Best shackles for new leaf springs
 

Hey Gang,
It has been a while since I posted. Life got the better of me, between work, new kid, the usual. So anyways one of the last things i ahd done to my ride is change out the leaf springs to the OEM HD springs, twice. Each time they went flat as soon as i put it under its own weight. In which I then added an HD no weld relocation bracket. It gave me a little lift, but didn't help with the flat springs. I thought it would be ok as the OME springs ran pretty flat anyways. Well if I put any kind of gear in the back or hook up my pop up trailer, the springs almost go inverted. So i am deciding to bite the bullet and put in some Old Man EMU 3" lift rear leaf springs, and want to remove the HD relocation brackets. My question is should i change to a different shackle or will the OEM ones i have installed be sufficient? i dont want to go much more then the 3", probably will get a little less then that with the bumpers and gear I have on it already. Just looking for opinions. Thanks gang!

Jason

If you are looking for better shackles, here ya go. I don't have them, but it may help you decide.

http://www.boostwerksengineering.com...les-_p_24.html

Not a bad option. Although I kind of want to see if i can remove the shackle relocation brackets if i could.

Iron Rock Offroad makes adjustable shackles that are either stock height or .75" of lift. Might help you keep the overall lift low while still getting a more robust shackle.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...15334817e5.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.che...57aca372e2.jpg

Battle,
Thanks for the info, and nice pics. That an Old Man Emu lift on there as well? If so, any instances of the shackle hitting the unibody on flexing?

It's not an OME lift in the rear - just OME shocks. Those are Rancho 1.5" leafs. And I just finished the install - no time to flex it out yet! I'm curious of any clearance issues too. Should be able to report back soonish.

I second the Iron Rock Offroad shackles. Well made I had no complaints with them at all

I am told leaf springs work better when flattened out somewhat. There is room for them to "droop". Inverted is a different situation.

I have 3 XJs and have the IRO "boomerang" adjustable and greaseable shackles on all of them. Very happy with the quality and performance.

Shackle length doesn't really affect the angle, nor does the boomerang shape.

The angle that you need to worry about is bolt to bolt.

The boomerang shape will allow the shackle to swing back farther before it hits the chassis tho.

The longer shackle, as in the pics above, won't change the angle. Look at the pics, as you drop the leaf spring to use the lower hole, the spring eye also moves down and forward....so any change in shackle angle will make the shackle more vertical (worse, not better), but pinion angle will be affected, and how much droop you get will be affected.


Leaf springs will ride better when they are closer to flat, but not sure I would call that 'working' better...................and most of the 'droop' from ride height on a leaf spring isn't the spring itself, but the shackle swinging forward to allow the spring to drop/droop. In this case, a longer shackle will give you more, and an inverted shackle will give you lots more if designed correctly.

Having said all that, the stock shackle angle does very little for droop compared to an angle of say 45 deg, which is common with a relocation kit.



.

Well stated.

I went with RE boomerang shackles. Extremely happy with my decision. I tossed the adjustable brackets idea around, but ultimately decided simple was better, for me. The versatility of an adjustable bracket might suit others better, so I'm 50/50, if you aren't 100% positive with your setup, adjustable is a better option IMO