Shackle Flip Load Weight
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Senior User
Joined: Dec 2007
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Shackle Flip Load Weight
All of these shackle flips that people do they always say that it decreases the amount of weight you can safely haul. I use my truck to haul water (tank right in the box) and am wondering if anyone makes a shackle flip kit that isnt any weaker and can haul as much weight as the factory setup?
Thanks
Thanks
Post Fiend
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 5,277
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From: St George, SC I-95
check out http://www.sky-manufacturing.com
they have drop brackets for the shackles and they are quite beefy
they have drop brackets for the shackles and they are quite beefy
Postmaster
Joined: Oct 2005
Posts: 3,083
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From: Victoria , BC
I recently made a set of shackels for my rear and they work great! I took the stock shackle turned it upside down rebolted it and it gave me about two inches of lift. I wanted 4"'s of lift so i could remove a lift block from under the spring so i took it off again and cut off the hanger part of the shackle welded it to a new mounting plate with originla hole layout and lowered the hanger two inches(to push suspension downwerd away from frame for lift) to gain a total of 4"'s. Looks just like it was straight from the factory slapped some paint on her and bolted it with grade 8 gold iodized bolts with washers....wish i knew how to post a pic
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 71
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From: North Idaho
Originally Posted by 73 ford guy
I recently made a set of shackels for my rear and they work great! I took the stock shackle turned it upside down rebolted it and it gave me about two inches of lift. I wanted 4"'s of lift so i could remove a lift block from under the spring so i took it off again and cut off the hanger part of the shackle welded it to a new mounting plate with originla hole layout and lowered the hanger two inches(to push suspension downwerd away from frame for lift) to gain a total of 4"'s. Looks just like it was straight from the factory slapped some paint on her and bolted it with grade 8 gold iodized bolts with washers....wish i knew how to post a pic
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Lead Driver
Joined: Mar 2004
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Once you get a good stout hanger and shackel, you will still never haul the weight you did before. The shackel flattens out. Just a guess, I'd say I can maby put in 1000-1500# before they flatten out. A big loss considering 2 tons was no problem before.
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New User
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i haul water too. i have a 350 gallon tank and my shackles flipped. havent had a single problem with them since i did it 6 months ago. i dont see how it would make it any more likely to break or bend. unless i am mistaken flipping them wont create any more leverage than it had stock. sounds kind of like saying if you have a flat peice of metal that wont bend one way and then flip it 180 degrees then it will bend. if i am really missing something someone please let me know
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 5,377
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From: Elkhart IN
It doesn't have any more "leverage" on it at all. When you do a shackle flip, you take the shackle out of tension, and put it in compression. The shackle was never intended to hold weight in compression, but in tension. You can get by with a stock shackle, but what can/will happen, is the ears on the shackle will fold over.
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 71
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From: North Idaho
Originally Posted by chrono4
It doesn't have any more "leverage" on it at all. When you do a shackle flip, you take the shackle out of tension, and put it in compression. The shackle was never intended to hold weight in compression, but in tension. You can get by with a stock shackle, but what can/will happen, is the ears on the shackle will fold over.
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 297
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The stock shackles should hold up fine in compression IMO. The issue you'll see is that the angle of the shackle will allow it to pivot, moving with the springs as they compress and expand. Basically with any kind of shackle angle at all, when the springs droop, the shackle will pivot inward and downward, making it droop even more. In compression, the spring flattens out, pushing the shackle back and up, making it move up even further.
The stock setup does the opposite. As the spring compresses it moves the shackle backwards and it pivots downwards some.
I did a shackle flip and my truck went from a stiff rear to softer than a car with the exact same springs. But I did this on purpose by using a very steep shackle angle (to allow for greater articulation).
I suspect you could do a shackle flip and retain roughly the same characteristics by having the shackle either straight vertical or even on a slight angle away from the spring.
Here's my hanger:
The stock setup does the opposite. As the spring compresses it moves the shackle backwards and it pivots downwards some.
I did a shackle flip and my truck went from a stiff rear to softer than a car with the exact same springs. But I did this on purpose by using a very steep shackle angle (to allow for greater articulation).
I suspect you could do a shackle flip and retain roughly the same characteristics by having the shackle either straight vertical or even on a slight angle away from the spring.
Here's my hanger: