Long Travel BS Thread

hmm, ok.

 

Here we are fully assembled pack. Full droop, unstrapped. The only thing from stopping it from opening up even more is the clamp.

That is not good or proper.
Side note. Look at o-ring position on my bump stop. That’s it. That’s the most it EVER compressed even at 0 PSI.

 

Wear mark on the strike pad. Obviously it “tapped” the bump often. Nice and centered

 

noted, as not aware of this. I figured a leaf spring has a motion that is in 2 directions and there would/will be inherent dynamic things like leafs rubbing back and forth on each other as so having different archs than others and some are shorter and so on. And since the top leaf is really the only one attached to the frame it would have to take most of the force transfer from the axle to the frame/mounts and that the keepers/clamps are there to insure that the top leaf isnt overly arched beyond its limits.

 

how does the brand / design of the kit have anything to do with leaf separation at full droop ? it’s just the leaf pack vs the weight of the axle…there has got to be a difference / defect with your leaf pack it’s the only logical explanation for all of this weird shit that only you are experiencing

 

Well the difference is clearly the time spent during R&D. As shown the DMZ kit does not have any separation. He even told me on the phone I won’t be strapping for it because there isn’t any.

Here’s how much travel I had to pull to eliminate mine.

 

Leaf springs arent suposed to be this complicated lol An idea I havnt read in this thread yet (maybe I overlooked it) but how about shipping back the hangers and shackles back to JDfab and have them send you a new set? If something/nothing changes you can finally figure out if it's the truck or the kit.

 

I guarantee I will regret posting advice on a forum but here goes

DGAF about a little leaf separation, they are leaf spring, it doesn't matter that much
Strapped at 16" or 18" ? DGAF, they are leaf springs, it doesn't matter that much

To work around the wheel base issue you could drill a new center pin hole in the leaf perches to position the leaf springs farther back
Could this affect axle wrap a tiny amount, sure but DGAF, they are leaf springs, they are great but also have their limits and they will let you know when you have reached them by ejecting you out of the whoops when they get too big

You want to strap before that shackle swings past 90 degrees forward though, prob never happen but to prevent the shackle from getting jack-knife bound upwards if that makes sense

The big difference is obviously traditional vs inverted shackle
DMZ, Burg, Dirt king inverted shackle hang down really low, way too low to me, I'd be hanging up on the rear shackle all day where I drive my trucks

Its because of the orientation of the rear shackle on the tapered in frames of 2nd/3rd gen, halfway out but still under the frame
All of those kits should have widened the leaf spring mounts away from the frame to tuck the inverted style shackle up higher
They wouldn't get as much droop though if the shackle was higher, but more possible bump travel, the limits are of the spring free arch and shackle setup

The JD style shackle is the better option to me even though it doesn't droop as much
It's possible to set it up for more up travel but you looks like you're already limited with your bumps

I would drill new center pin holes in the leaf/axle perches to move the axle back, strap it for the shackle not going past 90 and run it

If you want it set up better, link it

 

your not catching my drift amigo… imo leaf pack separation would be the same regardless of kit or if you put your leaf pack on 4 jack stands and dropped your axle on top of them ? that equation is just the leaf pack vs the weight of the axle ?

 

Short version of above post

Drill new holes in spring perches to move wheelbase back if needed

extend bump strike pad if needed since wheel base moved back

strap it before shackle goes past 9” degrees forward and run it

they’re leaf springs, it doesn’t really matter

 

lol it would be a whopping 10” of travel to strap it before the shackle swings forward.

 

I doubt that, if true shackle is in the wrong spot then

leaf sprangs…

 

Literally just measured. Would be about 12” of travel to full bump.

 

I doubt JD’s kit is that far off but I didn’t build it or know if there is a difference for Geo in 2nd / 3rd Gen or for different cab orientations

If you are at a dead end with the manufacturer fix the Geometry yourself

break down the leafs, cycle and reposition the rear shackle pivot location or reposition the front hanger position , something is off for at least one of them

or get a different kit

I build my own stuff for a reason, so I know I set it up right or only have myself to blame if I fuck it up

 

Well, that’s what it is. And honestly I had full intent on making the corrections. Unfortunately I’m running out of time to start that kind of project right now.

 

Show pics of the front hanger

and the rear shackle pivot

good pics , multiple angles

 

cool yeah creepin your build thread

How long are the shackles eye to eye ?

 

9”

 

for a 9" shackle with "62's" F55 / F67 / H70 ... I setup front leaf hanger center pivot to shackle center pivot around 53" and adjust from there, but that's with the shackle pivot pretty much bottom of the frame but could be a good starting point

If the shackle can go back totally flat and not hit those bumper or whatever bolts...

Maybe a little over, 53.5 / 54"

gotta cycle and see

Id use the bottom shackle pivot holes for better ride height and droop since the shorter shackle

I'd leave the front hanger alone and mess with the center pin hole on the perches if you need to move wheelbase back

These are dumb leafs, you're doing swing set conversion, J arm- ish, come on man, its easy, get to it !