i have an 83 yota with 5 inches of lift and 33 tsl's... i took the bed off cuz i would like to do a flate bed...kinda truggy type thing and exo cage... and im trying to decide on rear suspension... i want alot of flex.... on a budget of coarse what are my options... i thought about downeys cantilever shackles..but i did a little research and herd alot of bad stories.. or i could get longer leafs and get more flex that way.... oooooooorr if ifs not too much to pay and to build 4 link would be the way to go... i guess im looking for ideas here... lemmy have em... maybe pics too... THANKS!!!

 

Since you live in WI I would normally say leafs, cause you wont need the links often and the climate will eat heims like crazy. BUT since you want "alot of flex" and more importantly are building a flatbed. I say link it. It will allow you total freedom with the design of the bed and you wont need to acomodate shackle mounts. Which will greatly help the astetics of the bed.

Oh and Iam a huge believer of rubber/poly bushing in links, I dont think it hurts flex very much at all, they can be stronger, can last longer, and you can do all the rod ends for the price of one large heim.

Edit: Here is my buddy on a 4link with rubber bushings.

 

Can you weld?

IMHO, the decision isn't about flex - either setup can flex plenty.

Leaf springs are simple, but you get what you get, and there is little control over the axle, so you may have problems with axle wrap and/or wheel hop. The shackle will interfere with your departure angle. If you DO decide on leafs, I would highly recommend a custom leaf pack from Alcan.

Links require a lot more design work, but provide much better control over the axle - you will never have to worry about axle wrap or wheel hop. The departure angle can be 90* (or more) since there's nothing behind the axle.

I did a double triangulated 4 link on my 4Runner, and I don't think it was much more work than swapping to leafs (or going to longer leafs) would have been. I did Johnny Joints on both ends, and while the lack of any binding is nice, if I had it to do over, I probably would do bushings at the axle end just for the extra simplicity.

 

yesi can weld and i have a welder and plan to do all the work myself ive done alot of work on trucks.. but i just havent ever got into 4 links toomuch and dont know the science behind it.. like angles on where to put the links .. i understand the basics of it tho... thanks for the replies.. i know theres kits u can buy but thats too much money and id rather built it for myself

 

Search for "4 link calculators" on Pirate4x4

 

x2 - there's a 3 link calculator too if you want to go that way (ie gas tank still in the way)

Here's my (re)build thread
https://www.yotatech.com/forums/f116...thread-153382/

The only things I would do differently if I was doing it again are:
- bushings at the axle end instead of Johnny Joints. Just simpler.
- rotated the axle to point at the tcase and use a CV driveshaft. Better ground clearance under thirdmember.

 

great build man looks good n clean... your costs kinda scare me tho.. i just dont want to start something and end up paying $1000 to get it done... maybe leaf springs would be better for me for now anway... like u guys said im in wisconsin and to be honest.. there arent any mountains here haha... as much i wish there was.. i dunno its a hard decision to make... does any one have any good ways tomake leaf springs work with good flex.. ive herd putting the rear leaf springs up front and then getting the longer 51 inch springs or w.e. they are in the rear.. also if the shackle is positoned at a 45 rather then 90 ..wouldnt that give it a couple inches more flex? thanks for the responses...

 

Its not that there are no mountains...Its more that there arent large boulder fields everywhere like the johnson valley. A local park here in Northern Il has no rocks (or mountains) but I would say it is as challenging as any terrain in the country!!

As far as leaf springs 101. Definatly start searching

 

Best thing to help leaves flex is something like Orbiteyes or Creeper Shackles.

If one were to shop around, you could do way better than my cost, but time/convenience was important to me.

 

ya i hear ya there if i had the money i would definatly buy the kit which is nice to have pretty much everything u need all at once instead of trying to piece it together... but yea ill probubly do some shopping and check out prices before i decide anything... im thinkin bout getting the longer springs and the creeper joints.. maybe with the extra money i can get gears and or a front locker which both would help out alot too... i love the rear spool..made a huge difference