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Whats With The Leaf Suspension On The Toyota Hilux

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Hey guys whats with the leaf suspension on the Totota Hilux some of the leafs seem to splay apart once fitted and some stay together ...any ideas why this has happened if I leave it the way it is will it be noticeable once finished or should I take action and put the small cable ties on ( that are supplied ) Thank guys :)

Stuart

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They do that.

But you should use the cable ties. I know they are ugly, but everyone who uses them (on the factory minimum of 3 leaves) seems to, with in reason, have no dramas with their spring's durability. Those who don't, seem to complain about leaves kinking and distorting.

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Thanx B.M.T for your reply Ill put the cable ties on even thou they are ugly . I guess being high tensile steel they have their own individual shape to a certain extent even thou they are machined by the same machine .I have even noticed the shackles that hold the leaf suspension on to the body do not line up with the corrasponding one on the other side I guess that has to do with the leaf and the shape of it ..Anyway Thanx again for your reply . :P

Stuart

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Thanx B.M.T for your reply Ill put the cable ties on even thou they are ugly . I guess being high tensile steel they have their own individual shape to a certain extent even thou they are machined by the same machine .I have even noticed the shackles that hold the leaf suspension on to the body do not line up with the corrasponding one on the other side I guess that has to do with the leaf and the shape of it ..Anyway Thanx again for your reply . :P

Stuart

It's all the tolerances. From the screw holes in the frame all the way to the plastic axles. Not a big deal.

As for your springs you could disassemble and hand form each sub assembly to better fit. I also suggest that you run the largest leaf with no mounting eyes on the under-outside of the spring pack as well as long on the inside. This will help prevent spring wrap if your a runner by sandwhiching the main leaf. Or make some torque bars to keep the axle from twisting under load bending your springs permanently.

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The leafs that came with my high lift were over bent.

This appeared to be an issue with quite a few F-350's just after the kit was released, as it meant the wheelbase was slightly shorter - causing the drive shafts to compress and bind!

I slightly unbent all of the leafs I fitted to the same level, which meant the truck sat perfectly.

I may try cable ties soon though, black ones don't notice as much :P

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Hey guys whats with the leaf suspension on the Totota Hilux some of the leafs seem to splay apart once fitted and some stay together ...any ideas why this has happened if I leave it the way it is will it be noticeable once finished or should I take action and put the small cable ties on ( that are supplied ) Thank guys :)

Stuart

Hi Stuart,

Never mind with them cable ties. I just re-placed the leafs but just like the real cars use them: the longer one (main spring) just has to be on top. That way I solved the problems you mention (same ones I had). I must admit I had to read twice the manual on the leaf spring section because I have never seen a real car having shorter leafs on top of the main one. What ever was thinking the Tamiya designer????

Have a nice day!

EB

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Hi Stuart,

I must admit I had to read twice the manual on the leaf spring section because I have never seen a real car having shorter leafs on top of the main one. What ever was thinking the Tamiya designer????

Have a nice day!

EB

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I thought it was odd at first too. But the smaller leaf on top, when cable tied down, helps reduce axle wrap, but allows for better articulation than having the leaf under the main one. I've just swapped mine to the cable tied leaf on top option and the suspension is less stiff. I used small black cable ties which don't stand out as much either :)

Take the springs out of the dampers too, they dont do anything useful unless you're carrying the weight of the MFU or want really stiff suspension!

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Take the springs out of the dampers too, they dont do anything useful unless you're carrying the weight of the MFU or want really stiff suspension!

Talkin' about dampers, I always wondered why on earth most of the Tamiya models have them in a reverse position. The Bruiser comes to mind as one of the very few that had them dampers placed in the right position. Also, I truly believe Tamiya designers should have been more meticulous regarding the size of the dampers, cause you don't get to see many Yotas out there with dampers like the red ones included in the kit.

Cheers,

EB

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