Dakar Leaf Pack: Bent???

i installed a new set of Dakar leaf packs, medium, in February. About 10K miles. They look like they’re making an ‘S’ shape! I’ve done about 2 miles off-road since I installed them. I’m welding a hitch into my eBay bumper now so I haven’t towed ANYTHING with them. I don’t have lift blocks, no supercharger, no reason for this.
Is this normal!

 

Proof of no hitch. I’m literally welding it in in about 30 minutes.

 

Lots of weight? It’s not not normal.

 

No. I have sliders and rear eBay bumper. I don’t use my truck for work so there’s nothing in the bed 99% of the time. One time I carried vinyl flooring in it for ~5 miles. Other than that just bags of mulch or some bags of dirt for my flower bed. Clothes for road trips.

 

I noticed mine look like that now. I have about 35k on them with ~180lbs in the bed almost the entire time. I can grab a pic tomorrow. It held more arch for the first ~20k, could have been less. I just ordered the AAL for them since I think I'll have a bro lean when I'm loaded up with everything at this point. Hoping Amazon is fast at shipping the AAL so I can install this weekend.

 

@HeadStrong Off-Road
How about warrantying these & getting me a new set? I bought them from you ~7 months ago & installed them on Feb. 14th, 2018.

I've been driving 4wd trucks since I was 17, now 42, & I've never had this issue, much less in 10K miles. This is clearly a problem.

 

They don't look "bent" but maybe loaded (normal). Another thing to consider is the deflection in your frame. In the first pic, you can see that the frame is bent at the bump stop contact pad. From a hard landing maybe? Not sure if that has anything to do with the appearance of your leaf pack.

 

The frame is not bent in any form or fashion. It must be the angle of the pic. This truck has had no "landings"!
Is it normal for them to bow up @ the u-bolts (what you call "loaded")? According to the 15+ other 4wd trucks I've had, I say no, it's not normal.

 

Just an observation. Good luck.

 

I appreciate it!

 

I would call that normal, the medium duty is designed for stock weight and anything extra is going to "mustache" them a little. Honestly if you are seriously concerned about it, you can always order the extra leaf and stiffen them back up.

 

Where did you buy them? They don't look abnormal to me for mediums. OME springs have a pronounced flat section in the middle normally and they're not inverted. They're not even flat or engaging the two strong leafs at the bottom yet. I'd say you're right at or just on the upper end of their ideal loading.

 

Headstrong Offroad
The newest version of the Dakar's medium:
The "Medium Duty" leaf pack will provide approx. 2.75" lift (2005-2015 Tacoma) or 2.0" lift(2016+ Tacoma) while supporting 0 lbs - GVW
So w/them supporting a rear ebay bumper (~75lbs.) & the back half of sliders (~60lbs) it has them maxed out where they have an upward arch & that's normal/acceptable?
They're stiff as piss/ bone jarring already so I couldn't imagine adding another leaf.
What do they look like when you actually load them w/ "GVW"?
Thanks.

 

I've got the older CS047R leafs and they maybe have a little more arch still but not a ton. They are definitely not harsh riding at all, I'm adding a leaf eventually.

Also realize I have 5 main leafs already while you only have 4. I gather that the 4+2 and 5+2 configurations from CS047 to EL095/EL096 aren't exactly the same.

But I have quite a bit of junk in the bed and a fiberglass topper. I dunno, 400 lbs of crap. Sorry for the poor photos, still dirty and I have a spare tire still under there.

I have about 24" from hub center to fender lip, which is about 2" over stock for my truck. They'll be sitting almost flat when you're fully loaded (e.g. "to GVWR"), maybe even on the large overload leafs at the bottom.

 

When I took the rear bumper off last night to weld the hitch, they looked the same way. So maybe 60lbs over 0lbs. of weight, which is like have a child ride in the back seat.
A child riding in my backseat causes these springs to reverse their arch? I find this really hard to believe.
If that is in fact true, Dakar leaf packs are shit. I think these are lemons, & not the norm.

 

I guess I don't see the reverse arch you are, they look fine to me, not much different than mine which are 3 years old, 40k miles.

 

You need go with 63's. Twice the load bearing, ride like a cadillac, and have more travel than any aftermarket leaf packs for the Tacomas.

 

Comparing apples to squirrels @Trident904.

 

I'd say it's normal with Dakar's. They squeak and they sit flat without an arch. I read that over & over again...

Btw. Mine look like yours do when fully loaded. And that's with four AAL's.

 

FWIW, no vendor can warranty those. They sell them, they don’t make them.

You have to contact ARB to see about a warranty possibility. HeadStrong (or anybody else) has no involvement in that.