Dobinson 2 inch suspension review

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vtcruiser60 said:
Thanks. Tell me more. I couldn’t find much about adding shims with a new suspension install. Why 3 degrees, not 2 or 5? Not even sure where to look for shims.
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I'm not sure what factory spec is for a 60, for a 40 it's 1 degree but a bit more than that is a lot nicer to drive. Spec for an 80 is 2-4 degrees. I suggested a 3 degree shim because this would land you at close enough to 2 degrees
 
I decided to go with the Dobinsons lift after reading through many threads on this forum. Lots of information about the OME kit as a fan favorite, but I’d previously run their lift on a Tacoma and found it too stiff for my liking. I nearly went the @HemiAlex route and tried to match Bilstein shocks to the OME springs. Ultimately I spoke with a local guy (hi Tai!) who said he loved his Dobinsons setup, describing it as one of the better riding kits available.

My truck had extremely flattened springs, so I was expecting more than the 2” advertised- I ended up with a touch under 6” of total lift before upsizing my tires. I did not install caster shims, but may look into that down the road. The ride is much better, seeing as I am actually ‘suspended’ now.

I ran into one issue that I was able to clear up with a call to Dobinsons in Miami: after the lift I was about 2” high on the passenger rear. I pored over all the ‘cruiser lean’ threads but my truck was beyond that. The rep told me that this suspension is designed with one rear spring 80mm taller than the other. He suspected that I received a RHD kit, and when I swapped rear springs side to side, the lean went away and I am dead level.

Overall I’m pleased with the stance, I need to get it out on a real trail for further review.

Pics:
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1dollar93 said:
I decided to go with the Dobinsons lift after reading through many threads on this forum. Lots of information about the OME kit as a fan favorite, but I’d previously run their lift on a Tacoma and found it too stiff for my liking. I nearly went the @HemiAlex route and tried to match Bilstein shocks to the OME springs. Ultimately I spoke with a local guy (hi Tai!) who said he loved his Dobinsons setup, describing it as one of the better riding kits available.

My truck had extremely flattened springs, so I was expecting more than the 2” advertised- I ended up with a touch under 6” of total lift before upsizing my tires. I did not install caster shims, but may look into that down the road. The ride is much better, seeing as I am actually ‘suspended’ now.

I ran into one issue that I was able to clear up with a call to Dobinsons in Miami: after the lift I was about 2” high on the passenger rear. I pored over all the ‘cruiser lean’ threads but my truck was beyond that. The rep told me that this suspension is designed with one rear spring 80mm taller than the other. He suspected that I received a RHD kit, and when I swapped rear springs side to side, the lean went away and I am dead level.

Overall I’m pleased with the stance, I need to get it out on a real trail for further review.

Pics:
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How have the springs performed? Is there a heavy and light option for these? If so, which option did you get? Thank you for any further details you may be able to share. Truck looks great!
 
garfieldthecat said:
How have the springs performed? Is there a heavy and light option for these? If so, which option did you get? Thank you for any further details you may be able to share. Truck looks great!
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Not the person you were asking, but:

I went OME on my previous 60, two years ago. I wasn’t ever fully satisfied with it: instant lean, harsh ride, limited flex. I just went Dobinsons in the rear (didn’t touch the shackle reversal up front) on my new 60. I’m in love with the Dobinsons. Much smoother street ride. Handles weight well on camping trips. Great flex. It takes the edge off the “conestoga wagon” feel of a solid axle leaf sprung suspension system.

I think the rear options are 6 or 7 springs. I went with the 7-leaf packs and the IMS shocks which are the mid-grade option. Not sure what the basic shocks feel like, but I heard good stuff about the IMS and they didn’t disappoint. I did not need the top-tier adjustable remote reservoir shocks. I am using my own 5.5” shackles for what it’s worth.

I purchased through Steve at Northwest Fabrication & Design. Solid dude who walked me through all the stuff I’d need.

@HemiAlex what’s Steve’s handle?
 
CruiserTrash said:
Not the person you were asking, but:

I went OME on my previous 60, two years ago. I wasn’t ever fully satisfied with it: instant lean, harsh ride, limited flex. I just went Dobinsons in the rear (didn’t touch the shackle reversal up front) on my new 60. I’m in love with the Dobinsons. Much smoother street ride. Handles weight well on camping trips. Great flex. It takes the edge off the “conestoga wagon” feel of a solid axle leaf sprung suspension system.

I think the rear options are 6 or 7 springs. I went with the 7-leaf packs and the IMS shocks which are the mid-grade option. Not sure what the basic shocks feel like, but I heard good stuff about the IMS and they didn’t disappoint. I did not need the top-tier adjustable remote reservoir shocks. I am using my own 5.5” shackles for what it’s worth.

I purchased through Steve at Northwest Fabrication & Design. Solid dude who walked me through all the stuff I’d need.

@HemiAlex what’s Steve’s handle?
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Excellent, thank you for that insight @CruiserTrash. Did you happen to keep the rubber bushings for the springs or use the polyurethane when you went with the Dobinsons?
 
garfieldthecat said:
Excellent, thank you for that insight @CruiserTrash. Did you happen to keep the rubber bushings for the springs or use the polyurethane when you went with the Dobinsons?
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If you order a full kit it comes with the bushings, pins and shackles.
The difference between the OME and Dobinsons leaf packs is that OME uses fewer thicker leaves, Dobinsons uses more thinner leaves which results in a smoother ride. Once you have driven one of each your mind will be made up which is the better option. The base Dobinsons shocks are equivalent to the stock OME and I would pass on those. The IMS shocks are 10 levels above, very beefy, adjustable and they are completely rebuildable. Much better than a Bilstein IMO. They also offer a remote reservoir shock if you want to get really spendy.
 
garfieldthecat said:
Excellent, thank you for that insight @CruiserTrash. Did you happen to keep the rubber bushings for the springs or use the polyurethane when you went with the Dobinsons?
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@samc2447 hooked me up with the bushing kit and it worked great. Nice poly material. If I grab my roof rack and rock the truck back and forth you can see how well the pins move inside the bushings even though they are a snug fit - which is what you want for both road compliance and flex, while avoiding unnecessary clanking around (if they were too loose of a fit). New bushings are the cheap part of this process and the old ones are always gummed up. Get new ones.

Steve is correct on the build difference - OME has fewer thicker springs plus the two beefy overloads. The Dobinsons leaves are thinner and stacked in such a way to have a different (softer) spring rate throughout their flex range and act as their own overload. I installed the rear springs maybe a month ago and we went on a camping trip loaded with probably 400-500lbs of gear on 9/30. The springs laid down maybe 1/2" and otherwise didn't break a sweat.

I'm a convert.
 
Looks great, I did the medium weight OME 2 inch lift and got the stink bug stance...bummer. Next time around I will go with the Dobinson lift.
 
garfieldthecat said:
Awesome trucks! Did you happen to do a build thread on the dark brown one? Looks very "military"/safari-like. Also, just discovered 89nolder on that other social media site. Great photos there too. Thank you!
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forum.ih8mud.com

Builds - C Brown Sixty Build

A few weeks ago I got a random Facebook message from a man in Starkville Mississippi wanting to sell his FJ60. He sent a couple photos and a price and I passed on it due to the price. I was on an epic 10 day off road trip and literally forgot about it. Fast forward a few weeks and I was headed...
forum.ih8mud.com forum.ih8mud.com
 
Dekeman said:
Also got the Dobinsons, but removed one leaf from each pack to limit the lift. Ride feels great.
Communicating with them was excellent, answered all my emails quickly, unlike others I was spending money with.
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You must have gotten the heavy set. I got the heavy fronts and normal rears because I did not want a big squat with the ARB and 8274. Turns out I took 2 leafs out of the front.

Do over I would just get light/light which is the Petrol versus the Diesel version.
 
I got what David recommended when I said I didn't want much of a lift.
Not sure if they are heavy or medium or...?
REARS: HJ61-7L-R LH + RH
Fronts: HJ61-6L-F
 
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wngrog said:
You must have gotten the heavy set. I got the heavy fronts and normal rears because I did not want a big squat with the ARB and 8274. Turns out I took 2 leafs out of the front.

Do over I would just get light/light which is the Petrol versus the Diesel version.
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How does one know which are heavy/light or petrol/diesel? Do they have different part numbers? Can you recall what the part numbers may have been for the light springs? Thank you
 
garfieldthecat said:
How does one know which are heavy/light or petrol/diesel? Do they have different part numbers? Can you recall what the part numbers may have been for the light springs? Thank you
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Feel free to give me a call at the store 4178550647
The hj61-6l-f front spring is petrol with a bumper and winch if you need it lighter pull one leaf
The 7l front spring is diesel
The 7l rear springs are in my experience good for up to a rear bumper and small long range tank in stock form if you have much more than that you need the 8l rear springs and can pull third leaf to lighten them if need be. I’m here to help
Thanks Jason Harris
 
I’ve been logged out for quite a while, just catching up on this thread. I went with mediums in the rear, but they were not available in the front when I bought them, so I bought the heavies and pulled a leaf. Ride is still pretty firm around town, but they shine when fully loaded down.
I had a chance to do 2 back-to-back father/daughter and father/son camping trips in the Sierra, lots of hours on baby-head granite. I can't speak to the upgraded shocks, but I'm pleasantly surprised with how the tractor drives.
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Ozark cruiser said:
Feel free to give me a call at the store 4178550647
The hj61-6l-f front spring is petrol with a bumper and winch if you need it lighter pull one leaf
The 7l front spring is diesel
The 7l rear springs are in my experience good for up to a rear bumper and small long range tank in stock form if you have much more than that you need the 8l rear springs and can pull third leaf to lighten them if need be. I’m here to help
Thanks Jason Harris
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Thanks for that Jason. I'm not the best at recognizing patterns, but does the 6l, 7l, and 8l in the part number indicate the quantity of leaves and therefore the heavier duty of the springs? I'm guessing they are all basically the same spring pack with 6-8 leaves and can be adjusted for preference. Also noted you supplied these on the C Brown build. That truck sits beautifully.

Definitely saving your contact for this upcoming upgrade.

Thanks,
Carlos
 
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