Front Lift Blocks

[tecton]

why are they worse than rear blocks?
im talking within reason....3 inches max

seems they would be just as non-dangerous as rear ones...but i see power and cable company trucks with them on there for xtra GC to get up in the woods....explain

 

[Shaggy]

<font color="green"> Front lift blocks are a no-no, especially as large as 3 inches. The only thing similar are the 0 rate add-a-leaves that are sold through various sources. These differ from blocks because they bolt to the spring pack, but they are also only 1 inch tall so there isn't much leverage applied to them.

The reason that lift blocks are dangerous in the fron is because the front axle sees not only acceleration and deceleration forces, but it also takes the brunt of the side loading when you turn. So you put a 3" lift block in, and the leaf is only 2.5 or so inches wide, so the block is taller than it is wide. This translates to alot of force on the block. The last thing you want is for a block to spit out when you're taking a curve on the freeway.

People do run blocks and have done so for long periods of time with good luck, but that doesn't make it any less dangerous. They are also illegal to run in the front in most states, as far as I know. I know that they are illegal in CA, and we have pretty liberal lift laws here.</font>

 

[Blue85]

Just get a thicker spring pack. Some can be done by bolting in a thinner block. An inch is fine, here. Maybe 2" is OK, I don't know. You can also weld on some taller spring pads or lower the front spring mount on the frame and run longer shackles. I think that doing some of this stuff within reason is better than incredibly long leafs with a huge arch stuffed into the stock mounting locations.

 

[m j]

[ QUOTE ]
i see power and cable company trucks with them on there for xtra GC to get up in the woods....explain


[/ QUOTE ]

yes you do see it all the time.
if fact they are part of the 4x4 conversion kits sold by Marrmon Herrington etc
kinda makes you wonder about the whole illegal thing and whether it is another total myth.
blocks are a bad idea front or back, just a cheap and dirty way to do things.
correct way would be to use springs long enough to provide the desired ride hieght without excessive arch, and that isnt even very hard to do

 

[BigBurban350]

What if you utilize trac bars, both laterial and longitude? Kinda like a 4 link coil suspension.

 

[Shaggy]

<font color="green"> If you're going to go to the trouble of fabbing multiple track bars, why not just do it right in the first place? Requiring track bars on a leaf spring suspension is a dead givaway that it's a poorly thought out suspension... </font>

 

[BigBurban350]

True but its so much cheaper but on the other hand you get what you pay for. /forums/images/graemlins/usaflag.gif /forums/images/graemlins/burb.gif /forums/images/graemlins/usaflag.gif

 

[tecton]

seems like everyone has this bad predjudice against blocks....kinda like...everyone bought the expensive 4x4 truck and then see a old ragidy K5 go places it couldnt...thats the cheap way to do it isnt it?

im just saying....it doesnt seem any more dangerous than rear blocks....

 

[Bullet]

Alright then, go ahead and run them /forums/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

And when they fall out and cause serious damage to your truck and maybe even you, don't say we didn't warn you /forums/images/graemlins/angryfire.gif

I have personally seen a mud truck on 39.5 Boggers and a BBC chunk one going straight through a pit. It wasn't pretty.

If you think that blocks are that bad, take a look at this link then... Why Not To Use Blocks

 

[the cork]

trial and error says not to, /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif