Dobinsons L59-111-R Leaf on a Long Bed - Looking for people that run them

Hello,

I am going to be getting a Dobinsons kit for my 3rd gen DCLB. I have read some mixed things out there regarding which leafs to get. I see a fair amount of people and companies say to get the L59-111-R leafs instead of L59-110-R on a long bed because of the extra weight and leverage of it. I am looking for about 2" lift with pretty much no weight in the back, just a aftermarket rear bumper that claims to add 20lbs after all the stock components are removed.

When I talked to ARB, they recommended sticking with their standard leafs and said the long bed made virtually no difference. Different company I know, but just re-iterating what they said about the long bed models.

I am looking for anyone running the Dobinsons leaf springs on their DCLB. Curious what springs you run and what lift you experienced. Thanks!

 

Here is the answer man on Dobinsons.

@Crikeymike

 

The L59-110-R only lift 1" on a long bed, confirmed many times over, so you'll need the L59-111-R for the 2" of lift that you're looking for.

 

@Crikeymike for the save!

 

I have that exact set up and it's at 2'' with the 111R's and that's with a SnugTop shell. No squeaking and the ride is awesome.I've had them for a couple years and zero issues.

 

@Crikeymike reviving this thread. I ended up getting the 111Rs for my DCLB and it seems like I netted a bit over 2". Truck has a pretty decent rake and I should have netted 2" up front. Unfortunately I did not do any pre-measurements.

I find the ride is pretty harsh....in the back end especially. Going over small ledges at slower speeds like a large pothole, the back end feels like it has no give to the drop. The impact is pretty hard and rough. I see I can take out a leaf, but does that basically make it into the 110R pack? I was trying to achieve a 2" lift front and back. I have the IMS shocks front and rear. No weight in the bed except for 20lbs added from steel rear bumper. Went with the 111R as suggested for DCLB.

The springs up front are C352 and I have about 150lbs added. 0 preload on the coils, but now from further research it seems these trucks can benefit from a small amount of preload?

I am thinking I may have been happier now with the C314 springs and a little preload to get to 2" with my added weight. After riding with these for a bit, I think I prefer the softer feel. Dobinsons only has 586 and 730 lb spring rate options? Seems like a 630-650 may be the sweet spot for a balance between ride comfort and to support the weight. I was afraid the C314 would be too low of a rate with my gear weight.

 

Toss a few sandbags in if you feel it's really rough.
I have 112's on mine and I can drive it empty and it's a touch rough but manageable. 150lbs in the bed smooths right out. Runs perfect with all of my camp gear in the summer

 

I have two sandbags in there currently, usually run 2 or 3 during winter for a little extra traction in 2wd. I will toss a few more in.

I usually have an empty bed minus the few instances I am hauling large things like wood rounds. Also don't have the spare tire underneath anymore.

 

That missing spare is putting you back a few lbs aswell. I noticed a substantial difference when I popped mine off when I was chasing a rear clunk.

The thing to be mindful off it most of these ratings are to support x lift at x pounds. My rear lift empty is 112's could easily be 3.5-4" compared to a 2" when fully loaded where it rides best

May have been better with a much lighter pack with a block based on your use.

 

Yea, I was always planning on running an empty bed, but it was said that long beds should go up one leaf pack. I wanted a 2" lift on an empty bed, so was told 111R was the way to go with my DCLB. I am wondering if I take a leaf out if I will essentially have the 110R pack instead and around the 1" of lift that is supposed to give on a long bed.

 

I am a believer that the dclb should have a higher spring rate. I had ome 111's before my 112's and they rode basically stock with a touch of lift. But flattened under any load.

I'd be curious to see how the dobinsons 111 would of compared to a the ome 111. As if I didn't tow would the 111 be optimal for my load level.

I mentioned the lighter leaf plus block as it might be the right way to balance your lift vs ride quality. I would personally preffer a full leaf pack but im not sure of a pack that will offer that lift while being able to manage a good unloaded ride quality

When you did your lift did you change tires at the same time?

 

No I had my 265/75/r16s on there, same as before the lift. I have 34x10.5-R17 now. Same ride quality.

 

Yes, taking out a leaf from the 111's makes them the 110's. You'll lose about 1" of lift on the long bed by doing that.

Measure all 4 corners from hub to fender. That will show me how much lift you have.

There's no "benefit" to preload, it just raises up the lift height, and tightens up the coil, which would make it feel firmer.

Yes, those are the only 2 spring rates.

 

What air pressure are you running?

 

From center of hub to bottom of fender liner:

Driver and Passenger Rear: 25"

Front Driver: 22.75"
Front Passenger: 23"

Decent rake. According to stock measurments from other users, looks like I gained about 3" in the rear and 2" up front.

32 psi on-road

 

That's weird, not sure how you gained that much in the rear. I suggest pulling a leaf

TRD OR's come with 1" of lift up front compared to base models. 20" is the usual base height, 21" for OR's. You have 2.75-3" of front lift per Dobinsons specs.

 

I re-measured today to make sure I didn't screw something up. Same result. I do have an empty bed and no spare tire right now, but have 2 big sandbags back there so it should be very close to what an empty bed + spare tire would be. I also have ~40lbs extra from my rear steel bumper.

Pics below of the leaf springs to make sure everything looks installed right. Looks right to me, military wrap is facing forward.

When you say "per Dobinsons specs" I assume they mean gains against base model? I gained about 3-3.5" in the rear versus what I researched to be the stock OR rear height (21.5-22"). A fair difference from the 2" the leafs were supposed to provide. I am hoping I will sit around 2" of lift when I take a leaf out. I am guessing this why my ride is a bit harsh. Leafs aren't flexing like they should and this is why the ride height is more than expected?

Am I just an anomaly here? It seems like this is big enough of a variation in lift height that going up one leaf level for a DCLB with an empty bed isn't necessarily the correct choice.

I should have probably gone with the C314 springs. With my ~150lbs of weight I likely would have ended up around 1.75" of lift based on what I achieved with the 352 springs and have a bit softer ride.

There is one more thing that possibly could be contributing to the harsh ride. I get a slight "clunk" when going over these potholes or ledges in my passenger side rear. Coincidently, the shop I had do the install work "forgot" to tighten up the passenger rear shock adequately and about 800 miles (mostly highway) after the install, I noticed the rear passenger shock was very loose. The top nut was able to be twisted easily by hand and the shock was moving around a lot. Could driving around like this for god knows how long have damaged the shock at all?

 

Everything appears correct, but if they forgot to tighten a shock, maybe they forgot to do other things too. Yes, if the shock pin rubbed against the frame for long enough, it would have eaten into the metal that can cause it to snap. It just depends how loose it was.

The frame end of the shackles should have only been torqued on the ground, if they were done with the truck in the air, then the bushings would be preloaded which would cause more lift. Loosen that bolt, shake the truck up and down, then retorque it just in case. That can also cause it to feel rougher.

@RyanDCLB can perhaps chime in with his measurements. Been a while, but he went around with leaf spring measurements before on his long bed.

Yes, base model is 20" front and 22" rear, and all lift heights are based on that, so 23" front is a 3" lift and 25" rear is also a 3" lift.

Can you post a photo of the side profile of your truck? To see the rake.

 

Yes, after I learned about the "forgotten" shock tightening my mind has wondered what else they forgot to do or did incorrectly. It was very loose, I could grab the shock body and move it around quite a bit. The top nut was so loose I can turn it easily with my fingers. I don't know how long it was like that but luckily I didn't really go off road during that time and mostly highway miles.

I can give that a try. This makes a lot of sense why I would be getting more lift and the ride quality. I will get a side profile pic after the storm passes....dumping snow right now.

To be clear, this is the frame end shackle bolt you are talking about? Loosen this on both sides, shake truck, then re-torque?


Not the other end that attaches to the frame as well like below?

 

Yes that's right. It looks like they didn't replace the original rubber bushing with the aftermarket poly bushings from Dobinsons. The poly bushings have a sleeve on the inside so it doesn't matter if they're tightened in the air or on the ground. Rubber bushings have a bonded sleeve in the middle.