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Lowering your truck yourself opens you up to all kinds of hazards. Here's one you may have never considered.
Leafs Springs: A few months back I installed 3" Bell Tech drop leafs. While removing one of the stock leaf springs it snapped, and slapped the ground hard. How did I do that? Well, I had already unbolted the u-bolts form the axles, and supported the rear-end with a floor jack. There was no weight load on the springs. I had loosened, but not removed the bolt from the front of the leaf. I was loosening the rear bolt of the leaf, and the leaf snapped. It was very fortunate that I was clear of the leaf, and it merely scared me instead of maiming or killing me.
Why did it break? I don't know. It is an eight year old truck. When tightening up the new leafs I noticed them stretching and flattening as I torqued the bolts in. I believe when i loosened the bolts I was causing them to bow up, and they snapped. I'm convinced that I was doing everything correctly
You can see in these pics that the spring snapped near the center where the axle rests.
Keep limbs clear of the spring, and where it may impact if it should happen to snap.
Leafs Springs: A few months back I installed 3" Bell Tech drop leafs. While removing one of the stock leaf springs it snapped, and slapped the ground hard. How did I do that? Well, I had already unbolted the u-bolts form the axles, and supported the rear-end with a floor jack. There was no weight load on the springs. I had loosened, but not removed the bolt from the front of the leaf. I was loosening the rear bolt of the leaf, and the leaf snapped. It was very fortunate that I was clear of the leaf, and it merely scared me instead of maiming or killing me.
Why did it break? I don't know. It is an eight year old truck. When tightening up the new leafs I noticed them stretching and flattening as I torqued the bolts in. I believe when i loosened the bolts I was causing them to bow up, and they snapped. I'm convinced that I was doing everything correctly
You can see in these pics that the spring snapped near the center where the axle rests.
Keep limbs clear of the spring, and where it may impact if it should happen to snap.