Inverting shackles

[Ricel]

Picked up the 3pack and love it, perfect height. Put the stock shackles on with it knowing the ACs would give me too much lift.

Now it seems the shackles are sitting almost perpendicular to the ground, caused by the added pack instead of angled back about 20*. Issue. Speed bumps and anything off road that maxes my shackles forces them past the point of no return and the whole mess swings up into the trunk.

I can fix it with a crowbar but it's getting old. Ideas?

 

[TJTJ]

Adding AAL doesn't change the shackle angle, as the shackles have no way of knowing how many leaves you have...they only "know about" the frame mount, and the last leaf eye...same as before the lift.

You might have seated it wrong when re-attaching things.

The shackle should swing in on droop, and back on compression. (Lower end of shackle swings forward to front of truck on droop, and rearward on compression)

What's it doing now?

 

[Ricel]

Well if the leafs compress the stock leafs into a more C shape that would bring the spring eyes closer, thus the shackles sitting incorrectly?

Shot of the shackle on level ground

 

[TJTJ]

To add lift, the pack is a teeny bit more arched, which is the same as partially drooped....which means it can be pulled forward a bit. Its minor though, if you bounce the truck up/down and look at the shackle swing, its barely moving for that type of change.

It would be the same as if the truck was drooping the same amount with the OEM leaves....so if it didn't do it w/OEM leaves, its the same for OEM leaves plus AAL.

The truck will droop LESS with AAL, than with OEM leaves and no AAL, as the AAL stiffens the pack and reduces flex.

So, do the shackles swing forward with droop, and back with compression?



As an illustration, if you have too long a SHACKLE, you can reverse arch the LEAVES on compression, if the axle ends up higher than the shackles' ends.

A longer SHACKLE merely means more freedom to swing in/out, making the ride softer and more compliant, and adding rear wheel travel/flex.

 

[Ricel]

On compression, it does swing out, and on droop it swings in. If I were to raise the truck by frame to max droop, the shackle swings in just far enough where it is unable to swing out, thus swinging inward.

Might be a bad way in which I mounted it...

 

[TJTJ]

On compression, it does swing out, and on droop it swings in. If I were to raise the truck by frame to max droop, the shackle swings in just far enough where it is unable to swing out, thus swinging inward.

Might be a bad way in which I mounted it...

As a start, try loosening and re-torquing the shackle bolts. If too tight, they can bind, and not swing when they need to as well.

 

[J Everett]

Springs probably need to settle out a bit too.

 

[Ricel]

Thanks TJ. I'll try that tomorrow and give you guys an update.

Everett, yeah been hoping that was the issue, but been 3 months to no change

 

[J Everett]

Oh, didn't realize you'd had them that long.