". Duh. Solid rear axle. I took it one place and the guy said maybe a spring was bad. Another said my tire was just separating. Either way the rear tires were bad, so I replaced them. I also put in new Bilsteins, since I thought shocks with 118,000 miles probably needed replacing. I now notice the rear of the truck sits lower on the right side. This takes me back to the spring thing. Has anyone had just one rear spring need replacing? Would a weak spring make the outside edge of that tire go bald quicker?

 

Well with a bad spring your truck is sagging to one side putting an uneven amount of weight on that corner making it wear differently. I would suggest replacing both springs, not just one, for the fact if the other one has started sagging at all with a new one on one side and old on the other it will probably lean the other way, thats why I suggest replacing both at the same time. [sm=signs003.gif]

 

On a solid axle, nothing will make one edge of a tire wear more. While a weak spring may cause the body to lean, increasing the weight on that tire, it still will not cause the axle to 'tip' and wear the outer (or inner) edge more so than any other portion of the tire.

I'm betting that the tires were rotated from the front to the back and that there is some wear and tear on the front steering & suspension components causing an alignment problem.

As far as the leaning in the back, I am sure you have already made sure there isn't something weighing down that side of the truck. If you have, it is quite possible that the spring pack has either become weak or actually has a broken leaf. In either case, the springs on both sides should be replaced after proper diagnosis.