LEAF SPRINGS DO THEY SUCK?

[theycallmeWALLY]

That doesn't look like much neg arch right there. My bronco was way worse with the Q80 pack but I was all the way metal to metal. I'm guessing your not?

Where yours is at is the same as my Giant 64 kit. I would keep it like that and not notch the frame.

 

[2012SVTSC]

That doesn't look like much neg arch right there. My bronco was way worse with the Q80 pack but I was all the way metal to metal. I'm guessing your not?

Where yours is at is the same as my Giant 64 kit. I would keep it like that and not notch the frame.

Yeah in that picture I basically decided that the leaf was "flat", the axle is still about 4" to the frame. Thinking I'll just set up the shock and bump stop at this location for this mild build.

 

[DialedShockPrep]

Yeah in that picture I basically decided that the leaf was "flat", the axle is still about 4" to the frame. Thinking I'll just set up the shock and bump stop at this location for this mild build.

Bump to the frame! you wont ever regret gaining up travel, no matter how mild the build is up travel is key. ESPECIALLY for the rear. Since you mentioned bronco, those TTB/I beam trucks are cake to get tons of up travel in the front at ride height and the rear is trickier so get as much as you can within reason.

 

[2012SVTSC]

Bump to the frame! you wont ever regret gaining up travel, no matter how mild the build is up travel is key. ESPECIALLY for the rear. Since you mentioned bronco, those TTB/I beam trucks are cake to get tons of up travel in the front at ride height and the rear is trickier so get as much as you can within reason.

I agree with maximum up travel, but as I was reading this thread there are a few people saying that say their leaf springs only last a season or break frequently.
That's kinda what I am wondering, in gernal (are people here experiencing) their leafs more prone to breaking because they go negitive due to the nature of the amout of travel the trucks built for the desert have or are they breaking just because they are getting beat on in the desert in general.

In my case I am not building a bronco, it's a OBS f-seires, but yeah ttb.

 

[84Prerunner]

I broke several sets of springs and I was bumping flat, not negative. Mine more so stemmed from axle wrap and shock loading in whoops. Faster the truck got, the quicker it would break springs

 

[ADSRACINGSHOCKS]

I am setting up my shocks and bumps on a leaf sprung truck right now, is it worth over cycling the leafs for about 3" of additional up travel or should set the bump to where the leaf is flat? Would over cycling them cause them to fail pretty quick? (Arch goes negitive).

View attachment 18409

Normally the spring manufacturers do not recommend going negative, if you do the spring material starts to fatigue quickly, kind of like a paper clip effect it work hardens a point and the spring becomes brittle and then cracks, i can see you have a bout .5" of shock shaft showing still and your about flat i think you are in a good place just keep in mind performance leaf springs need maintenance and with out the maintenance you will see failures

 

[DialedShockPrep]

Normally the spring manufacturers do not recommend going negative, if you do the spring material starts to fatigue quickly, kind of like a paper clip effect it work hardens a point and the spring becomes brittle and then cracks, i can see you have a bout .5" of shock shaft showing still and your about flat i think you are in a good place just keep in mind performance leaf springs need maintenance and with out the maintenance you will see failures

Per the dudes at Deaver; rangers broncos f-150's etc leaf springs are designed with less arc in them since they have to go negative in order to bump the axle against the frame. There are hundreds if not thousands of those trucks running around with the stock frame bumps and bolt on deavers with a shackle and hanger and they dont have issues.

Toyotas and other MFG's are different for sure and you will sag and break leaf springs very quickly if you go past negative, but the ford frame suck for up travel and the leafs can handle the couple inches negative arc. Without that those trucks would only have 4-5" up travel at most which as we all know, sucks haha

 

[2012SVTSC]

Per the dudes at Deaver; rangers broncos f-150's etc leaf springs are designed with less arc in them since they have to go negative in order to bump the axle against the frame. There are hundreds if not thousands of those trucks running around with the stock frame bumps and bolt on deavers with a shackle and hanger and they dont have issues.

Toyotas and other MFG's are different for sure and you will sag and break leaf springs very quickly if you go past negative, but the ford frame suck for up travel and the leafs can handle the couple inches negative arc. Without that those trucks would only have 4-5" up travel at most which as we all know, sucks haha

This great information, I appreciate it. And thanks to everyone else that's been helping as well

 

[Giant Geoff]

I have 3 spring under that Deaver has been making for me for the pass 20 years with thousands sold and we have had a good amount of them going past flat that hold up very well. With being involved in this industry for 38 years I have learned that people just need an answer to aim towards but some people are so rigid on a lot of things that is not completely true. Going pass flat, shocks have to be 90° a bump, rear 4-links must be calculated to the exact centimeters to be correct. So many of these aspects are not as important as some may convey and there are a lot of loose areas that you can work within that are not so confusing or way over technical to where it confuses or scare you. There is a good 20% of wiggle room that you can work within that is still adequate and will perform well and have longer life then people would convey.