Leaf Springs That Will Give a 4 in lift?

[1984ranger28]

Hi, I'm looking to lift my Ranger and instead of using lift blocks I want to use leaf springs. Anyone know of any leaf springs or spring combinations that will offer 4 in of lift? Rough country sells a kit with springs, but is 300 dollars more than the one with lift blocks. Thanks, Lucas.

 

[adsm08]

Chevy 64 inch leaves give some lift, not sure how much.

Explorer rear springs should be about 4 inches with the factory Ranger 4x4 blocks in place. Only 2 inches with no blocks.

 

[Shran]

Explorer springs, add-a-leaf, longer shackles and a short block. I came up with a 6" lift using that combo in a Bronco II.

You could also go with Skyjacker springs, I believe they offer both 4" and 6" lift springs. Alcan, Deaver, etc will build custom spring packs for you too but you have to have a way of weighing sprung and unsprung weight on the truck.

 

[BlackBII]

Skyjacker FR34S will give 4" of lift with the factory block, or 2" without. FR36S will give 6" of lift with the block, or 4" without.

I am running Skyjacker FR34S with no block, but with extended shackles, and have about 4" of lift.

 

[RonD]

Springs "lift" because the weight of your Ranger is not enough to push them down

i.e. mattress springs, if they are rated to support 150lbs then a 250lb person will find them soft, a 50lb person would think they are stiff

Say your front axle weight is 2,000lb, and you put on springs rated for 3,000lb, when you hit a bump the springs won't compress as they should, not enough weight on them, so they will push the frame and body up instead of absorbing the deflection, which is the whole purpose of having the springs

Over rated springs make for a very "stiff" ride, many experience this with stock leafs in pickup trucks, i.e. "ride like a truck" lol.
Thats because the rear leafs weight rating needs to be enough for the beds weight rating, like 1/2 ton, or 3/4ton rating
So the weight on the rear axle might be 1,200lbs empty but stock spring meed to be rated for 2,200lb(1/2ton), 1,000lb more
This makes for a bouncy ride when bed is empty, not enough weight on the spring to hold it down, so you feel every bump in the rode
Fix for this is to use softer springs with overload leafs, you get the smooth ride empty but still have the weight rating with the overloads

Its also not great for handling or power
With all 4 wheels flat on the ground, with the weight of the vehicle on them, you have good steering, good power and good braking
With over rated springs when you hit a bump, the spring pushes up the frame and body taking that weight off the tires, so you lose steering and traction(power and brakes)

 

[Shran]

I am running Skyjacker FR34S with no block, but with extended shackles, and have about 4" of lift.

I have the FR36S springs in my truck with no blocks and Belltech shackles - I think I got at least 6" of lift, maybe more. They ride nice too.

 

[don4331]

Chevy 64 inch leaves give some lift, not sure how much.

Stock Ford springs have 6" arch, 1-1/2" thick, and are 1,200lb capacity*. Given an simple calculation rear end weight of 600lbs, they are compressed 3" static.
64" Chev springs (the lightest ones) have 7-3/4" arch, 2-11/16 thick and are 2,200lb capacity. Using same weight, they compressed ~2-1/8". So, truck is ~4" higher. And it rides "like a truck" as the spring are more/less 50% stiffer. (Not quite that bad as the extra length of the Chev springs helps some).

Installing Chev springs does require moving the front spring mount forward ~6" assuming you want axle in same spot. Of course, while moving it forward, you can also move it lower on the frame to get some lift. You can also move the rear shackle mount lower on the frame (top bolts in lower holes, then new holes for the lower bolts. You can also get K-1500 lift springs and go crazy with the lift or include a shackle flip to keep things under control - advantage of Chev springs is they are inexpensive.

*Note: Values are per spring. Arch is measured from line from spring eye to spring eye to the top of the spring, then you thickness of pack to get "height" to bottom of spring

You can also get your existing springs re-arched - instead of the stock 6", get 10" of arch. Most larger centers would have a spring shop which could do it. 10" is probably the limit as any longer risks shortening the spring to where shackle could reverse, where upon you suddenly get 8+" of lowering.

As noted above, longer shackles are good for couple inches.

Lots of choices, pick your poison.

Reason for editing: Forgot to add thickness of spring; it was bugging me as I put Chev springs in my Ranger after Superlift (4") and pulled both the stock and lift blocks and truck sits at same level. I wanted (needed) the extra capacity as I have a Adventurer camper in back. (1,200lbs +).

 

[Bird76Mojo]

Skyjacker FR34S will give 4" of lift with the factory block, or 2" without. FR36S will give 6" of lift with the block, or 4" without.

I am running Skyjacker FR34S with no block, but with extended shackles, and have about 4" of lift.

This is solid advice, and it's the way I went with my Superlift on my 2001.

Skyjacker FR34S and they've broken in a little more since then to give a softer ride. They were a tiny bit stiff when new.. Nothing horrible though.