New leaf springs

[Yippeekyaa]

New member with a new to me 1986 Winnebago.  In the process of rebuilding the entire front and rear suspension. Have been lurking here for a few weeks reading old posts about leaf springs and the costs of having them re arched.  Some late nights going down the google rabbit holes led me to find what I’m hoping is an off the shelf, readily available replacement that doesn’t break the budget.  

 

 Here is what i have found:

http://www.arbusa.com/uploads/PDF/accessorizeYourRig/toyotaPickup.pdf

the cs010r model springs listed in the above chart arrived this week at a cost of 112$ each with free shipping plus the required bushings. They have 7 leaves vs the stock springs 6. They also have the option of adding an additional leaf which i ordered  as well just in case. Don’t think they will be needed but waiting until after the install to see how they look and ride.   Attaching some photos of new vs old springs side by side  

 

 

[linda s]

So your installing 4x4 springs in a 2wd. Certainly let us know how it goes. Great price too

Linda S

[Yippeekyaa]

Yes they are springs sold to the 4x4 crowd. They are the exact same dimensions as the stock springs in terms of length and width.  They also have an additional 440 pounds per spring load rating.  Fingers crossed that this will be a good replacement.  Will be a couple weeks before all goes back in.  Will update as things move along. 

[Odyssey 4x4]

Considering the ride height difference with 4x4 and 2wd won't your rear end now sit significantly higher than the front?  

[Yippeekyaa]

On a 4x4 the spring is mounted on top of the axle, on our rigs it is mounted on the bottom. That is the height difference.  

[Yippeekyaa]

Just took some measurements to compare the distance of the arch in the springs. Ran a straight edge from eye to eye on each spring and used a T square to measure the distance from that line to the center of the spring.   The old springs 6.5 inches. The new springs 9.5.  The old ones are shot, have lost their original arch to the point that the rear axle was on the bump stops. It’s my hope that these new springs will restore things to their original ride height. 

[Derek up North]

As you're installing them, don't forget to check that your shocks are still withing the recommended working range. If too high, you might be shopping for some longer ones.

[Yippeekyaa]

It appears some here are thinking that these springs will drastically raise the height of the vehicle.  It will not.  Look at the first photo where the old and new springs are side by side.  The old springs had lost their arch and the axle was riding on the bump stops. If those old springs were new,  the arch would be similar. I’m guessing that because they are springs designed for the 4x4 trucks you think it will lift it up in the air like a monster truck.  It won’t.  I’m simply trying to find an off the shelf spring that will restore the ride back to as close to original as possible on a limited budget.  Was quoted 800$ plus shipping to re arch the old springs and was told they they would last 4-5 years tops before needing it done again.  This set up cost me 250$.

[linda s]

Well I really hope it works. Be a great help to those who need springs. These have been the only other option and they cost twice the price

https://www.sdtrucksprings.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=7485

Linda S

[Odyssey 4x4]

woah those are some pricey springs!  

[Yippeekyaa]

Thanks linda, looked at those and they are only 5 leaves vs the 6 leaf pack that appear to be the original.  Will keep ya posted as the install continues.  

[Ron Alan]

I found a Frame and Axle shop who'll re-arc my 1978 leaves, then add two more leaves per side, for a thousand and change. He's telling me that if you only add one leaf, that you'll be sagging the same in five years. That it takes re-arcing and two adds to last longer. I believe he told me that I'll get a few inches out of the treatment. Is that possible?

[Odyssey 4x4]

13 minutes ago, Ron Alan said:

I found a Frame and Axle shop who'll re-arc my 1978 leaves, then add two more leaves per side, for a thousand and change. He's telling me that if you only add one leaf, that you'll be sagging the same in five years. That it takes re-arcing and two adds to last longer. I believe he told me that I'll get a few inches out of the treatment. Is that possible?

Way too expensive of a temp fix in my opinion

[Ron Alan]

I concur on both counts, expensive and temporary. Is there another route? Eight inch clearance is less than what I want. Are rubber bags temporary as well?

[Odyssey 4x4]

18 minutes ago, Ron Alan said:

I concur on both counts, expensive and temporary. Is there another route? Eight inch clearance is less than what I want. Are rubber bags temporary as well?

Air bags will bring the ride height back up but the suspension is still shot in that situation, your truck is a 1 ton correct?  

[Ron Alan]

4 minutes ago, Odyssey 4x4 said:

Air bags will bring the ride height back up but the suspension is still shot in that situation, your truck is a 1 ton correct?  

 

[Ron Alan]

Its a 1979 19' Dolphin, with '78 Toyota Long Bed Pickup I'm almost certain its a one ton. RN28L. I put the six lug axle in a year ago.

[Odyssey 4x4]

If it has the center hub sticking out of the rims on the rear it's likely a one ton.  Did you ask the shop to quote you entirely new leaf packs?  No idea how much that would be or if they would even do it but it may be worth asking!  

[WME]

Go to the first post in this thread, check the springs listed. With HD springs you can always remove a leaf if its to stiff. These are new springs so they  will have a long life span.

The only proper way to rearch springs is to do it then heat treat them to restore them to new

[Ron Alan]

Anthony - He just shrugged off my question about new leaf packs. It seems goofy to me to bend old, flat metal. I'm told elsewhere that today's metal just isn't as good as yesteryear's. I'm real curious about the stuff that Yippeekyaa has found and may go by a 4x4 shop, to ask there as well. Cheaper and fresh sounds good to me. What all do you have under yours? 

[Odyssey 4x4]

I have somewhat of a unique vehicle since it's a 4x4 v6 motorhome, not many were made and I'm not entirely sure where the RV company sourced their parts. 

I just finished rebuilding the rear end on mine and painting all my leafs which have PLENTY of life left.  They are a huge pack of 9 leafs total.  

My previous Toyota camper was the 1-ton and was sagging just a bit in the rear.  I was told that re arching them only lasted a few years so I just stuck airbags on it and it seemed happy.  

My local spring shop (Tampa Spring Company) does all of the suspension work for large fleet vehicles (buses, firetrucks, dump trucks, etc) and they were more than happy to answer my questions and bend me up U-Bolts for my custom application as I waited.  I have a feeling if I brought them a leaf pack and asked them to replicate it they'd be more than happy, now the price of it I am not too sure.  

[Yippeekyaa]

Springs not installed yet. Pulled the entire rear axle out for a complete rebuild and gear change.  Makes sense to do all of it while things are apart back there.  Couple more weeks and it should be done.

[Odyssey 4x4]

Yup just did the same thing, definitely easier out of the truck! 

[Maineah]

My Nova Star came with a 9 leaf spring pack it was high enough in the back that I had to drive up on boards in the front to level it out on a flat surface!

[Odyssey 4x4]

1 hour ago, Maineah said:

My Nova Star came with a 9 leaf spring pack it was high enough in the back that I had to drive up on boards in the front to level it out on a flat surface!

Hey I'll take that over a saggy butt any day  

[Yippeekyaa]

Update.  They work great.   It’s about an inch higher that what i guessed was the original ride height. As my axle was riding on the bump stops it’s just a best guess what the original height was.  Initially it looked to raise it up to much, but after a couple of short trips around town with no air in the bags it has settled quite a bit. The ride is much smoother than before and a lot of the sway is gone back there. K 

[WME]

Did you add the extra spring?

[Yippeekyaa]

Did not add the extra leaf. On a whim i disassembled the original leaf springs, removed a leaf and put the extra leaf i ordered in its place. Measured the arch before and after. 6 before and 7.25 after.  Just adding the extra leaf from arb to your original springs, combined with air bags could be a low cost diy fix to “saggy butt” 

[Derek up North]

Will ARB sell just the 'extra' leaf?

[Yippeekyaa]

Yes. Got all my spring parts from desert rat.com. 

[AtlantaCamper]

Yippeekyaa, Are you happy with the way these leaf springs worked out for you?  I'm trying to determine if this would also be a good option for my 1987 rig shown here:

 

[WME]

Don't forget to replace the spring bushings.

[AtlantaCamper]

21 hours ago, WME said:

Don't forget to replace the spring bushings.

Quite right.  The springs come with no bushings.  I'm assuming I order two sets, with each set consisting of four individual pieces.  Each end of each spring gets two pieces that are inserted into opposing ends/openings on the springs.

I've already started spraying some penetrating lube on each nut that has to come off.   Hopefully they will come quietly and not cause a fuss.

Edited February 8, 2019 by AtlantaCamper

[akwcanoe]

I know this is an old thread but I have a question about which of the OME springs people have installed and how they have worked out. Yippeekyaa installed the medium load CS010R spring set without the additional leaf.  Seemed to work out well for him. Has anyone installed the CS020R Constant load sets? How have they worked out? What about the mediums with the extra leaf?

My 18ft Sunrader is 4500 lbs total, but I want a rear axle/suspension that will handle that much by itself. Currently  in discussions with ARB about which set would be best.  The OME heavy sets claim 250Kgs  [@550lbs] over stock. Not sure if they will get me what I'd like. However, if people with heavier rigs are happy with the OME's I would take that as a solid endorsement.

Also, Old Man Emu's bushings or the OEM one's ?

Thanks in advance.

Andy

[MattM]

@akwcanoe did you end up going with the CS010R or the CS020R constant load set in your upgrade? I found this suspension parts reference chart which seems to suggest the CS020R is for 1989-94 pickups, but it's hard to know what will actually fit on some of these rigs.