"Helper" leaf springs

[LittlePearl13]

2 Questions:

a) Why have I never heard of this before?

and b) why am I so scared of it already?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hellwig-251...hoe&vxp=mtr&hash=item25696c17cb#ht_5284wt_905

 

[bowtiefreak]

seen them advertised, never installed. I think I'd just get some heavier springs

 

[SunlitComet]

these are better and are adjustable individually or collectively, manually or automatically.

http://www.tahoeyukonforum.com/forum/album.php?albumid=1566&pictureid=12271

 

[LittlePearl13]

Yeeeah, I agree with you Bowtie, they look just as bad as lift blocks.

 

[arb905]

They have been used for used on heavy duty trucks. In most cases, the helper spring is active until it startes to arc. My dad's dodge and my old F350 have a similar version of an overload spring.

Why be scared? If you do alot of towing or heavy loads with a light duty truck, it saves the trouble of having to use a weight distibution hitch.

 

[BigDaddy13440]

Go to junkyard, get a couple (matching) leaves from almost any truck with the same spring width.
Measure spring lengths so that they will slip in between your stock leaves, cut with cutoff saw, grind edges smooth.
Disassemble stock leaf pack, slip new leaves in, use longer center pin bolt to align.
Bolt rear axle back in, using longer (and NEW) u-bolts.

Did this with mine, slipped 3 leaves in between each of the stock 4 leaves. Gained about 2 1/2" of lift in the rear, along with a considerable increase in load capability, and much less sway when cornering. I don't think I spent $100 for everything.

 

[LittlePearl13]

Go to junkyard, get a couple (matching) leaves from almost any truck with the same spring width.
Measure spring lengths so that they will slip in between your stock leaves, cut with cutoff saw, grind edges smooth.
Disassemble stock leaf pack, slip new leaves in, use longer center pin bolt to align.
Bolt rear axle back in, using longer (and NEW) u-bolts.

Did this with mine, slipped 3 leaves in between each of the stock 4 leaves. Gained about 2 1/2" of lift in the rear, along with a considerable increase in load capability, and much less sway when cornering. I don't think I spent $100 for everything.

Ha! I like this idea! Especially because I kind of want to do my own lifting on the truck. Sometimes kits, it's sometimes hard to tell exactly what's going to happen when installed. Just look at Brandon X and the 3" RCX lift.

 

[BigDaddy13440]

I first did this with my old '88 S-10 Blazer, added 2 leaves - gained about 2".

Did it with my '90 2wd Suburban, added 4 leaves between the 5-leaf pack... and gained about 7"! had to use square-shoulder U-bolts, clamped the leaves down a bit and got the ass end down to about 4" over stock. But, my load capacity went up, a lot.... like I carried 42 sheets of 1/2" sheetrock in the back, without bottoming out... and at 54lbs a sheet....