¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
7/12/24 3:08 p.m.

Our tow rig is a 2011 Tundra with an aluminum flatbed on it- love the thing, zero complaints. We tend to drive over a lot of bumpy terrain with the bed fully loaded with stuff, and the springs have plenty of miles now and I'm noticing the slightest reverse arch in the middle of them.

I don't know much about leaf springs and I have no idea if this is indicative of wear- learn me.

Recon1342
Recon1342 UltraDork
7/12/24 3:41 p.m.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

Those do not look right to me. Usually a reversing arch spans the whole main leaf, where these look as if they've had a severe point load and are almost folding. Some quick googles reveal that Toyota has had some leaf spring problems with these, although I am unsure of which model years were affected. Quite a few cracked springs out there, even with light use. I would pop off the U-bolts and check for cracks. 

 

Edit to add- If you need to replace them, Old Man Emu make a very nice set for your truck, P/N CS055R.

Dusterbd13-michael
Dusterbd13-michael MegaDork
7/12/24 3:45 p.m.

Those do not look healthy. If it were me I'd be looking for a leaf spring Rebuilder in your neighborhood to go through the pack or just replacing them with new OEM or equivalent Springs.

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¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
7/12/24 4:00 p.m.

Thanks guys- anybody with a Tundra want to snap a comparison picture?

I'll keep an eye on them and add new leaves to the future maintenance list. 

Recon1342
Recon1342 UltraDork
7/16/24 10:58 a.m.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

I'll see if I can snag a pic sometime this week. 

Looking through the Toyota forums, it certainly seems to be a fairly common issue, with some spectacularly broken leafs occurring frequently as well...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
7/16/24 11:01 a.m.

In reply to Recon1342 :

I am most likely going to go with the General Spring HD pack- as cool as the offroady options are, the fact is that this truck is a fantastic tool for everything I use it for as-is and I'd rather not change it too much.  Given that what I have appears to be a standard spring with an add-a-leaf in it, I figure a professionally built pack with similar specs is about the right setup for the amount that I tend to carry around.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
7/31/24 9:45 a.m.

Made it to Boone Forest Rally and back on the original springs, replacements have been acquired- wow they're heavy.

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
8/5/24 9:01 a.m.

New springs installed and immediately put to work hauling stuff for the vet:

The truck drives great on these and the rear definitely sits a good bit higher, thanks for the advice.

Recon1342
Recon1342 UltraDork
8/5/24 11:33 a.m.

In reply to ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ :

It does look like the stance improved quite a bit. I'm glad you were able to get it fixed before any issues occurred.

 

I'd be interested in seeing if the springs were showing any signs of fatigue around the U-bolt/mount area where they sagged...

¯\_(ツ)_/¯
¯\_(ツ)_/¯ UltimaDork
8/5/24 11:38 a.m.

In reply to Recon1342 :

Nothing noticeable, although the moment I removed the u-bolts they fanned out with the leaves each aligned about 5-10deg off the leaf above.

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