Extended Shackles?

[Stassy94]

Hey guys looking at raising the rear of my triton with extended shackles. I know they are not legal and people may deem them as bad to use but each to their own.

On ebay i have found this: http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/191647724864 ... EBIDX%3AIT

Now for that low price would it mean they are likely to snap or something? i dont do hardcore offroading but i do some hard tracks here and there (i also know ill need new shocks)

Has anyone on here purchased these shackles or any other on ebay? i was looking into the snake racing ones but i feel the price is too much and you are paying for the brand more than anything. Any help would be appreciated thanks guys

[rokster]

Listening in.. the question is front of my mind as well. Would be good to hear what the experts say !

[4wd26]

Don't know about an expert
But at some stage my triton ran extended shackles
I got the snake racing ones due to strength and name
These things are illegal for a reason, they place additional stresses on themselves and the leaf pack, so a small saving for the increased weld surface area was a no brainer

They will flex more potentially requiring longer brake lines as well as extended length shocks

[RHKTriton]

Considering the shackle end of the spring is just as Important as the front end in controlling sideways movement of the axle, I wouldn't go there.

My rig's standard rear suspension bushes are shagged, resulting in a 'washy' rear end. Longer shackles would also go this way a lot sooner.

Then you've got all the extra stresses introduced to the chassis connections.

[NowForThe5th]

A few quotes from an expert:

Extended shackles are illegal in all states (Including NT as they work off the NCOP).

As Al coholic pointed out, they change the suspension geometry and put a lot more pressure on the main leaf. The laws are written to cover all vehicle makes and models. You may never have an issue on a Triton, but failures on other vehicles have forced the transport authorities to do a blanket ban on them.

I cant see what would be 'wrong' apart from not enough weight in the front.

Without the weight on the front, your vehicle could be sitting higher than 2" making the bump stops touch.

When i installed the rear extended shackles, one side could not drop far enough without the other side dropping. The nature of leaf springs act like a sway bar... how do you get more articulation out of the rear? Is there thinner more flexible bushes for the shackles?

Running extended shackles without a custom leaf spring can often reduce your travel. You should also check the length of your shocks as the Triton shocks limit most of the travel to protect the brake lines and ABS wires.

The Triton suspension can be very good but is a different ball game to setting up a Jeep. Strut/leaf set ups are a lot more expensive to work with and don't provide as much flexibility as a coil/coil live axle set up. It is a compromise but the Tritons are more stable both on and off road and better suited for general use and touring. Have a look through the shed profiles and past trips to find out what is possible with these vehicles. Here's an example- viewtopic.php?f=27&t=9907

To be honest Mudlark I'm speechless. That is an incredibly dangerous way to install a suspension kit. Personally I believe the rear may be sitting up too high with the extended shackles. The leaf spring itself looks very stiff an uncomfortable. The extended shackles appear to be pushing the spring down onto the second stage (which would make it stiff all the time) and I'm surprised the leaf spring itself is not progressive. In most cases the third and fourth leaves would be different lengths to provide more comfort.