Greasable vs non shackles and pins

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Marleyws

Marleyws

Joined
Sep 27, 2016
Threads
39
Messages
215
Location
Clinton ohio
Can someone explain the pros and cons of greasable vs non greasable shackles and pins? Im looking to buy a full set for my build and don't know what to buy. 1970 fj40 keeping it mostly stock with front disk don't really want any lift its gonna be kept on the road mostly with light camping/off roading
 
The con is that drilling the holes and/or channels for the grease makes them weaker and possibly more prone to break. That said, I run all greaseable on mine and have never had one break, but others have.
 
1911 said:
The con is that drilling the holes and/or channels for the grease makes them weaker and possibly more prone to break. That said, I run all greaseable on mine and have never had one break, but others have.
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Im new to this...what is the point in greasing them? Noise? Or they wear out faster without grease?
 
THEORETICALLY...the idea of greasing is to keep things loose and flexible. The 40 series, especially with aftermarket lift springs is inherently stiff and bouncy. Peeps desperate to try any snake oil will try any bolt-on 'solution'. What really needs to happen for real suspension relief is for the relative angle between frame, shackle and spring to improve. I call it 'the angle of the dangle.'

I sold greasable pins and shackles for a short while before I stopped believing the snake oil sales pitch. Now I sell adjustable-width shackles, which I believe are much more important than greasability.

FWIW, I've been wheeling Landcruisers for over 30 years, NEVER run greasable shackles, and never had squeaking issues with bushings. Just wear them out with intended use.
 
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The greaseable shackles are a lot nicer when you have to take them apart in the future no fused rubber to rusted bolt.

I had non greaseable shackles the bushings used to squeak over every bump super annoying... adjustable width shackles? I haven't seen those but if it's like I'm picturing that might help with the squeaking.
 
First, buy into "1911's" answer above, I've seen many broken greasable shackle pins. Next, scour through some old barns and try to find some early 1900's wagon wheel grease- - -it's thick and paste- - -stays where you put it, probably one step above bees wax. Problem is knowbody has made the old "thick" grease for many moons, but when we could get it we greased the shackle pins, the polyurethane bushings, and the frame sockets the bushings go into. The grease then stayed in place, so dirt, sand, salt, nothing could get inside the bushings. Next thing; rubber and "cheap" polyurethane bushings will not tolerate lubricants, they merely dissolve over time. Expensive polyurethane bushings have inhibitors that let them tolerate lubricants. Energy Suspension manufactured all of Downey Off Road Mfg. bushings back in the day, and they had the inhibitors.
 
Downey said:
First, buy into "1911's" answer above, I've seen many broken greasable shackle pins. Next, scour through some old barns and try to find some early 1900's wagon wheel grease- - -it's thick and paste- - -stays where you put it, probably one step above bees wax. Problem is knowbody has made the old "thick" grease for many moons, but when we could get it we greased the shackle pins, the polyurethane bushings, and the frame sockets the bushings go into. The grease then stayed in place, so dirt, sand, salt, nothing could get inside the bushings. Next thing; rubber and "cheap" polyurethane bushings will not tolerate lubricants, they merely dissolve over time. Expensive polyurethane bushings have inhibitors that let them tolerate lubricants. Energy Suspension manufactured all of Downey Off Road Mfg. bushings back in the day, and they had the inhibitors.
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I think im gonna go this route. Summit has the energy bushings. Is a grease gun type lube sufficent?
 
Modern lubricants are more sophisticated, work better, run cooler, make metals last longer, BUT they are not thick and they have no "staying" power, they run out of your spring bushings like water!!!!!!!!!
 
Downey said:
Modern lubricants are more sophisticated, work better, run cooler, make metals last longer, BUT they are not thick and they have no "staying" power, they run out of your spring bushings like water!!!!!!!!!
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Any NOS type lube to look for? Maybe find an old container on ebay or something?
 
Toilet bowl wax ring haha thick but pliable forever... works great for water proofing leather boots too!
 
scrapdaddy said:
I've wondered about the gun drilled axles shafts, same theory, no?
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Totally different animal. The forces and the way they are applied are different. Gun drill axles allow more twist and relieve some of the stresses within the material.

Good info in this thread as I have always been against greasable bolts aka hollow bolts.

Try Green Grease. It's multi purpose and is sticky as hell.
 
Well I pulled the trigger and went non greasable and gonna use a toilet bowl ring or something else to lube those puppies
 
I've found that most of the grease pumped into a greasable pin winds up squeezing out between the bushing anyway.Standard bolts dipped in grease and then installed provide the same level of lubrication and helps with future removal.An excellent source for long term,incredibly thick grease is Falk (Rexnord) p/n 778468.Have fun getting it off :hillbilly:
 
It's funny, I tried a dozen stores in Australia to get standard gear but everyone has converted to greasable stuff. In the end I gave up and went greasable. Such a fail.
 
I primarily use greasable shackles and pins because of rust I used to consistently find the pins would rust and become abrasive effectively become like a rasp and would chew the centre of bushes out within months, the other benefit I like as already mentioned is keeping the suspension quiet and not squeaking all the time
 
You want a NLGI 3 or 4 grease if you're looking for something thicker than standard grease gun grease you buy at the auto parts store.

McMaster-Carr

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You can put yogurt in your shackles?.....:grinpimp:
 
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