Rear leaf spring issues?

[NvrFinished]

Hey everyone. A couple of years back, I changed out the stock leaf springs on my Sport XLT 4x4 for the more compliant Global leaf springs. Along with the Eibach Pro-Truck-Lift Stage 2R, the Global leafs made a huge difference in the ride and lifted the rear of my truck another 3/4".

Lately, I've been doing more off-road excursions in our local desert and mountains, which have included some max flexing in the rear. I was under the truck this weekend, changing out the differential and transfer case fluids, when I noticed that the lower two overload leafs on both sides were misaligned. Pics below.

Has anyone encountered this before with the Global leaf springs? When I initially installed them, the alignment pins fit in place as they should and all was well.

I checked the torque on the U-bolts, thinking something might have loosened, but they are at spec. I'm heading out to the desert again this weekend, so I'm going to loosen them to straighten the springs and retorque them. Other than that, any suggestions or ideas to keep them aligned properly with each other? Or is this to be expected with extreme flexing?

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[PltFX4]

Is the other end of that leaf off alignment in the other direction?? (meaning the leaf is not broken in the middle)

No expert but many multi-leaf springs have alignment straps to keep them all, well, in line.
LOL... here we see in the wild, the factory style (to the left) and the home made, get the job done edition...

Here is the link to the home made edition:
https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/forum/grm/leaf-spring-clamps/280488/page1/

 

[NvrFinished]

Yes, the other end is out of alignment in the other direction. It's the same for both springs. The Global Leafs have a type of U-shaped alignment guide in the front, but they aren't very snug and allow the lower two springs to misalign.

 

[ScarzRanger21(2.0)]

The springs on my wife’s ranger are like this too. We had the dealership look at them when they rebuilt the transmission. They didn’t say anything was wrong so I assume it’s not an issue. Never called to 100% verify but I’d think they would’ve replaced them or said something if it was a problem.

Just searching online, it seems this is a fairly common thing with rangers. As long as they aren’t completely misaligned and still make contact with the leaf above, I wouldn’t lose sleep over it. Double check to make sure your tire alignment is good. If so, leaf it be… lol

 

[Titchadesh]

I know folks on here tap them back into alignment using a small hammer. I looked at my Icons last week and noticed a small amount of movement as well, but they have robust alignment brackets on them so I'm not too worried

 

[Dr3wDrop]

Could this cause the rear axle to shift to one side?

 

[Superspirit]

Could this cause the rear axle to shift to one side?

Not without something bending or breaking. As the top leaf is solid front to back to move the axle sideways it would have to break.

 

[Cabose-1]

My leafs are the same way. They are factory from ford. My 2022 was the same way too. ????? Just dont make them like they used too. I put weight on my leafs too, they seem to be just fine.

 

[NvrFinished]

Keep in mind, everyone, these are not the US factory Ranger mono leaf springs. These are the Global multi-leaf springs off the Rangers from Australia.

 

[a6m5]

There was sound of something slapping around from under the truck sometimes, so when I was getting oil change done at the dealership they looked at it for me. There was nothing loose, but they did catch the overload spring I think on the driver's side sitting little bit crooked. I've been contemplating what to do about it.

 

[Count Desmondo]

There was sound of something slapping around from under the truck sometimes, so when I was getting oil change done at the dealership they looked at it for me. There was nothing loose, but they did catch the overload spring I think on the driver's side sitting little bit crooked. I've been contemplating what to do about it.

I'm very interested in new leafs...coming from mountain biking, I'm willing to upgrade our truck's cost effective stock suspension. The Ford Fox 2.0 kit works well for now. Definitely would upgrade when it needs to be rebuilt and likely sell it if possible. Icon, Deaver, even Tremor springs would be nice...something with a 1 inch rake to retain more of a stock weight distribution. Having a loaded ranger in the winter time with a level was a test of it's abilities to have the front wheels grip. Felt great to be loaded and more rearward bias though. Seeing how the Baja trucks work at speed is a dream, but for now my humble Ranger is awesome.

 

[P. A. Schilke]

Hey everyone. A couple of years back, I changed out the stock leaf springs on my Sport XLT 4x4 for the more compliant Global leaf springs. Along with the Eibach Pro-Truck-Lift Stage 2R, the Global leafs made a huge difference in the ride and lifted the rear of my truck another 3/4".

Lately, I've been doing more off-road excursions in our local desert and mountains, which have included some max flexing in the rear. I was under the truck this weekend, changing out the differential and transfer case fluids, when I noticed that the lower two overload leafs on both sides were misaligned. Pics below.

Has anyone encountered this before with the Global leaf springs? When I initially installed them, the alignment pins fit in place as they should and all was well.

I checked the torque on the U-bolts, thinking something might have loosened, but they are at spec. I'm heading out to the desert again this weekend, so I'm going to loosen them to straighten the springs and retorque them. Other than that, any suggestions or ideas to keep them aligned properly with each other? Or is this to be expected with extreme flexing?

Spring splay as you are experiencing is common with aftermarket springs but is also present in OEM.. You have nothing out of normal and should not worry about the slight splay your springs show. I have seen this many times on many vehicles, but there are aftermarket offerings that I have seen where the splay is excessive as there are no splay U shaped retainers as a cost saving move. You might inspect the spring center bolt for tightness and possible damage...the center bolt has a tough life...

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