@baldilocks. The axle shaft splines are twisting before the studs are breaking so who knows. Anything could be a weak link in a certain situation. I've seen axle shafts broke in half with good studs.
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It would seem that the chromoly shaft would offer a greater degree of "cushion" in those high load situations as the shaft is more elastic. Driving skill and style are probably the two biggest factors.@baldilocks. The axle shaft splines are twisting before the studs are breaking so who knows. Anything could be a weak link in a certain situation. I've seen axle shafts broke in half with good studs.
So I had made a mount on the rear tire carrier setup, which I still need to redesign to suit my needs better. Nonetheless, this holder is the Smittybilt brand sold on the shelf at many stores. It's a decent mount, and is somewhat fairly priced (a bit overpriced, the material is cheap to buy, but when adding up the time to build, it's simple to see the purchase as complete than to diy it. If I had time, was retired or very wealthy, and wasn't still recovering, then I'd have made my own. The mount has either side mounting holes, and bottom as well. I went through the floor, and put a plate on the bottom as to not cave in the sheet metal when I tightened down the bolts. I'm a stickler for rattles at hwy speed, and these were not of the hush hush variety. The ratchet strap just keeps it tight against itself (bracket, over can, to bracket) so the rattle gods can take a break. I tried putting a bend in the top clasp piece to make it hold tension, and it helped but didn't cure the noise. And, now that I have the subwoofer, it needs to be rattle free or I'm going to go crazy! I'll eventually have them out back again, but for now I like the clean look without all the junk on the rear, and one day I'll redo the tire carrier, hanger, can and jack mount, and it'll all be perfect for me. Till then, this will do!I like your solution for internal jerry can storage. What's the other side of the ratchet strap fastened to?
For mock-up and to get it going I'll use Chevy 63's and I'll do on a hunt at the dismantler for a perfect pair (perfect being from an early 90's z-71 4x4 that appears to be a cleaner truck that wasn't beat to death, and those are a 4+1 pack, +1 being the overload). If these work well and do what I want, I'll run them for a while, and then have custom packs made by a local shop here in Sacramento. The front will take a bit of long nights, lots of coffee and some four letter words, but it shouldn't be that hard compared to other jobs I've done in the past.What leafs will you use? Custom leaf springs are expensive but nicer than what many people cobble together from the junkyard. I had Deaver 12 pack leafs on a previous rig and they were very nice. Alcan is another leaf spring builder that has a good reputation.
I have thought about leafs myself so I am interested to see how you do the front what with the steering box outside the frame.
No question is a stupid question, because it takes effort to ask, and since you asked, I'll gladly tell. First and foremost, I personally like the ride of leaf springs far more than coils. I have been in a few different situations (one with my LC) when the suspension was at the perfect position to "unwind" as I call it and the coils released the tension they had and almost tipped my rig over. I also am fond of the easier conditions to customize a leaf pack and find the ride height and spring rate I want to achieve. It's all really a personal preference, and when it comes to off-road vehicles, we all have the likes and dislikes we choose, and the person on either side of us could be a completely different opinion. Just like how some people love Jeep's, others Toyota's. I've only seen one 80' (online) running leaf springs, and it's a different approach, but tried and true suspension. I am in no way discounting the quality and engineering that Slee's products provide, I just want to go to down a different path, and possible open some doors for folks that can't afford a $3500 lift kit on their 5k rig. Mock-up will be fairly easy for the rear, and the front won't be quite so bad as I was out doing some measurements tonight and it's actually a fairly simple route to go for someone who has some decent fabrication skills. I am going to document it all as mentioned above, and keep a ticket going on what I spend, where, and why I went the way I did.Stupid question, why would one want to swap to leaf springs?
I think @maxamillion2345 has rear leaves?
I think the issue with leaves up front will be the steering link behind the axle? Maybe you've already taken care of that?
Maybe consider a 14-bolt or D60 out back in light of recent issues...