GEN 2 Deaver +4hd measurement

[zombiekiller]

Wish it was an easy swap! I have to get new U bolts for the leafs, no way to swap shackles without removing U bolts and they have already been torqued twice.

Why do you have to remove the ubolts to swap shackles? Remove the bolt that attaches the shackle to the hanger, then droop the suspension out until the bolt that holds the shackle to the spring is clear of the frame.

Yes, you need tall jack stands, but there is no reason to remove the ubolts.

 

[Dustan]

Wish it was an easy swap! I have to get new U bolts for the leafs, no way to swap shackles without removing U bolts and they have already been torqued twice.

I swapped out my drop shackle back to stock due to the addition of a chase rack. It’s not required to remove the u bolts. Drop the shock bolt and Jack the truck up on the frame. You’ll find the sweet spot to get them out.

 

[K223]

I am 150% aware of what drop shackles are supposed to do.

In practice, all they really do is allow the axle to rotate farther forward for more droop. You'll see a WAY better result if you skip the drop shackles and just tune the suspension.

For most, the rear shocks arent even long enough to take advantage of the additional droop. so, In practice, the rear shocks ( unless you've already done a bedrack with longer shocks) end up functioning as a limit strap, which is no bueno.

Furthermore, if you have any intention of using traction bars that actually prevent spring wrap, you'll end up with a bind in the downtravel as the axle wants to rotate forward and the traction bars are designed to prevent that more extreme forward rotation.

I just want to seek a little further clarity in regards to the various aftermarket rear leaf springs.

So based on what you are saying the stock shocks will always be the limiting factor in rear axle articulation? For example if I swapped out to Deaver HD +4’s or even 6’s. While these springs have a much high payload rating/vehicle height, they should pretty much allow for the same amount of articulation as say the soft factory leafs?

Now obviously the aftermarket springs would need to be Raptor specific and further questions about specs would need to be directed to the manufacturer. But I was just seeking a general answer about articulation.

 

[zombiekiller]

I just want to seek a little further clarity in regards to the various aftermarket rear leaf springs.

So based on what you are saying the stock shocks will always be the limiting factor in rear axle articulation? For example if I swapped out to Deaver HD +4’s or even 6’s. While these springs have a much high payload rating/vehicle height, they should pretty much allow for the same amount of articulation as say the soft factory leafs?

Now obviously the aftermarket springs would need to be Raptor specific and further questions about specs would need to be directed to the manufacturer. But I was just seeking a general answer about articulation.

in general, yes. your shock travel is what will limit your articulation. you do need to consider that with a higher load rating, you do need to be carrying that amount of additional load for the spring to perform as intended/designed, but if that criteria is met, the previous statement stands.

IMO, Icon RXT rear shocks are kind of the "Middle ground" between factory shocks and a bed cage setup.

Once you switch to a "through the bed" setup, you get much more travel with the exact same set of leaf springs, just different shocks ( longer stroke) and more up travel ( granted your bump stops can also be raised a la SVC's rear bump kit) .

 

[K223]

in general, yes. your shock travel is what will limit your articulation. you do need to consider that with a higher load rating, you do need to be carrying that amount of additional load for the spring to perform as intended/designed, but if that criteria is met, the previous statement stands.

IMO, Icon RXT rear shocks are kind of the "Middle ground" between factory shocks and a bed cage setup.

Once you switch to a "through the bed" setup, you get much more travel with the exact same set of leaf springs, just different shocks ( longer stroke) and more up travel ( granted your bump stops can also be raised a la SVC's rear bump kit) .

Ok cool got it. While I can see the limitation in regards to the shocks. I was thinking there might have been more a limitation with the springs as well. Being a softer spring had more flexibility to allow more axle movement vs a stiffer spring that has more load capacity.

But being how they can build these spring packs today, you can get the best of both worlds.