FR34 Front Leaf Spring Bolt Question

[Hillyard]

I ordered a pair of FR34 leaf springs thinking all Ranger leaf springs are interchangeable.

Here is the problem, I have a 2011 Ford Ranger 4x4 and the rear bolt to connect the leaf spring to the rear shackle is the same size but the front one is ever so slightly larger on the factory leaf springs.

Has anyone ran into a similar problem? Can I use the same bolt size for the rear as the front or will the slightly larger front perch hole be an issue?

Thanks,
Zach

 

[Hillyard]

Thought of the solution this morning...dur...Ordering new bushings...

 

[Bird76Mojo]

It sure would have been nice if the OP would have included part numbers and specs for the bushings he ordered.. When I installed the Fr34 leafs in the rear of my 2001 Ranger, the bolts were too small for the factory leaf spring hangers, so I ended up welding some thick machine washers to the factory mounts to make the smaller diameter bolts fit without rattling around in the holes...

The rubber in my FR34 leaf springs is now completely gone. I need to order new bushings and called Skyjacker to ask what bushing are used. They gave me part numbers #RB159 for the front of the rear leaf, and #RB131 for the rear of the rear leaf, which can be had at any parts store.

I'd like to switch to something more durable than the set that came pre-installed on my FR34 leafs. So, off to do some research...

So far I found these specs, but I'm unsure if they're accurate or not, as my leaf springs are still in the truck. This was for the front RB159 and so far, I can't find a Prothane/urethane bushing in 1.625 O.D. - and I won't order Ranger Prothane bushings and have them end up not fitting right..

This chart may help someone in the future: https://www.stengelbros.net/Rubber-Bushings_c_411.html

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Ok, finally found this post by member BlackBII: https://www.therangerstation.com/forums/index.php?threads/replacing-leaf-spring-bushings.185856/post-1730366

Which states:


91-94 Explorer
Front:
RB-159
A-Outer Diameter:1-5/8 inch
B-Length:2-1/2 inch
C-Length:3 inch
D-Inner Diameter:9/16 inch

Rear:
RB-131
A-Outer Diameter:1-1/4 inch
B-Length:2-9/16 inch
C-Length:3 inch
D-Inner Diameter:9/16 inch


The Skyjacker FR34S leaf springs I'm running take those RB159 and RB131 rubber bushings according to Skyjacker customer support. So I went to Energy Suspension's website and they list " Rear Leaf Spring Bushings Part Number: 4.2124" in poly. So those will be going on my FR34S / Superlifted Ranger.


Tip: you can get the 4.2124 through Advance Auto Parts using a 25% off coupon bringing the total down to about $53 with free shipping to your home, tax and all - cheaper than any other site I've seen.