Leafspring issue in the rear

[EvergreenRanch]

its always something....ok i think i know what the problem is, i know what my options are (i think, if you got others post em please). but as always i avail myself on the knowledge and experience of the community:

I. Problem: axle wrap has rubbed the u bolts back and forth, wearing a 1/16" groove in housing and loosened the stack to the point that add a leaf slipped out almost completly.
a. cant tighten or loosen the u bolts:
1. firewrench, penetrant, breaker bar (4') all no-go's
b. rub damage and torqued to hell, i dont think re-using u bolts good idea.

II. Options:
a. buy new U bolts, center pins, and leaf clips from local 4x4 shop: around $120 full set both sides etc......

b. 4x4 shop recommended i prehaps consider new leafs ($500), or new lift kit ($700- $900), AND ladder bars ($300-$700) to correct the axel wrap

i am inclined to go with option A and maybe ladder bars..... what does everyone think?
Any comments or ideas about groove in the axle housing?
Any experiences with ladder bar idea/minimizing axle wrap?

i seriously feel like at the moment

warden, i know ur coming up on finals here soon, but any chance i could call on you sometime in the near future for help if needed?

 

[Mr_Roboto]

Off road shops overprice that stuff like crazy. Contact a local spring shop, they keep that stuff on the shelves and sell it at a fair price.

I suspect the U-bolts were not tightened enough originally. Axle wrap should not cause the axle to rotate in the U-bolts if they are tight. They need to be tight - tight - tight!

 

[towcat]

If you don't mind used, I will be stripping a f250 within the next month. Price will be cheap if you do the work, if I do the work, its gonna cost some $$$$.
count the # of leaves in your spring pack in the meantime and how many overloads you have too.

 

[zigg]

Axle wrap is a pain. I built my own "ladder bar". It's kinda big and lumpy, but it bolts onto the existing sway bar mounts, and runs forward above the driveshaft to a rubber bushing mounted approximately the same spot as the forward spring eyes so as not to interfere with suspension travel. It totally prevents axle wrap, and doesn't bother the suspension. I've removed 2 leafs (have only 3 now) and also have Firestone airbags. The idea being that I have a nice soft ride when unloaded, and yet I can air up the bags and carry as much weight as I want anytime. Best of both worlds.

This isn't for everyone(you gotta be a fabricator/welder) but just a word of experience with ladder bar type thing...

Zigg

 

[EvergreenRanch]

as always i appreciate it towcat! i was able to get the ubolts broken loose.... would i be completly stupid to prep them (clean the threads, strip rust etc ) and re-use them? they are straight, i worry about metal fatigue because they have been torqued on, but i dont know how crucial that would be as they are subjected to very little off axis stress. yeah i agree...P.O. prolly didnt tighten them down enough when blocks were installed. towcat (or anybody) do you know what the torque is supposed to be on the u-bolts?

its a 4 leaf with 1 overload under the leaves, and a helper spring over.

 

[The Warden]

warden, i know ur coming up on finals here soon, but any chance i could call on you sometime in the near future for help if needed?

My last final's on Tuesday IIRC, so I should be available after then...just let me know

 

[Camarogenius]

. would i be completly stupid to prep them (clean the threads, strip rust etc ) and re-use them?

The short answer is YES!
The long answer is: they arent that expensive, and the old ones have been rusted, pitted, and dinged by rocks and stuff, all of which would conspire to give a false torque reading.
Also, you've had a torch on them, which means the steel's temper is gone, making it brittle,
Any of these things can cause a great big pile up.
Spent the smart money.
Just my opinion, Feel free to tell me to **** Off.

 

[The Warden]

FWIW, when I was looking at swapping axles a couple of years ago, I was told that spring U-bolts are specifically meant for one-time use. If you remove them for any reason, they should be replaced.

Given the condition yours are in (as you described them), I wouldn't think twice about replacing them...OTOH, I'm unusually **** about things like that (ever read my "Summer 2004 project" webpage? )...

As to torque, don't quote me on this, but I seem to recall that the proper thing to do is to get them as tight as physically possible. I would check my shop manual to see if there is a proper torque, but I really need to start studying for this exam (10 minutes is enough, right? )

Just my $.02

 

[tractorman86]

as for used u-bolts i dont think it is a bad idea in any normal situation but in this case i would go with new ones. not sure if the grooves will cause any problems but definately something to keep an eye on ! as for torqueing i would look it up in a manual, normally i just let ingersal do the dirty work :Sly but ur case is a little different.