hey V10 forum guys.........here's a link to the post in the "Super Duty" forum. it's kinda long but i'm just debating on the rear lift blocks or add-a-leafs for the rear of my truck! the post has it all. any info is greatly apreciated!

ADD-A-LEAFS or BLOCKS

thanks again fellow V10 guys!

 

THe blocks add increased axle to perch length/hright, (well so does the added leafs... )but with the blocks there is nothing to counteract the axle wrap...at least with the leafs there is more leverage for the springs to counteract the wrap...If you go much over 4 inch blocks.. I always advise to add on a set of home made ladder links...they don't have to be fancy and on these big beasts it is fairly easy to copy the expensive designes out there right out of the catalog...wink wink

 

i agree with the 4" blocks and ladder bars! i can't tell you how many lifted trucks (with 6"+ blocks) i've seen running 40's, 42's, and 44's down the road with out ladders........talk about dog-walkin!

i wasn't planning on going over 4" (right now). i couldn't remember if the factory fords had a 2" block on them? if they did/do i was going to try and find a set of those. i've been keeping an eye out of good ol ebay, but i havn't found any 3" WIDE blocks yet. all the ones i've found 3" wide are exactly what you said......4" tall or over! all i need right now is a 1.5"-2" increase.........nothing dramatic just alittle more clearance.

the other thing i'm not sure about is the "towing quality" of add-a-leafs? will they hold up to ocasinal towing? like i said, i've never put any on a SD yet. i've added them to some chevy's but they weren't used for towing, mostly show! i do have a set of air bags that i'm planning on putting on the rear for towing too, but before i build the brackets for the bags, i figured i'd better get this little issue out of the way. so i guess i kinda answered my own question........if i get the add-a-leaf the bags will help prolong the life of the add-a-leafs huh!

the 4.5" lifts is already drawn up (4.5 hanger kit in front, and 12" springs in rear for a total of 11" front and 12" rear), but i'm not rushing on that one........maybe pick up a component or 2 after taxes and anouther here and there. so when i have "almost EVERYHTING" i think i'll need i can start to put it on! i hate starting lift projects and having to wait for a week to get a part, but that's just me, hahaha!

 

Jason, a lot of lifting and towing issues really depend on what type of tow... king pin raised 5er and goose neck take a big hit with a lift unless you have some way to get the trailer back up and level (reversing springs to top of axle, taller tires etc..)

With a bumper drag you can always go with a drop down ball to keep the trailer level...

I know this is probably obvious to you but I try to add info for the newbies to be aware of or consider...

You seemed more concerned with suspension of the truck, ride quality, and payload issues

The 99 and up SuperDuty truck seem to act OK up to about 4.5 to 6 inches with either method..... when you go higher, most folks add taller custom blocks AND more leafs....this dramatically impacts the suspension "unsprung weight" and stability concernes.... more noticeable in the front end and steering then the back

The other serious concern is wheel and tire vs. total weight you can load ... most of the time a lift is so a owner can stuff much larger tires... usually they cheap out and get "Lug Centric" wheels instead of the "Hub Centric" that Ford designed the axle hub/ flange to use..... Lug centric wheels always have a lower max weight rating

Same with the larger tires...they usually have a lower max weight rating

None of this is a biggy if the tow haul weights are adjusted to be under the lower capabilities of the wheels and tires...

I mention this for safety reasons because a LOT of lifted truck owners have the false belief that air bags, blocks, new shocks, and added leafs have increased their weight capacities...and yes the "suspension" is indeed stronger if the lift is done correctly

Another thing to look out for is the need to re-align the drive shaft for the new height...pretty easy to do. However I see a lot of lifted trucks (that I assume changed the drive shaft angle) now going down the road with a very heavy trailer that has the bed way down, the nose way up, and I wonder if the drive shaft is now fighting it self again...just a thought to consider

I lifted a couple of fancy show n go trucks and they were not very good for long distance towing any more. The biggest issue being lost fuel efficiency, and the safety concern being poor side wind handling... But, for short tow/haul locally to the lake or camp grounds it was not really an issue and of course they were very cool looking and I though the effort was worth it...

 

FRED-
HAHA well i'm not in the 5th wheel/goose neck catagory JUST yet! i do just regular bumper pull, and when i left NC i had to get all my trucks, home stuff, and trailer weighed before we left (military move stuff ya know)! and the truck, trailer, and mud race truck weighed in at 14K! when i broke it down it was 9150-9200 (with tires & lift) for the SD, apx 4800 for race truck (79 chevy w/ 38.5's, pics in signiture) & trailer.

the ride quality is but isn't a major concern. but i do want a component that's going to hold up. ie... if i install a add-a-leaf for 2" and 3 months later i just get 1" out of it type stuff.......and i know a 2" block woun't sag hahaha! but if i can add an add-a-leaf and help support it with bags i would go for that too!

i'm not planning on adding the bags to INCREASE the load capacity like alot of guys think......i just want added support! i've heard that sssooo many times too "if i add these bags i can tow XXXlbs MORE than before"!

i already have the rear swing bearing (carrier bearing) shimmed to compensate for the 6.5" lift, and i have some thin sheet metal left that i can add to it if i lift alittle more! so the drive shaft isn't at a outragious angle compared to the chunk! and the leafs have index blocks already built in, so that was a good thing too.

i think i'm probably leaning toward the add-a-leaf. i've found one that adds 1.5" right now.

 

KREWAT just had a good suggestion. instead of a "single" add-a-leaf kit, have the spring company add 2-3 additinal leafs to the rear for height(and that would help for stability too)! i never thought of that. i got tunnel minded when i started looking for add-a-leaf kits and all i saw was the single leaf kits! so after the holidays i'll get a quote from them about that idea!

 

Jason

Just buy the longer "U" bolts...You can cut the "add a Leaf" sets to any height out of junk yard same width springs... the spring "rate" really does not matter

Remember the old Mr. Gasket anti wheel hop bars that just bolted to the bottom of the axle and snubbed up against the front of the spring pack....

We used junk yard 1 ton flattened front springs off the old *****'s Jeep/trucks to do the same thing ...sort of.... when we built up the "add a leaf" spring pack the very bottom spring was a 8~9 foot long flattened (no arc) that was placed so only a few inches were under the perch "U' bolts and the front "eye" was almost to the point where the rear of the Front spring hanger was on the frame.... put in a drop down hanger and pin the front of that leaf and it was an El Cheapo..."ladder bar"

 

I have been building off road vehicles for the last 20 years and the one thing I have found out on leaf sprung setups is this.

Tall lift blocks equals axlewrap without any type of track bar.

Its always better to have a complete set of springs designed for the lift you need.