I was looking over the lift laws in good ol' utah, cuz i thought i remembered seeing that you couldnt use spacers on the front, but when i was reviewing the actual bill, it says:
so what exactly are axle blocks? and their purpose? this may seem like a kind of dumb question, but im learning, so cut me some slack!

 

I'll take a shot at this one.. When you have leaf springs a cheap and easy way to lift with them is to put a block on top of the axle where the springs sit. It basically moves the springs up however high the thickness of the block is. It works but isn't the best way to get lift. Anyone else have an answer on this one that has actually has leafs?

 

thanx uk, so this wouldnt apply to my 2nd gen coil sus, right?

 

You are right on the money. They are blocks inserted between the leaves and the spring perch to gain lift.

Unforunately, they have a reputation, rightly deserved, of breaking catastrophically. They are a poor option for the rear, but a potentially deadly one for the front, so many municipalities ban their use either up front or altogether.

 

i just gotta say guys, I LOVE THIS FORUM! the information on here has proved invaluable so many times, and im sure it will time and time again, and when i cant find an answer, people are always willing to contribute their knowledge. awesome!

 

Thanks Rob for confirming that. I was pretty sure that's what he was asking about. I would call that the poor mans lift. Works but...... And yes r2xj doesn't apply to the 2nd G runners.

 

No problem. It's a quick, cheap way to get lift, but once one breaks on you, you will swear off them forever. When one fails, it is usually sudden and since your axle is no longer firmly connected to your leaves, additional damage is common. U-joints, driveshafts, U-bolts and more can be destroyed. If you get 'lucky', your truck just drops a few inches and you get stopped in time. If not? Well, picture your axle flopping around loose and imagine the damage it could do.

Trail repairs often consist of a whittling wooden blocks and replacing the damaged block with them, then binding the whole thing together with wire-ties, straps and duct-tape. Not something you want to go through

One of the scariest lift set ups I have ever seen had three, 3" blocks stacked on top of each other to get 9". This increases axle wrap and the chances that stack is going to get knocked over like a stack of poker chips.