shackles question

[BerkleyFF]

im looking at the warrior lift shackles. and from the look of them they look pretty simple to fab up my self. but my question is if i make them an inch longer than theirs will i get maybe an extra 1/2 to 3/4 inch lift over their 1.25 an make it closer to 2 inch worth?

 

[SkyJumper]

Depending on your condition of your leaf springs, I would be more concerned with too much negative spring arch. I would go with AAL to compensate more lift and less shackle or no shackle lift.

 

[BerkleyFF]

i have alittle sag in the rear end not much, but my shackles are pretty rusted out, but it also has the factory shocks in the truck still too

 

[techieman33]

Agreed don't go any bigger than the warrior shackles, they put enough stress on your leaf springs as it is.

 

[BerkleyFF]

you guys heard anything good about the gaberial rear air level shocks for added support instead of just a regular stiff shock i had pro comps in an old explorer ans hated the ride it was sloppy worst then factory

 

[manaen]

you guys heard anything good about the gaberial rear air level shocks for added support instead of just a regular stiff shock i had pro comps in an old explorer ans hated the ride it was sloppy worst then factory

I have them installed for towing and they work great!!

You can air them down for normal (softer) driving and then add more air for ride leveling. I have had them for the past 3 years and they have been a perfect for towing. Of course I also added the AAL since my springs were saggy when I first got it. I also don't care for the sagged rear look that most explorers come with so I ended up doing Shackles, AAL's, air shocks (just for towing). My truck sits perfectly level now after all that

You can see it HERE

 

[BerkleyFF]

how much did it all cost for you to fab that bummer up?



glad to here the shocks are good. are they the black ones?

 

[BerkleyFF]

your mounty is the exect height look im going for.

 

[manaen]

how much did it all cost for you to fab that bummer up?



glad to here the shocks are good. are they the black ones?

the most expensive part was the steel and the welding wire. about $40 for the steel and about $40 for the wire. Most of the other stuff was cheap or used from other projects. I think somewhere in the thread there is a cost breakdown.


Shocks were white when new but they are now black after I re-coated my entire under carriage. Things were starting to get rusty from all that north east road salt.

 

[SkyJumper]

i have alittle sag in the rear end not much, but my shackles are pretty rusted out, but it also has the factory shocks in the truck still too

Shocks have nothing to do with the springs sagging. Shocks only serve the duty of ride comfort. They do not lift a vehicle whatsoever. Your leafs are in charge of that duty. If you need to bring back some life into your springs, then you need to add an extra leaf in the pack to stiffen it, or a AAL. But putting on lift shackles with what is already identified as sagging leafs is going to do nothing but increase the sag issue and you are probably not going to achieve any lift as the leaf spring is already weak and sagging. Best bet is to add a primary leaf or a AAL to strengthen and raise it. Safety has to be a element you can not forget. But if you do add a primary single leaf in the pack, it will stiffen the ride and shocks are not going to help you in comforting it. Like I said, shocks are not a cause for ride height lowering, the leaf does. Take your shocks off, and you will see that it is the same height without them. That is why they call them shock absorbers, they absorb.

 

[BerkleyFF]

i understand that im not stupid thanks tho

 

[SkyJumper]

What you can do is get extra or whole leaf pack from the JY and add or exchange them to get rid of the worn out leafs, then use the shackles you were mentioning and then you are getting the most out of the entended lift.

I did not imply or think you were stupid, just tyring to give helpful info to ya.

 

[blakshukvw]

So I have a vending business and sometimes haul around alot of soda. Sometimes more than 15 24 pack cases as well as food in rubbermade tubs. My truck has very little sag when empty if any. I was thinking of installing some air shocks to counter the droop when fully loaded. Does this sound like a good plan for me? I don't want to raise the truck and figure AAL's will do just that when it's not loaded. When it's empty I want it to remain level.

 

[manaen]

air shocks are a perfect candidate here. You can even install an on board pump and pressure gauge to adjust the air without getting out of the truck. Air shocks will change the ride height if you keep them pumped up when there is no additional weight in the back. However I just let some air out when I am not towing so the ride is softer.

 

[blakshukvw]

I hear a lot of contradicting info on here about the air shocks. Some saying they're not a good idea because of the loads they put on the mount areas and possibly breaking those out. Check this thread...

http://www.explorerforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=235295&highlight=max+air

I was actually considering an electric air pump for that too.

 

[blakshukvw]

Also what do you know about the difference between the Monroe Max Air's and the Gabriels you have?

Also when I was talking to the guy at Oreilly's he said they showed to not fit an AWD X which is what I have. What the hell would the difference be in the rear versus 4wd?

 

[Dan Whitaker]

Also what do you know about the difference between the Monroe Max Air's and the Gabriels you have?

Also when I was talking to the guy at Oreilly's he said they showed to not fit an AWD X which is what I have. What the hell would the difference be in the rear versus 4wd?

The only difference in between the V8 & V6 Explorers/Mountaineers is the V8's have the traction bars whereas the V6's don't. There is a difference if you have the factory air ride.

I speak from experiance when I say O'Reilly's system doesn't always know what the hell it's talking about.

 

[blakshukvw]

I think you're correct. That includes most of their employees too.

After looking at the rear shock mounts myself, I have a hard time believing they could be broken by an airshock. Looks over built to me. I believe the shock or bag would fail first.

 

[manaen]

I've hauled some heavy stuff (up to the limit of my truck) and have never bent, broken, or even dinged my mounts. Some of the loads required 120lbs of air to level out...

I will tell you that it makes a huge difference on handling when the truck is leveled properly. I can only speak to the gabriels and they have been lasting very well over the past 3.5 years for whatever that is worth. I will say that there are probably smoother shocks. But when it comes to towing I would much rather have handling and safety. Plus compared to my buddies F250 I have a town car LOL...