Rear leafs are flat

I get that they wear out quickly in many cases. But they were built for a particular job. Are you saying Toyota is unaware that this happens? This is what these springs were made to do:

If your use is different, as it obviously is, then you mod it to make it work. Which you did. The stock leafs are geared toward ride softness on pavement (remember your manual says your truck is primarily a passenger vehicle) and for off-roading unloaded.

 

Toyota has replaced springs for people due to negative arch/flat packs. I completely get that the majority of the public will get into a new truck/car and expect a soft comfortable ride. Even 3/4 tons fall under this expectation to a certain extent. When the springs are sagging and obviously losing arch, no I don't think that's what Toyota intended.

 

I'm gonna disagree on that last bit... "offroading unloaded" is way down the list of priorities. The tires, shocks, and springs all need upgrading if you really care about that. Spring stacks with many thin leafs will twist and articulate better than stock springs. Shit, you can't even get a factory locker on a Tundra!... not even the Pro.

 

The negative arch is part of the travel by design. With no load on flat ground even new Tundra springs only have a tiny bit of arch... and that gives it about 2.25" of rake.

 

Do you have the dobinson leaf springs and poly bushings? I was going to buy the Ironman shackles, but read on their site that the shackles were for their springs only... didn't make sense to me, but was enough to not buy.

 

If you can, find a local spring business that can re-arch your oem leafs. They can add a leaf and replace any damaged parts. Look up Simcoe Spring Service on utube. I find it interesting how their machinery works to refurbish leafs. Of course, you are looking at downtime for your truck.

 

How long, and at what cost?

 

I have Dobinson's springs with Ironman greasable bushings and shackles. Beware if you are going to replace the springs, they are a bit heavy and awkward, so if possible to have an extra set of hands available, it would be easier. Good luck!

 

If you listen to Sweers talk about the triple tech frame, he says the goal is to keep both rear wheels on the ground at all times. Hence the frame flex in the rear and the soft, highly articulating springs.

I’ve been through a lot of mild and intermediate trails. Still haven’t needed a rear locker with wiring down and picking the right line.

 

Thanks. I bought the 120s during the black Friday sale. Slowly crossing things off my to-do list. I previously installed the Icon AAL and looking forward to upgrading.

 

That's marketing for people who like to offroad, but everyone has gone to fully boxed frames now, including Toyota. Using the frame for articulation or ride smoothness is not ideal, as it is a big undamped spring. It will flex when you hit a bump which is nice, but then it bounces. The springs are neither "soft" nor "highly articulating". Compare them to a Deaver or Alcan pack sometime, or even OME, Dobinsons, Ironman... many more thinner leafs. Thinner leafs twist easier and have more travel.

 

See this is the problem with toyotas is they are too reliable and you guys have to looking for problems and making up reasons why you have to fix it. The springs are supposed to be flat because it rides better. All the other half ton trucks on the market have flat springs too.

 

Well, I like my fixed springs.

 

I have no experience with the other springs listed. But I don’t seen how the stock leafs aren’t soft or articulating. My stock leafs are floaty, sag easily under a load, and invert as pictured extremely easily.

 

Yeah it rides better during the test drive. Use it like a truck and the frame is on the solid bump stops with zero cushion. How's the ride at that point?

 

If by "soft" you mean they are designed to ride ok on the street with minimal load, then that's true. They are not soft in articulation though. And they are not making any compromises to do better offroad. They'd have much better shocks and twice the number of thinner leafs if that was the case. If you'd like to get rid of the "floaty" feeling put some better shocks on... my IM FCPs are night and day better... and you won't lose any articulation.

1st pic is my truck leaf taken just now. It's been like this since new. Center axle to fender height is 24.3". Which compared to the chart at the bottom is higher than normal. Maybe because it's a SR DC Longbed.

2nd pic is a Deaver pack on a Tundra. That's more like what you want for offroading.

 

Well of course it will ride bad on the bumpstops. You might also be rethinking your choice buying a 1/2 ton instead of a 3/4 ton truck if you planned to overload it constantly. I've had mine on the bumpstops. It takes double the rated payload to do it even with my "flat" springs with 200k on them. You're not overloading it are you? The reality is the spring was intended to perform the best for the widest demographic of it's potential buyers...a suburban dad who drives around on paved roads with an empty bed 29 days out of the month and wants it to ride like a car. Because 3/4 ton trucks ride like bricks when they are empty and driving a car isnt cool anymore.

The springs are supposed to be flat. It's not a bad thing like your beer or your tire going flat. Chevy half tons since 1988 have had almost an identical spring in width, length, payload, and number of leaves but in all my years on chevy forums ive never seen the obsessive compulsive behavior to find problems where they dont exist like i do here.

 

Show me a new gasoline 3/4 ton truck that I can depend on for 500k or so that isn't filled with crap (tech) and I will happily start negotiating a deal!

 

Ya, my truck is going to be over GVWR all the time, but I think it'll still be more reliable. Just beef up the suspension and tires...

 

Definitely not new...but she'll last.

 

Looks like you still have about 6” to the bump stop in that pic. The stock Tundra leafs will stuff the tire all the way up in the wheel well and actually touch the bump stop.

I’m not saying other setups aren’t better. But the OP didn’t ask about other leaf packs, and the stock setup gets a bad rap when it is so good at flexing and keeping both wheels on the ground at all times. I’ve never lifted a wheel off the ground because the other end wouldn’t stuff enough. This is super important with no locker.

I’m at 40k on mine, been through some really hairy stuff with no issues. I added RAS to support the constant load I carry. The stockers have been great for me.

 

Trust me, if time wasn't an issue and the bank would have given me 40k at 0% for 60. I would 100% be rolling around in a classic Ford. Should I need another truck in my lifetime, it will also 100% be a classic Ford. By the time I get done with my Tundra, I expect to be around $80k in. For that kinda cash, I can build a very bad a55 classic 460 Ford and still have a few bucks left over. Now I'm tempted to find a tree that I don't like!

 

I've had 5 of em and they were so much fun.

My last one was similar to this one - supercab long bed, 4WD, 3/4 ton. A brick shIthouse.

 

My78 and 79 ford were anything BUT reliable. Sure learned a lot about bailing wire, bubble gum, and duct tape though. And how to run 13 miles home in the middle of winter at night from somewhere in the hills in 0 degree weather wearing tennis shoes and a rain shell whilst being chased by a mountain lion. He didn’t get me. I was carrying my Swiss Army knife…

 

That sucks. I cut my teeth on em. Learned a lot about DIY mechanics lol. My 1st 78 F250 had a 400 BB and was very dependable. Never left me stranded.

 

I found the same to be true. With 2800 lbs of river rock it was still off the bumps with factory setup. Barely.

I added bags at 70k and at 175k swapped out the factory springs for… another set of factory springs with an Icon 3 leaf kit. I would have added the icon kit to the original springs but I found some takeoffs for ubER cheap with 2k miles on them that allowed me to build the Icon leaf pack, then swap them in an evening.

The reason I added the Icon pack was for loaded ride height. My 6112’s are abt 1.25” at the lowest setting and I like a good amount of rake for lots of reasons. I have a camper shell and several hundred pounds constant weight in the bed. Then I throw hundreds (or more) of pounds in the bed and or hitch up a trailer. The stock springs took this type of use for years but I hate driving a squatted or even leveled out truck, so the leaves offset the front height and weight in the bed.

So I’m saying I think the factory springs are just fine for what they are. Aftermarket springs are nice, but HD springs wouldn’t be fun in an unloaded truck, and 11-leaf packs suck for anything but static loads.

 

I say that and I’m always on the lookout for another 78/79 bronco. Haha. Lots of fun memories in those trucks but definitely not reliable. Though the 400m gets a bad wrap. After flat top pistons, an RV cam (well, pretty close to the same grind), decking the heads, and an edelbrock intake and 4 bbl, the motor was a beast. Not a rocket ship but it walked up things I shouldn’t have been doing with stock open diffs.

 

Who died???

 

Same.

I'll have another one day and it'll be my last. I'll cherry it out and keep it to give to my son someday.

 

I have no idea, I couldn't see due to the 3k pallet that was on the hood holding down the front!