Leaf spring swap question
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Leaf spring swap question
Hi guys,
I'm in the process of swapping out the broken leaf springs on my 94 F150 4x4, using a set of leafs from a 89 F250, and have found myself curious about something:
The original F150 springs were a 3+1 set (3 regular leafs, plus the big leaf on the bottom), with an auxiliary leaf on top that only seems to engage with heavy loads. In contrast, the F250 springs are a 4+1 setup.
The "issue" I'm having is whether or not I need to run the auxiliary spring in tandem with the new F250 leaf setup? Or will the F250 springs be beefy enough by themselves? My current u-bolts I purchased for the swap are too short to fit the auxiliary springs (they work fine with just the regular spring pack), but if I don't need to run the auxiliaries, then it won't be an issue.
For what it's worth, I checked on my dad's E350 rear springs, and they are a 6 leaf setup, so I'm leaning towards the 4+1 working fine on a regular half ton truck. That being said, I thought I would check in with the guru's here and get an informed opinion, just to be safe. Thanks guys!
I'm in the process of swapping out the broken leaf springs on my 94 F150 4x4, using a set of leafs from a 89 F250, and have found myself curious about something:
The original F150 springs were a 3+1 set (3 regular leafs, plus the big leaf on the bottom), with an auxiliary leaf on top that only seems to engage with heavy loads. In contrast, the F250 springs are a 4+1 setup.
The "issue" I'm having is whether or not I need to run the auxiliary spring in tandem with the new F250 leaf setup? Or will the F250 springs be beefy enough by themselves? My current u-bolts I purchased for the swap are too short to fit the auxiliary springs (they work fine with just the regular spring pack), but if I don't need to run the auxiliaries, then it won't be an issue.
For what it's worth, I checked on my dad's E350 rear springs, and they are a 6 leaf setup, so I'm leaning towards the 4+1 working fine on a regular half ton truck. That being said, I thought I would check in with the guru's here and get an informed opinion, just to be safe. Thanks guys!
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I would think that it would work without the "auxiliary" spring. The reason for that was so that when it was un-loaded the ride was softer and wouldn't bounce all over the place but when hauling a big load or towing something it could handle the extra weight.
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Just for an update and future reference:
You definitely don't need to worry about the auxiliary springs with this 4+1 F250 spring setup. The rear end of my truck is jacked waaaay up in the air now. I probably gained close to 3.5" of lift with this swap, but remember that my old springs were very much broken in comparison. So it's pretty obvious that those springs can take quite a bit of weight. The ride is now a lot firmer too.
Now I just need to level the front out somehow... Maybe the F250 coils will work. But that's for another day.
You definitely don't need to worry about the auxiliary springs with this 4+1 F250 spring setup. The rear end of my truck is jacked waaaay up in the air now. I probably gained close to 3.5" of lift with this swap, but remember that my old springs were very much broken in comparison. So it's pretty obvious that those springs can take quite a bit of weight. The ride is now a lot firmer too.
Now I just need to level the front out somehow... Maybe the F250 coils will work. But that's for another day.
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Joined: Oct 2009
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From: Ohio
Just for an update and future reference:
You definitely don't need to worry about the auxiliary springs with this 4+1 F250 spring setup. The rear end of my truck is jacked waaaay up in the air now. I probably gained close to 3.5" of lift with this swap, but remember that my old springs were very much broken in comparison. So it's pretty obvious that those springs can take quite a bit of weight. The ride is now a lot firmer too.
Now I just need to level the front out somehow... Maybe the F250 coils will work. But that's for another day.
You definitely don't need to worry about the auxiliary springs with this 4+1 F250 spring setup. The rear end of my truck is jacked waaaay up in the air now. I probably gained close to 3.5" of lift with this swap, but remember that my old springs were very much broken in comparison. So it's pretty obvious that those springs can take quite a bit of weight. The ride is now a lot firmer too.
Now I just need to level the front out somehow... Maybe the F250 coils will work. But that's for another day.
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