FJ62 Bouncy Ride W/ Dobinsons

[Hollywood80]

Hi,
I recently purchased an 89 Land cruiser, which has a Dobinson's lift kit from what I can see. The ride is very bouncy, very uncomfortable on long drives. Need input to see if this lift kit was done properly (I notice there is no caster plates under the spring, should I install them??)

Any suggestions on how to get a better ride quality??

 

[Hollywood80]

More pics

 

[BurntToast]

I just installed mine, and yah it’s pretty stiff. I pulled two leafs from the front stack and one from the rear. Better but still not amazing

 

[Beams37]

Caster shims generally wouldn't impact ride quality, but might improve driving/steering experience.

Like @BurntToast said, I would consider removing some leaves from the pack.

 

[Flatlanderfj40]

I’ve not been impressed with the standard yellow shocks. Zero complaints on the springs and they flex well. Rear bumper, sliders, front bumper/winch also contributing factors. Medium kit here.

 

[toy_tek]

Counting your leafs, I think you have the heavy kit. If I recall correctly, the heavy is 8 leafs in the rear and 7 in the front. If you aren't loaded down (gear, fuel, water etc), I'm not surprised. Not sure how old your shocks are, but maybe they're shot.

For comparison, I have a heavy kit with IMS shocks, loaded down it's awesome. Unloaded, its expectedly a bit more bouncy than unloaded, but I wouldn't call it harsh.

 

[RevISK]

I have the Medium w/ standard yellow shock. It's like driving a pogo stick.
The Dobinsons on my 40 are garbage at less than a year old and what's worse is that their "Reps" in Florida couldn't be more terrible if they tried.

OP, don't settle. You shouldn't have to jump through hoops for a decent ride on a brand new suspension.

 

[Hollywood80]

So what's the recommendation?? What setup do you guys run for a decent lift and ride quality?

 

[BurntToast]

Besides going coils? Seems like OME springs with the Dobinsons IMS shocks maybe.

A friend has Dobinsons on his 80 and the ride is great. Probably mostly dude to coil geometry

 

[tarheel40]

I’ve had a Dobinsons kit on my 62 for almost two years and love it, I am running the IMS shocks which are supposed to be a lot better than the standard yellow shocks. I’ve run OME on multiple Toyota’s and have a Tough Dog kit on my 200, I think the Dobinsons is as smooth if not smoother than any of the others. I did play around with removing some leaves to get the rake and cruiser lean correct.

Caster shims will help with tracking down the road, I would recommend the 4 degree shims from Valley Hybrids. Check and make sure your shackle bolts aren’t overtightened, I did that after adding new shackles on my 40 and they couldn’t articulate properly - rode terribly until I adjusted them.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

Like others have said above, add some caster shims and remove some leafs and you'll be riding smooth. I am pleased with the Dobinson springs and yellow shocks on my '87 60 compared to worn out stock springs and shocks.

 

[S.CarolinaFZJ80]

I agree with tarheel above, check your shackle bolt tightness.

Tire load range and inflation pressure also play a large part in ride quality and bounce.

The lower the load range and psi equal a smoother ride. I'm on BFG AT KO2 load range C and run 35psi.

 

[Flatlanderfj40]

Tire load range and inflation pressure also play a large part in ride quality and bounce.

The lower the load range and psi equal a smoother ride. I'm on BFG AT KO2 load range C and run 35psi.

Excellent point. Was running 22-26 before suspension vs current 35-38. Ko2 on the 40 (heavy/bilstein) and TaKo2 on the 60 (medium/yellow).

 

[Kleatus]

Hi,
I recently purchased an 89 Land cruiser, which has a Dobinson's lift kit from what I can see. The ride is very bouncy, very uncomfortable on long drives. Need input to see if this lift kit was done properly (I notice there is no caster plates under the spring, should I install them??)

Any suggestions on how to get a better ride quality??

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You didn't mention it, and most would likely assume you're familiar with the ride quality of leaf sprung vehicles and have ridden in other 60 series trucks to arrive at your conclusion. If by chance that is not the case, I'd recommend you find some local cruiser folk to take some "comparison" rides with.

I agree that those springs look like they are on the heavy side. I have steel front and rear bumpers, steel rack, winch, dual batteries, drawers full of tools, etc. (6,800 lbs in camp/ travel trim) and my leaf packs (Not dobinson) seem like they're thinner overall than yours.

 

[77mustard40]

OP I’m just visiting from the 40/80 world, here’s my take. Leaf springs take some work and miles to get right, flexing the suspension when it’s new will help settle ride. It doesn’t hurt to park with one wheel on a curb at a time and to add weight to speed the break in. That said you could be over-sprung without added weight to your rig (bumpers and winch) so pulling a leaf may help, I’d start in the rear.

I’ve got the IMS shocks on the 80 and they are great, I have no experience with the yellows. In my experience some shocks will contribute to a harsh ride but I don’t know if that’s the case with the yellows.

As far as shims, those need to be determined based on measured angles. Up front you need a baseline caster reading to determine the shim correction required. In the rear you should be using shims to equalize the angle of the TC output flange with the pinion flange on the rear diff, you’re trying to get them the same to reduce vibs from the rear DS.

Nice looking rig, good luck and enjoy.

 

[CruiserTrash]

Dobinsons here. Love ‘em. Steel bumpers front and back, light springs on front, medium on rear, IMS shocks. Does great daily driving as well as loaded down for a week of camping. I generally guess that a harsh ride comes from too heavy of a leaf pack. Seems like most kits are sold as heavies. Even with heavy steel bumpers, winch, etc, I think a medium kit does fine. Maybe if you’re geared out and loaded up to do a self-supported three week tour of Namibia or the Outback or whatever, you might need heavies. I think mostly they’re overkill.

 

[Devils Paw 80]

The nuts on those tri shackles look odd. Do the shackles and springs flex at all?

Regardless, clearly the springs are too stiff. I'm afraid you will need to remove some as advised, or add a lot of weight to the beast. (Or start over by junking them)
My 62 with stock springs and a small shackle lift rode very nicely. Not as good as an 80 but no complaints here or from my wife on long road trips.