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Hi gang
We have done a spring over axle job on my 1988 fourtrax and it is so bad to drive it drives like a boat rolls all over the road it was lovely before we done this on a lwb one with no problem mine is swb should I change it back and just do a body lift please help
i expect its something to do
i expect its something to do with harder suspension on the long wheelbase fourtrak, does changing the switch setting on the centre console for rhe dampers have any effect? is there even a swich on the short ones?
I'd go for the body lift
I'd go for the body lift option. You are lifting the centre og gravity a lot by doing any kind of suspention lift. A body lift keeps the center of gravity almost where it started, as chassis, engine and gearbox stay at the same hight from the road. Other options. Fit heavier duty springs. Have you taken off the antiroll bar or the panard rod from the front axle?
Any veiws expresed in this thread by me are purely from my own experience, and (sometimes) falible memory. Hope my comments help, but please don't take them as gospel.
SPOA problems
you can make/buy steel wedges that sit between spring and perch that correct steering geometry-
tell us more
what exactly have you done/modified, how did you make the perch on the front diff? what leaf springs
made a track bar?
Full of ideas but no time to do them!!
www.bloodredoffroad.com
www.milneroffroad.com
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youtube: Redfourtrack
Picture
Are you able to get a picture up to show how / what you've done so far.
Suzuki (the 410, 413 and Sami) tend to get the SPOA conversion done a lot. Having been around them most of my life I've seen the best and hopefully the worst of some people's attempts at doing one.
The cheap option I've seen done before is cutting off the existing saddles and re-welding above. Worse thing ever. Once done - it will feel not too bad. A few weeks in (Depending on the amount it's driven of course) is the saddles slowly become more rounded and teh axle rocks, springs being attached to the axle by U-bolts obviously can't move so they become weak quickely having to flex more with the greater movement the springs are but under. Hence the boat feeling.
Uprating the springs will help. The lwb version irons out it's issue byt the fact that it's longer. Will still do the boat thing but not as much. On a larger scale - Swing a cat then swing a dog - the cat (light, shorter) will feel easy and therefor you'll swing it faster. The dog being heavier and longer will anchor you down and so you won't swing it as much.
a 4x4 is meant to go offroad. School buses are perfectly capable of taking kids to school on the other hand!