New OME Dakar Leaf Pack Review

Great vid. Open drawer bites and head smacks... definitely one of the masses.

 

Dude that truck causes so much pain to both my body and my wallet.

 

Just a quick update on the rear leaf pack upgrade. Had ELO95s with a tent on bed bars and the pack settled quite a bit (don't have numbers unfortunately). Was sagging and the pack flattened out at 5k miles. Added the OME AAL and the truck is sitting a little high in the back, perfect for loading extra camping gear. Now that I know, I would recommend everyone getting the ELO96s (HD) and waiting for it to settle. If it's too form then just remove the 3rd leaf and keep it in case you need it later.

 

I was lucky. I was shipped one with "+" and the other was a "0". Put the "+" on the drivers side to help with the Taco lean.

 

Just ordered the HD set from @HeadStrong Off-Road #335460791. Thanks!

 

I believe you ended up getting the answer to your question but I figure I would answer it on open forum so people know....

If you are going to be installing the OME add-a-leaf with either of the packs, medium duty to make into heavy duty, or heavy duty making it even heavier duty, it is always a good idea to make sure that you have at least 1/2" of extra thread showing beyond the nut on both the ubolts and the center pin. The leaf is only about 1/4" thick however you want to make sure that the bolt fully passes through the nut. During many installations of the Dakar people will trim down the center pin so this needs to be inspected as well. Also, I have seen people over look this, if you are planning on adding in some type of liner between the leafs you will also need to account for the thickness of those when it comes to the center pin and ubolt.

Two more things to note:

The yellowish -, 0, + on the leaf packs are manufacturer markings. They indicate where the leafs fell during their testing process. A 0 indicates in spec, the + is slightly above spec, and the – is slightly below spec. There are varying degrees within each + and – category as well. Since this is something that is internal with ARB they do not label their leafs left/right side specific nor can we order the 0’s, +’s, or –‘s specifically. Since this is the case we usually recommend our customers to place the higher of the ratings on the driver’s side. This can help to accommodate for the additional weight that is on that side of the truck.

Lastly, before installing a rear lift it is always a good idea to measure the factory pinion angle. This way should you experience some vibrations after the lift you can remeasure and see what degree you are off and shim accordingly. Two things to note with this.

A). Prior to installing the Dakars on the truck you can change out the center pin and add the center pin head lengthener. The reason for the center pin change is that the OD of the Dakar center pin is slightly larger then the id of the center pin head lengthener. These parts add up to less then $25 but can save a lot of added labor down the line. Because if you have to shim you will have to remove the leaf pack completely to add these parts in.

B). The inner bend of the OME ubolts is narrower then a lot of the aftermarket shims. So some people may need to file/grind down the edges of the shims to fit within in the ubolts. Or they can source wider ubolts should they need to shim. The part is up to the user on which method they find preferable.

 

Thank you so much for your business, we truly appreciate it!!

 

They arrived fast as did the separate box of hardware. I installed the very next day.

 

installed HD leaf pack after a week of driving letting the rear settle. I took measurements of the added lift. My rear passenger is a full inch lower and than my driver side. Has anyone else had this issue? Why is it not leveled across the rear?

 

Can anyone speak to the squeekeness of this pack after some use? I had the old Dakar’s on my 2nd gen and they squeeked like crazy. I was thinking of going with icon RXT this time to try and avoid that, but if the new Dakar’s have fixed the problem I would assume save some cash. Any info would be great. Thanks?

 

Did you torque bolts while truck was on stands? They should be torqued while truck is on the ground.

 

I put anti seize between the leafs when I built and repainted them

 

no I torqued all bolts on the ground. I gave it a full night of settling before I torqued them down

 

@HeadStrong Off-Road are the Hd packs in stock? Also do the headstrong bushing kits work for these or do you recommend just getting the package with the bushings and bolts included?What size are the u bolts in the package?
I messaged you by I'm also needing some advice/guidance on bump stops . I'm hoping some other members may chime in. I just want to know how important adding bump stops would be and if front and rear are worth it.

 

I'm just speaking from my experiences but I believe headstrong gives you a set of their bushings with the packs. Also, before installing throw some grease between the upper leaves to help with squeaks down the road. The packs have a greaseable liner (needle point for grease gun) so you can add some grease every so often.

If your rear is still uneven after installing on the proper sides (mine came with a "0" and "+" spec), throw a spacer on the front tower of the truck. For instance, I still had a noticeable lean on my rear left pack, even with the "+" side installed on that side, so I added a 1/4" spacer to my front left shock, which translates to a 1/2" lift and compressed the rear right end now my rear end looks pretty close to even. Also, buy aluminum spacers not poly, those things suck and compress over time.

And as Marie said, measure your angles before installing! You can get a cheap digital gauge on Amazon or even use your phone. I didn't and I've been messing with shims and CB spacers since installation. There's a huge thread on here about driveline vibes and if you have them I suggest reading it.

 

I got wheelers super bumps and really like them, the fronts are a bit overkill but the rears have really worked great. It might also be a good time to do a u-bolt flip kit so you can order it with the appropriate superbumps.

 

Thanks man that's super helpful actually, I would be tickled if the hd hit does indeed come with some bushings @HeadStrong Off-Road I just couldn't find confirmation of this. I'm hoping it doesn't end up uneven, I will have too much money invested to be dealing with that.I have kings going on the front and rear and was planning to go with timbren but I'm seeing a lot good of the wheelers bump stops. This whole u bolt flip kit thing is new to me.Idk what it involves or what benefit I get from doing it,I did see that wheelers has the rear bumps to use with a flip kit, what else would i need to complete a flip and what would i gain/lose from this?

 

I havent done the flip kit yet but wish I had, basically you replace the bolts with round ones that fit over the axle and then you tighten everything from the top. Gives you a little more clearance, not that I've bashed mine, but it also keeps you from dragging the bolts and bracket through the mud, which has been more of an issue to me because it cakes up in the bolt threads. And since I have the regular superbumps I'll have to either buy a new set or adapters to run them with a flip kit.

I want to say the packs dont come with bushings (expected to use oem ones I guess?) so headstrong sent a pack of theirs with them. I ordered the entire ome kit so that might be why they were included with mine, I'd double check.

 

That was a great video, and I will admit I was laughing my a$$ off with the consecutive banging of the elbow and head. (Sorry) Those pintop shocks can be an absolute horror if the nut is seized on there. A cutoff wheel or saw-zall will make quick work of that. Good Job!

 

So I did some research and seeing as I can get a set if rear timbren with the flip kit from @Wheeler's Off-Road Inc for a good deal I believe I will go that route,if they can verify stock on this and shipping ETA that will be awesome, I'm assuming it will fit the hd ome pack . Now all I need to know is if the hd ome full pack from @HeadStrong Off-Road does come with their bushings, I think when I was inquiring about a military order once she told me they did but I need to confirm this as well as if they are in stock and shipping eta!! I'm ready to get this show on the road!!