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wdtom
10-26-2005 17:25:14
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Re: Leaf Spring Switch for Dodge Pickup in reply to Big Swede, 10-25-2005 21:30:46
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I can tell you what has worked for me for some time now. I had a 71, and now am using an 86. This is what I did to both of them. First, add to the main spring. One short under the shortest stock leaf and one long between the main leaf and the second one. This one should end half way between the ends of the second and ends of the main leaf, this is where a lot of sag comes from. This will give you about heavy half ton springs or maybe 3/4 ton. To make it better get a stack of shorter leafs and make real helper springs. Look at a big truck. You will need longer U bolts to do this. Stack the helper spring on top of the main spring with a 2 1/2" by about 6" steel spacer to seperate the two different springs. With the helper springs in place you can now bolt stops to the frame of the truck to contact them when you want them to come into play. To stop anoying noise you will need some sort of rubber somewhere. What I did was to weld about 5" of 1 1/2" pipe to 1/4" steel plates, plates bolted to frame. To the pipe I bolted pieces of rubber tire sidewall. One 1/4" 20 bolt front and back hold the rubber to the pipe. Have used this system for years and the truck doesn't ride too hard empty, and as soon as it hits the helpers sag stops. You only need about 2 or 3 leafs in the helper, as they are short, they are stiffer than the main spring. Don't go overly heavy on the main spring as the truck will ride hard empyt. You see a lot of factory trucks this way, a big pile of steel in the main spring, and one or two in the helper, should be the opposite, so the truck will ride ok empty , helper comes in when you load. I don't carry much over 1500 to 2000 lbs. but this will do the trick for this, and if you look at the axle capacity and tire capacity you probably haven't exceeded it. I figure there isn't much over 1500 lbs on the axle of an empty 1/2 ton, so adding a ton only brings you to 3500#, and most axles are rated at more than that I think.
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