RTH - Dobinsons Spring Installation (1 Viewer)

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Cruzerman

Cruzerman

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Apr 23, 2005
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Got me some new springs in the mail (thanks Mike) and am itching to install them. I have a question about which goes on which side. I know that with the OME, the left one actually goes on the right side for US vehicles. Is this the same on the Dobinsons?

TIA
 
Based on the FAQs on their site it is not specific to driver orientation.

FAQs

  • Springs Marked Left Hand Side & Right Hand Side
    When fitting Dobinsons Coil Springs always check the small identification labels attached to the springs for the words ‘Left Side’ or ‘Right Side’.
    When fitting Dobinsons Leaf Springs always check the markings on top of the main leaf for a ‘LH’ (Left Side) and ‘RH’ (Right Side)
    LH/Left Side
    To be fitted to the Left Hand side of the vehicle when seated in the vehicle facing the front of the vehicle.

    RH/Right Side
    To be fitted to the Right Hand side of the vehicle when seated in the vehicle facing the front of the vehicle.
 
I saw that, but our rigs are LHD, which is why for OME you reverse them. Was wondering if that applies to Dobinsons as well since they are also from Australia?
 
I've always just placed them side by side on a flat surface. The one that is slightly taller goes on drivers side (LHS)... But I could also be wrong.
 
bajaphile said:
I've always just placed them side by side on a flat surface. The one that is slightly taller goes on drivers side (LHS)... But I could also be wrong.
Click to expand...

My thoughts exactly. As it turns out, the longer one is labeled left, so it actually going on the left side. Stay tuned for pictures!
 
Hey, good inquiry. I put Dobinsons on my RHD rig. It had a lean. I contacted them and they said to swap the rears side to side. Did the trick. With a lift, it was a 15 minute operation, so no biggie.
 
Resurrecting this thread to ask the question again--@tacosupreme, yes, right is right, but on a RHD truck not only is the right side of the vehicle the always-loaded side (with one human), but the right hand side has all the steering stuff (shaft, wheel, etc) as well as the pedals, master cylinder(s), etc, so the right side weighs significantly more than the left, even with no driver's butt in the seat. Same deal for a LHD rig, but it's the left side that's heavier. So the suspensions are designed with side-specific springs to account for this weight, and it's absolutely different depending on which hand drive the truck is.

On to my question: does anyone know for certain if Dobinsons labels their USA-bound springs differently than their domestic (Aus market) springs? Seems like OME's approach (If you're somewhere weird, where people drive on the right side of the road, please reverse your springs) might well apply to Dobinsons springs, but when I called the US distributor during my install, they insisted that right means right, period. Seems like the evidence above confirms what I was told-- that they've adjusted their labels for the LHD US market, but I'd appreciate some confirmation, which would allow me to stop running around my truck in parking lots with a tape measure.

In short, the FAQs on their site may be aimed at their own domestic market--do they run different labeling lines for export springs or are we the exception to "right is right"?

PS--this thread in 80 series tech seems to raise the same question: Dobinson’s 2 Inch?
 
Last edited:
The longer spring always goes on the longer side of the axle. The difference in springs is because the spring perch on the longer side is slightly lower. It has nothing to do with where the driver sits.
 
Ok, thanks—that makes all kinds of sense. Any idea why folks say to install OMEs on opposite sides for LHD trucks? (I think I read that on Slee’s site, not in anything official from OME —possibly OME doesn’t even say that)
 
MikeB said:
The longer spring always goes on the longer side of the axle. The difference in springs is because the spring perch on the longer side is slightly lower. It has nothing to do with where the driver sits.
Click to expand...

Interesting info. I thought the spring sides related to where the gas tank sits. I learned something new today.
 
With the Dobinson progressive springs the taller spring says right and the shorter says left! So the shorter is on the drivers side…. The gas tank gets the taller spring???

Correct?
 
jblatl said:
With the Dobinson progressive springs the taller spring says right and the shorter says left! So the shorter is on the drivers side…. The gas tank gets the taller spring???

Correct?
Click to expand...
Have you figured this out? Just had the progressive springs installed and I have at least a 1” lean to the driver side (passenger side is higher than driver). Trying to understand which side the taller spring goes on.
 
The taller spring goes on the driver (left) side. All photos are facing forward (like sitting the the driver seat).

You can see even the worn out factor spring is still a bit taller on the left side.

1709161874497.png


1709161905755.png


1709161989671.png
 
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