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Leaf Spring Comparison: All-Pro, Allcan, Icon, Dobinsons, Deavers, Archive, Dakars

I bet you can just remove the offending bolt, or flip it over so it's not the nut side rubbing.
 
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So I recently noticed my relatively new @DobinsonsUSA are eating my gas tank. I’m not yet sure what to make of it.

4A35B0A3-7A3B-4EF3-988E-58ACD13A0CF8.jpeg

Yeah you'll need to turn that bolt around, common issue with several mfrs springs actually because Toyota put gas tank surprisingly close to spring
Maybe if you droop the axle out, you will be able to get the bolt turned around without removing the spring
 
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Yeah you'll need to turn that bolt around, common issue with several mfrs springs actually because Toyota put gas tank surprisingly close to spring
Maybe if you droop the axle out, you will be able to get the bolt turned around without removing the spring
I’ll turn it around. It just sucks that the gouge is questionably deep looking in person. And you’d think that bolt would have been shorter or turned around from the manufacturer.
 
Yeah you'll need to turn that bolt around, common issue with several mfrs springs actually because Toyota put gas tank surprisingly close to spring
Maybe if you droop the axle out, you will be able to get the bolt turned around without removing the spring

Yeah this is an issue on GM full size trucks too. I always made it a point to flip the bolt around so I wouldn’t have to drop the gas tank just to have enough clearance to pull the bolt out in the future.

Freaking engineers man. They build cars as if we’re not going to mod ‘em. Or have to repair or service them one day.
 
I’ll turn it around. It just sucks that the gouge is questionably deep looking in person. And you’d think that bolt would have been shorter or turned around from the manufacturer.
I agree, all the bolt threads should point towards the driver side, since passenger side clips have nothing to interfere with.
 
Hey Tyler,
As this is very rare, it can still happen in some cases. Please lift the driver side of the vehicle and flip the bolt to prevent further damage. This will fix the issue.
Do you have any suggestions for what people should do if they are concerned about their damaged gas tank, for those who may find this thread in the future?
 
Good info in here. I’m gonna use this in a few weeks when I bump up my rear leafs. Only temporarily though.

Dang @Tyler that’s knarly. I would imagine the tank is pretty thick but stilll...
 
Good info in here. I’m gonna use this in a few weeks when I bump up my rear leafs. Only temporarily though.

Dang @Tyler that’s knarly. I would imagine the tank is pretty thick but stilll...
Yeah, and @Mr. Nobody has it too. I’m going to have to post a public service announcement to be honest.

His:
AD342641-79E5-4EA0-92DF-AFAE448BDDAD.jpeg
 
When I posted this on the Instagram story I had about 4 other people so far that found out they have the same issue.

That’s crazy. Anything gas tank related reminds me of the pinto

hopefully it’s an easy fix and they take care of any product going forward.
 
Are these companies outsourcing the springs and an unknown party is making the mistake, maybe? @DobinsonsUSA

Not bashing Dobinsons, I like the general design a lot, but I feel these issues are what occurs when a company makes parts for a vehicle in a different market than the HQ are based in.

I brought up an issue with Dob 112s how the 2nd leaf extends inside shackles, and to their credit, they started process of updating the 112 version
 
Ok here we can talk I’ll show what I got on my rear suspension, and why I like it.

My rear setup @ARCHIVE hammer hangers and cross bar support, timbren active offroad bump stops, bilstien 5160 rear shocks, and emu el095R medium duty rear leaf with extra leaf 46xl = heavy duty total 7leaf pack.

now started with a basic lift 1.5” rear block threw those out in a month. I guess I started with that for that extra inch or rear lift, as I was adding small amount of weight in the back of bed. Month later added the wheelers offroad progressive AAL, did the job. Held weight well. Same time did the Timbren bumpstops with u bolt flip kit. Good flex 💪🏽 but not enough flex and addEd more weight to the rear with a full size 34” spare into the bed. Months later removed the AAL installed the emu leaf pack medium duty EL095R. Awesome flex 💪🏽 but was only rated 300lb load I needed more, so a week later bought extra single leaf the 46xl $80 on amazon for a pair. I already had the hammer hangers for months sitting in the garage. So the same week got all my components installed by local fab shop. Got 2” rear lift. So to level it out I install 650lb coils in the front with 6112. Front suspension Is stiffer now, but use to it by now. Rear suspension is a whole different story night and day difference! So much rear flex then the front. More droop. Floats over speed bumps. No more jittery feeling over bumps or rough roads. It’s a big huge game changer and I blame it on the hammer hangers!
 
Ok here we can talk I’ll show what I got on my rear suspension, and why I like it.

My rear setup @ARCHIVE hammer hangers and cross bar support, timbren active offroad bump stops, bilstien 5160 rear shocks, and emu el095R medium duty rear leaf with extra leaf 46xl = heavy duty total 7leaf pack.

now started with a basic lift 1.5” rear block threw those out in a month. I guess I started with that for that extra inch or rear lift, as I was adding small amount of weight in the back of bed. Month later added the wheelers offroad progressive AAL, did the job. Held weight well. Same time did the Timbren bumpstops with u bolt flip kit. Good flex 💪🏽 but not enough flex and addEd more weight to the rear with a full size 34” spare into the bed. Months later removed the AAL installed the emu leaf pack medium duty EL095R. Awesome flex 💪🏽 but was only rated 300lb load I needed more, so a week later bought extra single leaf the 46xl $80 on amazon for a pair. I already had the hammer hangers for months sitting in the garage. So the same week got all my components installed by local fab shop. Got 2” rear lift. So to level it out I install 650lb coils in the front with 6112. Front suspension Is stiffer now, but use to it by now. Rear suspension is a whole different story night and day difference! So much rear flex then the front. More droop. Floats over speed bumps. No more jittery feeling over bumps or rough roads. It’s a big huge game changer and I blame it on the hammer hangers!

Thanks for the vote and recommendation!
 
When is a shackle flip recommended...
And why is it not suggested as a simple lift?
 
When is a shackle flip recommended...
And why is it not suggested as a simple lift?
Because Hammer hangers outperform it in ride quality, bump travel, vehicle handling and load handling, and Hh virtually eliminate rear sway.

Get your lift from leaf springs or if you only need 1" lift a block isn't that bad
 
I've got some icon leaves ordered up with neo-, but it looks like it will be another 2 weeks before they even ship.
Any vendors out there that have leaf springs in stock ready to ship?
Was hoping to go to rock therapy in moab in 3 weeks.
 
Can anyone make a recommendation on a lubricant to help with squeaky leaf springs?

EDIT: I have Deavers.
 
Can anyone make a recommendation on a lubricant to help with squeaky leaf springs?

EDIT: I have Deavers.
If its the bushings, use energy suspension bushing grease on the bushings, other than that, pretty much look for metal to metal scrapping, such as the clips.
I like to spray something on the springs to keep them from rusting
 
Any vendors with leaf springs in stock?
I've got everything for the lift but icon is backordered...
 
T3G vendor @ARCHIVE dropped some unbiased leaf spring knowledge in another post and I feel this information is valuable enough to warrant its own sticky thread.
Archive Garage designs and builds popular suspension upgrades for our Toyota Tacomas, such as their "Hammer Hangers" shackles, U-bolt flip, shock relocation towers.

The following information is something you should consider when deciding what manufacturer to go with, however, depending on how you use your truck, all of these options might have their place, and should not be completely disregarded. If you were set on a certain leaf spring due to personal preference, a good sale, etc, please feel free to ask further questions regarding the subsequent issues mentioned, either in this thread or in a new thread.

All-Pro: low quality import that is designed with narrower than stock junk bushings(!), with low arch, really long and often goes flat on a Double Cab with minimal weight. You will often see the shackle rotated way back. Also it doesn't have a spot to bolt the parking brake cable tab to. No overload

Alcan: Stupidly long design, requires Archive Hammer hangers to work properly, because with stock hangers, the leaves will rub the shackles, and has MAJOR design flaw that the 2nd leaf extends inside the shackle, which when driven offroad has caused dangerous binding, and shackle damage. No overload

Icon: This has been pretty decent I would say, but I have gotten some negative feedback, mainly its just underwhelming. No major design flaws, no shackle interference. Doesn't seem to be a very tough design, or enough lift. My biggest nitpick is they took a 10 leaf pack design, took a couple leaves out, and screwed up by making the stepping from leaf to leaf too wide, which seems like some customers report a lot of axle wrap, which exhibits as driveshaft vibration on take off and deceleration. Stage 1 and 2 are total of 7 thin leaves

Dobinsons: Newer but I like the design, it is affordable, and anyone considering an affordable option should investigate these. Has overload

Deavers: The U402 expo series is currently the best on the market, for now. With 3 stages to choose from. Note that the stage 2 & 3 have less arch due to being heavier duty. Has overload. The price is up there. (Don't buy their J66 lame wrap-central pack)

Archive: Archive Garage will be testing our own design leaf pack in the next few weeks. (Potentially available by summer) Archive set out to build a leaf spring that just plain works, high quality material, built in USA and has a full military wrap, bolted spring clips, tip inserts on all leave ends, correct bushing sleeve width. It will not have the issues like shackle scraping or jamming leaf into shackle, won't take an 'M' shape, isn't too long, issues which are so common.

Dakars: Pretty lame design overall, doesn't have a full military wrap, and has MAJOR design flaw that the 2nd/3rd leaves extend inside the shackle, which when driven offroad causes awful noises, dangerous binding, and shackle damage. Numerous customers have complained, I have contacted them and explained the issue, and it seems they purposely have done nothing to avoid serious warranty burden. They were just plain lazy, took their Hilux design and tossed in the Tacoma, called it good. Has overload. Also very short spring
Source post: https://tacoma3g.com/threads/rear-leaf-suggestions.9460/post-47384

To add to the thread, I am going to gather the various load ratings and prices and add them to this post as well.
This is great Tyler. Appreciate you taking the time to make this in depth write up. As a newbie I'm starting to think I can build a suspension using the best from different manufactures rather than just buying an all-in-one complete suspension kit like an ICON Stage 9 kit for instance. Am I correct in thinking I can do this? Are there any advantages or disadvantages? What components should I be considering for a 3" suspension lift if I were spring no cost?

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
 
This is great Tyler. Appreciate you taking the time to make this in depth write up. As a newbie I'm starting to think I can build a suspension using the best from different manufactures rather than just buying an all-in-one complete suspension kit like an ICON Stage 9 kit for instance. Am I correct in thinking I can do this? Are there any advantages or disadvantages? What components should I be considering for a 3" suspension lift if I were spring no cost?

Any information you can provide would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks. I try to keep useful info like this available although this particular thread has been neglected.

You are correct in thinking you can do that. But I'm just about to fall asleep so I'll bookmark this and give you some info in the morning.
 
Thanks. I try to keep useful info like this available although this particular thread has been neglected.

You are correct in thinking you can do that. But I'm just about to fall asleep so I'll bookmark this and give you some info in the morning.
Sounds good. Look forward to your reply tomorrow.
 
A good resource for sure. Trying to envision my build and goals for my rig. I'd rather buy once than switch a few times like some popular youtuber with ad money.
 
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