sagging springs

[burger]

I bought new belton springs about 3 months ago and they already look like they are giving out. When the new lift was installed the rear sat a little higher than the front but not too much Now the fronts look like they are sagging even more. I have an hj61 with a pto winch and I am wondering if the weigh of the winch and bumper is what is causing the sagging springs. I was told that most spring set will cause the rear to sit a little higher for load carrying. What are some suggestion that you guys think I should do. I already have new anti reversal shackles so I do not want to buy longer shackles or should I get rid of the pto winch and get an electric one. What do you think or does it look alright as is.

 

[s79bj40]

it looks fine, and an electric winch wont be too much lighter than a pto unit, and is a rather needless expense just to save a centimetre or so of height. Were the new springs meant to give much lift? It looks about stock does it not?

 

[roscoFJ73]

The 61 and 62 alawys were supposed to sit a little higher at the rear than a 60.
Need a better pic.

 

[crushers]

every maker has the same results, some more some less. unless you want a rough ride this will happen. the springs do relax after a bit. unless you are carring a lot of gear in the back i recommend pulling a leaf out of the back on each side. this gives a very nice ride.
i do it to most of the customers trucks. save the leaf and you can reinstall it if need be down the road...

 

[Stone]

Add another load leaf in the front packs to compensate for the weight of the PTO winch. It's not that hard to do, if you really want to bring the front up a little bit. Greg B. did the same thing with his BJ74, and now it sits pretty much level. HTH.

 

[crushers]

the one thing that might be a detriment is a bit harsher ride could result adding a leaf...

 

[The Dude]

I also noticed that was the case with my HJ61 with ARB and PTO winch...sagged more then I liked, but I reomved one rear leaf at the time and it leveled the truck and greatly improved the ride. Just don't expect to run a 12.5 wide tire up front. They will rub.

the above suggestion with a slight body lift would be the perfect combo for a SUA truck to run 35x12.5 tires and maintaine a very comfortable ride...


On Edit:

holy crap what am I saying!!!!! Spring over the old girl and be done with it!

 

[cruiser_guy]

I think my BDS springs look fine and I've got the PTO as well but I also drove from Vancouver to Guatemala with a well loaded cargo area and rooftop carrier so it might have made it more even.

 

[Greg_B]

I seem to have the luck of the Irish, as even with an extra leaf added to the front of my BJ74 (Factory Electric Winch and Bar protection all around) I think it rides just fine! I did not remove any leaves from the rear. I can see if one was going to drive a BJ70 on the street all the time the removal (and saving for the future) of a few leaves from the back would be wise. With intentions of a long range fuel tank, and box in the back for odds and sods, I left the rear alone.

I had the Belton 50 mm lift in my BJ60 for a while and it sat very slightly raked. If you want it leveled out, I think The Dudes experience and suggestion is wise.

Wayne, you have driven in my Belton equipped BJ42. The BJ42 is raked to the front (Schedule 40 bullbar and 8274, with aluminum tub and soft top) however when loaded down for Moab and the trip to Black Hills the ride and height was perfect. It is firm at the rear when unloaded, however for me that is a small price to pay for the times I need/want the load carrying ability.

It's nice to see OME has recognized the quality of the Belton suspension, as the new Dakar suspension is made at the Belton facility. As a result of this alliance apparently all new Belton suspensions are supposed to now come with bolted spring wraps, making tweaking packs much easier.

gb

 

[crushers]

I also noticed that was the case with my HJ61 with ARB and PTO winch...sagged more then I liked, but I reomved one rear leaf at the time and it leveled the truck and greatly improved the ride. Just don't expect to run a 12.5 wide tire up front. They will rub.

the above suggestion with a slight body lift would be the perfect combo for a SOA truck to run 35x12.5 tires and maintaine a very comfortable ride...


On Edit:

holy crap what am I saying!!!!! Spring over the old girl and be done with it!

hummm, i am running 35s on my BJ74 with just a belton lift and 2 leaves per side removed at the back. it just bearly rubs under full articulation...but the 60 series needs a bit more lift for 35s

 

[burger]

Definately going to the soa eventually but I just have to wait until the wife gets bored of the truck(I bought it for her as a DD).

Hey dude the body lift you speak of? Was it fairly straight forward and I would assume any 60 series kit will do. 1 inch or 2?

Greg b what kind of leaf did you add up front? Was it an add-as-leaf or was it from another pack?

 

[The Dude]

I went two inches and replaced the rubber body mounts at the same time with polyurethane. I bought it from body lifts Some of the bolts where not the correct size so I ended up reusing some of the OEM bolts. Next time I would drop all the bolts first and then head down to the local bolt supply and pick up what I needed.

The three issues I ran into. The rad needed to be dropped. This was relatively painless. The hole in the floor for the 4x4 shifter need to be made bigger to allow four low. Not that big of deal. The pain came in getting the outa linkage modified to be able to get into 1st. It wasn't that hard, just awkward.

I would think 1" and the beltons would allow you to run 35s with minimial rubbing.

 

[Greg_B]

Greg b what kind of leaf did you add up front? Was it an add-as-leaf or was it from another pack?

I have some 4" high lift packs taken from HJ61 parts rigs that we have brought over from Japan. I used one of these leaves in the front packs. As Wayne indicated, spring rate will increase and the ride will be firmer. It is an option however, if you inclined.

Contact whoever retailed the springs to you. The importers (Prairie Dog Parts) are more then accomodating, and can get you an extra Belton leaf for each side if you want to be Belton all the way. Your retailer will be able to get them for you.

The Dudes suggestion is interesting, if a plush ride is wanted, and the ability to run 35's.

gb