I'd like a softer ride than the factory setting, but really have no idea as to what this should be set at. I opened up both a full turn, and it seems better. I'm not jumping this thing yet, so it's not bottoming out. I'm guessing the spring preload should be adjusted so you don't loose too much ground clearance when just sitting on it?

 

It all depends on personnal preference some like a softer suspension some want firm. You'll have to adjust the suspension to what feels right for you.

 

I guess I'm asking for a type of tutorial. Do the damping and rebound need to be adjusted the same number of turns? What would the procedure for adjusting them?

 

No, mines set up to what feels good to me for the type of terrain I ride. Adjust the dampening to what feels good to you. Then adjust the rebound to whats comfortable. If you adjust both rebound and dampening at the same time it could confuse you and cause you to loose track of the previous settings should you need to go back to them.

 

do a lot of research before you mess with you shocks. if they're not adjusted right the quad can bounce you off the bike so becareful on the adjustments
my rear shock wasnt set right and I hit a small bump and it tossed me over the bars because the rebound was set to fast and it compressed to slow
just remember to adjust the front shocks the same amount on each side , you dont need to adjust the spring preload unless you want to raise or lower the bike, the tighter the spring the harder the ride, a good rule to follow for your shocks is small adjustments each time, never large adjustments
and your rear shock doesnt have to be the same settings as the front
it took me close to 2 months to get mine set the way I like it

 

Read this perhaps ?

Shock setup

 

Right-on!

 

Great article!