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Add a Leaf Options and Advice (Gen 1)

Discussion in 'Suspension' started by Mctodd, Sep 3, 2018.

  1. Sep 3, 2018 at 10:04 AM
    #1
    Mctodd

    Mctodd [OP] New Member

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    F. Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.5, Icon 1.5 Add a Leaf pack, BFG KO2s 285/75/17, 1.25 Spydertrax, SPC UCAs.
    I'm looking into add a leaf options for my 2003 Tundra to beef up the rear suspensions and prevent sag. I'm thinking i'll throw on some 5100s and then Add a leaf to the stock Leaf Springs. Is much difference in the quality of the options out there or is everything pretty comparable?
    I'm do some off roading/camping but am mostly on the road and don't want to give up towing ability.
    Looking for any advice or recommendations.

    right now it has older Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.5s (Blue) on the front from previous owner and the cheap white Fabtechs on the rear.
     
  2. Sep 3, 2018 at 10:36 AM
    #2
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    There are a few options out there for an aal. Toytec, wheelers and Icon make a progressive 3 pack that provide 2-2.5” while reusing your overload spring. Toytec and wheelers also have a single leaf aal with minimal benefits. I would go with a 3 pack aal or get a custom set of springs made for your lift and weight handling requirements.
     
    because_wumbo-truck likes this.
  3. Sep 3, 2018 at 2:45 PM
    #3
    because_wumbo-truck

    because_wumbo-truck TTC#036 & 1st Degenerate

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    Go to and get their progressive aal. I had it on both my Tacomas and plan to have it on my Tundra. It's cheaper than the icon brand progressive aal and they seen seem to be the exact same thing.
     
  4. Sep 3, 2018 at 2:52 PM
    #4
    Professional Hand Model

    Professional Hand Model A.K.A ‘Golden Hands’

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    I priced out some complete springs a while back for the 02’ just for grins from Old Man Emu. $1500 just for the springs! Not worth it for me as my springs are still good even though I tow fairly regularly. I have the forward rake in normal drive. During tow load it sits level.

    Aal will change your smooth rider. Lots of talk on here about airbags (instead of aal) but no need for my rig. Shes smoove ridin’!
     
    Mctodd[OP] likes this.
  5. Sep 3, 2018 at 4:59 PM
    #5
    Brown Bear

    Brown Bear New Member

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    -6" RCD lift in front. -Custom leaf springs in rear 4" lift. -17" race line, raptor wheels. -35" Goodyear Duratrac. -4.88 gears. -ARB rear air locker. -ARB air compressor and tank. -Custom front sway bar quick disconnect -Custom one piece driveshaft -Black Oak Led 40 watt ditch lights.
    I noticed you are in nor cal. If you are near sacramento I would call Sacramento spring 916-371-5124. They can make you anything you want. Any hight lift and set for what ever wight you plan on hauling. I got a custom leaf pack with a 4 inch lift maid by them and I love the set up. I can haul a lot more wight and I have 11.5 inches of travel in full flix.
    http://sacspring.com
    2018-09-03 16.50.46.jpg
     
    Mctodd[OP] and Casper421 like this.
  6. Sep 4, 2018 at 9:51 PM
    #6
    Mctodd

    Mctodd [OP] New Member

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    F. Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.5, Icon 1.5 Add a Leaf pack, BFG KO2s 285/75/17, 1.25 Spydertrax, SPC UCAs.
    Awesome thanks guys. So it sounds just adding a leaf is the cheapest but is also minimally helpful so i'll take a look at the 3 packs. I'm guessing the custom leaf packs are pretty spendy and probably more than i'm gonna need 99% of the time. How much did your custom pack run @Brown Bear ? I'm actually in Sac so i may call those guys just to check it out so thanks for the heads up. Also do you have any more pics of your rig up, it looks badass and i'd love to see a few more shots of it..
     
  7. Sep 4, 2018 at 10:15 PM
    #7
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    He has a bad ass truck, here’s his build:
    https://www.tundras.com/threads/my-03-build.16259/
     
  8. Sep 4, 2018 at 11:20 PM
    #8
    Brown Bear

    Brown Bear New Member

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    -6" RCD lift in front. -Custom leaf springs in rear 4" lift. -17" race line, raptor wheels. -35" Goodyear Duratrac. -4.88 gears. -ARB rear air locker. -ARB air compressor and tank. -Custom front sway bar quick disconnect -Custom one piece driveshaft -Black Oak Led 40 watt ditch lights.
    Thank you. Like Casper421 said check out my build page. My leaf pack was 700$ installed. Sac spring does make add a leafs, witch wold be a lot cheeper. The cool thing is every thing they make is hand forged with hammer and anvil. I would definitely check them out if you are in the sac area.
     
  9. Sep 5, 2018 at 2:20 AM
    #9
    Sunnier

    Sunnier Pity the warrior that slays all his foes

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    @01erionracing has done a lot to his 1st gen, I think recently added custom leafs....
     
    01erionracing likes this.
  10. Sep 5, 2018 at 7:19 AM
    #10
    01erionracing

    01erionracing KJ6RKU

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    My current leafs pack on the gen 1 made by Deaver (light medium 200/300 lbs load) and my previous Jeep leafs pack made by Alcan (800 lbs load) been use for many years without sagging. They are high quality custom build per your spec and made in USA.
     
  11. Sep 5, 2018 at 10:12 AM
    #11
    Somemedic

    Somemedic New Member

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  12. Sep 5, 2018 at 10:51 AM
    #12
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    Are these stock replacement or did they give you a little lift?

    This is a great resource for those who want to replace their old saggy springs. Thank you for sharing!
     
    Sunnier likes this.
  13. Sep 5, 2018 at 5:26 PM
    #13
    because_wumbo-truck

    because_wumbo-truck TTC#036 & 1st Degenerate

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    Anybody ever put Chevy 63 springs on their Tundra? That's a popular spring swap on Tacomas on TW. But it requires you to cut you front mounts and move em foreward
     
  14. Sep 5, 2018 at 6:02 PM
    #14
    Brown Bear

    Brown Bear New Member

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    No but it's something I was looking at doing. But that probably won't happen for a long time. This is one of the conversion kits I was looking at. The kit doesn't come with Springs. It's just all the hardware to convert to a 63 spring.
    https://www.ruffstuffspecialties.com/catalog/R1799.html
     
  15. Sep 5, 2018 at 7:33 PM
    #15
    Somemedic

    Somemedic New Member

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    It does. 2...2 and a half plus I went with a heavy duty upgraded spring along with the hellwigs. Heavier capacity but didnt sacrifice for a harder ride.

    The quick struts up front were from advanced auto where momma gets the discount. The truck sits up slightly higher so newer bigger shoes can be fitted.

    ....and maybe a locker
     
    because_wumbo-truck likes this.
  16. Sep 11, 2018 at 3:54 PM
    #16
    Rheywood456

    Rheywood456 Sup

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    I have been running the ICON aal for the past year and 3 months. Been great. Gave me about 1.5”-2” of height increase and helped a lot with extra weight.

    Now that I run harder and heavier I just ordered a custom Deaver Pack from Archive Garage with their u-bolt flip. Can’t wait to get these puppies on and tested out
     
    Mctodd[OP], Brown Bear and Casper421 like this.
  17. Nov 18, 2018 at 1:50 AM
    #17
    Meliot123

    Meliot123 New Member

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    Fox 2.0 front coil, icon shocks rear, k&n drop in,

    Did you end up installing the Deaver pack? How did you like the shackle
    Flip bracket? I’m looking at the same
    Kit myself. I’m after a softer ride that has the same Carrying capacity. How much lift and what Deaver pack did you go with?

    Thanks.
     
    Rheywood456[QUOTED] likes this.
  18. Nov 18, 2018 at 6:07 AM
    #18
    Rex Kramer

    Rex Kramer Vinyl Spinner

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    Have you looked at an Air-Lift system yet?
     
  19. Nov 18, 2018 at 9:10 AM
    #19
    Rheywood456

    Rheywood456 Sup

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    Deaver Pack by Archive Garage is flawless. Gained an extra 2-2.5” or so. Holds weight great. Set up to hold an extra 500lbs in the bed.

    I did the u bolt flip and not the shackle flip.

    It’s awssome. Went on smooth. No problems!
     
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  20. Nov 18, 2018 at 9:16 AM
    #20
    Casper421

    Casper421 Toyota RidgeTrac driver!

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    2-2.5” over your aal?!
     
  21. Nov 18, 2018 at 9:20 AM
    #21
    Alexstundra

    Alexstundra Not a new member

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    3-1 level kit with add a leaf. 295/70/18r cooper max. Spider head light tail light and third brake light, tint, badges off, ladder racks, trd pro grill, color matched hood bulge, grab handle,coach builder +2, dv8 front bumper with winch, fender flares, bed cover....
    Atlas springs vs deaver? Any opinions
     
  22. Nov 18, 2018 at 9:26 AM
    #22
    Rheywood456

    Rheywood456 Sup

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    Yep!

    To be fair the AAL took a beating over 1.5yrs. It was sagging already...

    Now that I’ve put about a 1000 miles on them, Some with full weight, they’ve settled maybe a quarter to half inch...



    Before and After Photo

    D3209246-3F04-4B09-A792-282961600386.jpg
    FD786179-13AF-4D13-9800-F06046BF87CD.jpg
     
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  23. Sep 2, 2019 at 10:24 AM
    #23
    Mctodd

    Mctodd [OP] New Member

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    F. Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.5, Icon 1.5 Add a Leaf pack, BFG KO2s 285/75/17, 1.25 Spydertrax, SPC UCAs.
    Got busy on other projects but wanting to get back to the truck. I'm looking at the Icon Progressive pack ($215) vs the Wheelers ($160) for the time being, a full custom pack is out of the price range for now.
    Any recommendations on the Icon vs Wheelers, they look damn similar to me.?
    I'm assuming part of the price dif is just paying for the name...although i found a lot more reviews of the Icons then the Wheelers
     
  24. Oct 3, 2019 at 6:08 AM
    #24
    FirstGenVol

    FirstGenVol Brake Czar

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    Just found your post via google search. I'm not sure if you've ordered yet, but I cannot recommend the ICON AAL. I don't see how anyone got 2" of lift as I got less than half an inch. But if you have your heart seat on it, the ICON AAL ships for free. So when you factor in shipping the ICON was actually $5 less than the Wheelers. I wish I had just saved my money for new leaf packs. That would have been more beneficial.
     
  25. Jan 26, 2021 at 2:32 PM
    #25
    bspurs

    bspurs New Member

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    Old post, but what did you go with? My 2004 DC is riding at level now that I’ve added a camper shell to it. With any load, it’s near a negative rake (due to the Toytec spacers up front). I’m looking at the Wheelers, ICON, and Toytec AAL/progressive 3 packs, and trying to determine which to get. The Toytec is the only of the 3 that recommends installing WITH the factory overload spring, rather than removing it.
     
  26. Jan 27, 2021 at 7:32 PM
    #26
    Mctodd

    Mctodd [OP] New Member

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    F. Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.5, Icon 1.5 Add a Leaf pack, BFG KO2s 285/75/17, 1.25 Spydertrax, SPC UCAs.
    I ended up going with the Icon and it's worked out well for me. It definitely gave me well over an inch of lift in the back so I had to adjust my coilovers a little to prevent too much rake and don't have the bed sag that I did. I wasn't sure about taking out the overloads but I ended up doing it as recommended by Icon but if I were to do it again I'd do a little more research on the matter before tossing the old overloads...I don't really see how keeping them there would hurt anything.
    Maybe someone here can shed a little more light on why most companies advise getting rid of overload springs?
     
  27. Jan 28, 2021 at 3:39 AM
    #27
    bspurs

    bspurs New Member

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    That’s good to hear.

    I called and talked to Toytec, and they said they consider their progressive AAL to be slightly stronger than ICON’s, maybe because of higher quality construction as they’re made by Deaver. I noticed Toytec is the only company who recommended keeping the overload spring in. When I asked if that’s why they consider theirs stronger, he said @yeah that’s pretty much exactly why.” All that to say, it seems that for at least Toytec, they consider keeping the overland spring as the added hauling strength to their system. I supposed the same would go for Wheelers or ICON, that their systems would be “the strongest” if they also kept the factory overload? Just speculating here, but that’s what I gathered.
     
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  28. Jan 28, 2021 at 10:36 PM
    #28
    Mctodd

    Mctodd [OP] New Member

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    F. Fabtech Dirt Logic 2.5, Icon 1.5 Add a Leaf pack, BFG KO2s 285/75/17, 1.25 Spydertrax, SPC UCAs.
    Thanks for the info, If i'd dug a little deeper and got the same info I woulda prob gone with the Toytecs. I haven't been disappointed with the Icons but I haven't done much hauling yet either so i got a feeling thats when I might notice the lack of overloads. I planned to hold on to my old ones in case i wanted to put em back on but I left em at by buddies when I pulled them off and he just told me he tossed em with the rest of his scrap pile last week (Doh!).
     
  29. Jul 5, 2022 at 11:15 AM
    #29
    Archive

    Archive New Member Vendor

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    The reason is the 3-leaf AALs are designed to replace the overload leaf, so some of the AALs have interference between the clip rivets on the clips on the 3-leaf, so it also doesn't work properly if that is the case of retaining the overload.
    I've seen all types of AALs used and how many people complain about the results, and buy a real leaf pack afterwards. Most people get very little lift over stock unloaded with AAL. And then you still have a main leaf that is now under higher bending force because it is not supported on the very ends by the 2nd leaf from top, but you just added more leaves below that, and no military wrap for severe duty offroad use.

    The reality is you are much better off saving money for brand new properly designed leaf packs from the start, that do exactly what you want and need, instead of wasting $300 on the AAL, being disatisfied and then doing the proper leaf pack later. (So many don't have money to do it right the first time, but then have enough to do it twice)

    Archive Garage fully supports the 1G Tundra community with the only full 12" travel suspension parts offerings:https://archivegarage.com/explore-archive/ols/categories/tundra-2000-2006

    Our 100% Archive Designed Shackleton springs will be available to order again, built in USA with US steel by a top quality factory (Deaver has no part in these)
    HD: https://archivegarage.com/explore-archive/ols/products/archive-shackleton-springs
    MD: https://archivegarage.com/explore-archive/ols/products/archive-shackleton-med-springs (equivalent to the old Archive Overland packs that Rheywood456 mentioned above, see link for Shackleton specs)
     
    Last edited: Jul 5, 2022

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