How does the rear spring set up work for ya?
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ROTM 4xsteve's 84 mini
- Thread starter 4xsteve
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- #22
Great so far. I've heard they like to unload when going on steep descents, but I've not been on any "real" downhill trails. Probably the steepest thing I've gone down was that sand hill that's in my pics. But then again, I have a bit more weight in the back than a lot of rigs do; with the rear winch, camper top, 35" spare, chains, spare winch wire, 2 high lifts, 2nd battery, tools, and a few small odds and ends. Also, that half leaf is pretty stiff due to it coming from a 4" Toyota lift spring, and the fact that it's relatively short as 3/4 ellipticals go. I actually want to shorten it another inch or two so the rear will sit level and so the shackle will be able to swing more in both directions for a little added droop and compression. That short spring is actually the limiting factor for the rear flex at the moment. Handles wonderful on the road still too. All built out of parts I had lying around too: rear pack is leaves from 3 different sets, 1/2 leaf is from the old front lift set, the mount to the frame is the old u-bolts and axle pads, and shackles remained the same.
I'm building a quarter elip. set-up myself for my dailey driven 82 and thought I'd share an idea I'm puttng to use on mine.
Its pretty simple actually, find some channel iron that the upper (quarter elip) leaf spring will lay in, and bolt the spring through it with the channel welded to the frame. At the shackle end of the channel bore a 1/2 hole for a hitch type, quick release pin to slide through and effectively "lock out" the quarter elips.
This allows safer, steep downhills and a lot better manners on the street. I've built this setup on the back of an fj40 and the front of a K5 full size and it functions really well in the real world.
Just a thought.
Dave in PDX
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- #25
Thanks jayrunner
Last pic I have for now. This is my "shop" and RV since I joined the Navy so I don't have to rent or buy a place every time I get new orders and move.
P.S. - If the Marines decal has you confused, I bought it from one and decided it's always good to have them on your side, so I left it on. There's a Navy decal on the front windshield to salute my service.
I know this is an old thread, but I just wanted to say:
I like the trailer idea... "Time to deploy, go ahead and throw everything you own into this large dumpster."
On the sticker... I'm a Marine, but was always way too slick to go putting a flashy advertisement on my vehicle. If you violate a traffic law with an "unmarked" car, you're just another jack***. Do that with a Marine Corps sticker, and you'll likely hear about it in the morning.
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- #27
Sorry I forgot to respond to your post here bombproof. The trailer does work out great for deployments... not only for my stuff, but for a lot of the guys who had to move out of their barracks rooms and needed a place to store their stuff for 6 months. For a small fee I'd let people put whatever the needed to in there til we returned.bombproof said:
On the sticker - not much to say about that except that I BELIEVE YOU! Of course you guys are a smaller group than a Navy base so, not only do we have more incidents probably, but we have so many people that word doesn't spread about things quickly unless its something REAL bad or different. SEMPER FI! (Am I allowed to say that if I'm not a Marine?)
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- #28
By the way everyone, this truck is for sale now but the engine will need rebuilding or replacing. It's located in Memphis TN at the moment but I'm able to transport within about 400 miles (situationally dependent).
