Humm... perhaps a solution for lowering the Ranger rear end...??? (jk)

[PltFX4]

From Facebook:
Aaron Cooper
Design originated in Southern California. The picture here does not show the coil over shock absorber bolted in. I have built a few of these systems. They are called a mezzanine link system. A standard upper triangulated 4 link locates the real axle and dictates load transfer points etc.
The purpose of this system is to free up room in a pre-runner SUV for back seats or to load the back of chassis on a short wheel base vehicle while maintaining a shock motion ratio that is suitable for the fast suspension speeds we see on desert off road vehicles. We slow down the shock velocity intentionally.

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[Big Blue]

Wow! That is some major, read expensive, fabrication/modification work. More than I think anyone would want to do just to drop the rear a couple inches for a street truck. Someone earlier, can't remember who, had his entire back end rebuilt with a trailing link, coil-overs and a panhard bar. Company that did it made it available but wasn't inexpensive.

Thinking an axle flip with some high-arch custom springs and shorter bumps is the most economical way to go. The flip part we got just need to figure the right spring design.

 

[Tim H.]

Wow! That is some major, read expensive, fabrication/modification work. More than I think anyone would want to do just to drop the rear a couple inches for a street truck. Someone earlier, can't remember who, had his entire back end rebuilt with a trailing link, coil-overs and a panhard bar. Company that did it made it available but wasn't inexpensive.

Thinking an axle flip with some high-arch custom springs and shorter bumps is the most economical way to go. The flip part we got just need to figure the right spring design.

Or raise the front a couple inches ??‍

 

[Loweredon33s]

Or just flip the axle…. That’s a lot of suspension to deal with and very little benefit. A more simple approach would be a torque arm/panhard setup with lower control arms in place of the leaf springs.

 

[Big Blue]

Or raise the front a couple inches ??‍

The whole point is to lower the back. Not raise the front. Not necessarily to get rid of rake but to ease access to the bed. Don't want a street truck also Don't want a lifted truck look either. The problem is the Ranger has a nice front level with a lifted back.

 

[Big Blue]

Or just flip the axle…. That’s a lot of suspension to deal with and very little benefit. A more simple approach would be a torque arm/panhard setup with lower control arms in place of the leaf springs.

That's what I'm talking about that someone had done early on. Just can't remember who did it. Still alot of assembly and welding work if your don't have access to a shop of your own. Not something the average guy can tackle on his own.

 

[HeatXfer]

Wow, that's way-cool!

I'm not doing that

 

[Big Blue]

The problem with an axle flip with stock springs and shackles is it gets you about a 6" drop, too much. Even worse if using multi-leaf springs. Takes too long of a shackle to get back to a reasonable drop. Hence the need for high arch custom springs. Whoever designs them will also need to take into account how much they length as compressed. There is not much clearance between the rear spring eye and the frame on the stock springs.

My designer eye has looked at this alot. I just don't have the technical knowledge or resources to pull it off.

 

[Grumpaw]

Or raise the front a couple inches ??‍

Easiest solution.....simply buy a few 50 lbs bags of sand and load em in the bed.....easy peasy.
Nice thing about this solution....easy to gauge the amount of drop by using an extra bag or removing a bag....super easy peasy !!!!!

 

[Big Blue]

Easiest solution.....simply buy a few 50 lbs bags of sand and load em in the bed.....easy peasy.
Nice thing about this solution....easy to gauge the amount of drop by using an extra bag or removing a bag....super easy peasy !!!!!

I don't want to use my whole payload capacity of the truck to lower it 2". Because that is what it would take and still might not get it thete.

 

[Tim H.]

Easiest solution.....simply buy a few 50 lbs bags of sand and load em in the bed.....easy peasy.
Nice thing about this solution....easy to gauge the amount of drop by using an extra bag or removing a bag....super easy peasy !!!!!

Fuel mileage would crash!

 

[Big Blue]

Fuel mileage would crash!

That too, although not as bad as you might think. It is still fairly aerodynamic. Your 0 to 60 times would definitely increase though.

 

[Grumpaw]

Fuel mileage would crash!

Hay now....you all wanted a lowered rear, and I gave ya'all a simple solution......but NOOOOO.....now you want payload AND mileage....
Just no making you all happy !!!!!

 

[NotBudule]

Be nice to have some take offs and see what a good spring shop could do as far as de arching the mono , if they were REALLY good they could even make up for the half inch lean on drivers side...

 

[HeatXfer]

Fuel mileage would crash!

The EPA says that for every 100 pounds of weight reduction the fuel economy is increased by 1-2 percent. Does that mean the opposite is true? I don't know, but I installed a 50# Huracan tailgate storage unit and my average mileage hasn't budged (23.4mpg)

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