Negativity towards AALs

Also, and I may be off base here, but for 98% of TW users what is so wrong with a rear shock being the travel extension limit for your rear axle as opposed to the leafs? The vast majority are never having our suspension cycle where the rear axle is slammed into max extension, where the forces would be less than ideal. Hitting max droop for the majority of drivers usually means doing it on purpose, and more importantly doing it extremely slowly, which in turn puts very little force on the shock.

I'm pretty sure this is how OME's kit is, and nobody bats an eye.

 

Very valid point.
For me, I "regret" doing an AAL because it broke at a very inconvenient time. I agree that if you approach using an AAL as a stop gap, its a cheap way to go... but in my case I wasn't looking at it as a one year, $80 skate by.
During my AAL's use, I had a camper shell, sleeping platform and did occasional light towing. I was using my truck as a light duty truck, and in hindsight, wish I would have gone a more robust upgrade to achieve lift from the get-go.
I saved $$$ by doing the AAL install myself and learned along the way. I'm glad I did myself, but after it broke I've been confronted with having to source and replace my leaf springs at an inconvenient time... As a shade tree mechanic, wish I would have just done the work once with better components.
AAL's serve a purpose of obtaining lift at an economic price point, but if you know that you will be loading your truck frequently, they might not be the best option unless you know you will be replacing them soon.

 

The three leaf progressives added to the factory leaf pack give a nice, smooth ride. They will sag more when loaded than the single leaf AALs but ride much, much better. I had a single leaf AAL on mine and it carried weight great but the ride was stiff and unforgiving. If I didn't live in Alaska I would've went straight to a dakar pack for the best of both worlds but shipping one up here is ridiculous. The three leaf pack was an affordable alternative to keep the lift while having a comfortable ride.

 

I realize I needed the dakers when I went wheeling with some friends. bottoming out throughout the trip made the decision simple. As much as I like the 3 piece AAL, it is a bandaid.

 

I agree. The 3 leaf progressive AAL is pretty good. I had it for a long time, and it flexed and rode great.

 

Yeah, I think it makes a difference how much load you carry. If you travel heavy and are bottoming out I agree that a complete leaf pack is best. Dakar seems universally recommended on TW except for the guys with squeaking leaf packs. Haha. That would drive me crazy, but I've noticed that no sacrifice or compromise is too great for someone off roading their truck.

 

It all depends on what you want. ALLs just add stiffness to lift it, but a full leaf pack is designed from the beginning for a certain height, wheel travel and ride quality.

So either force something (the leaf pack) to do something it wasn't really designed to do for some gains, but also losses in ride quality, or get a full pack that was designed that way from the beginning.

Of course cost is always a factor. Ideally, we'd all get full custom alcans or something, but those are expensive, and not everyone needs all the gains from a custom pack. So, get the best your budget will allow. If that's an AAL, so be it.

There are other options, too, though, like multi pack AAL where you replace all but your main leaf, shackles, etc...