anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

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David bullock
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Location: Mt Lagoon NSW australia

anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by David bullock »

has any one in haflinger land tried extending the woven metal straps that limit the drop? the length of the shock and the strap seem to be the only thing that would have to change, apart from extra stess on the inner cv when it drops i cant see any thing else that it could hurt, mabe the break line.
The issue is that when 4wd'n im not getting enough flex, well it would help if it could get more traction to the ground without pulling the diff locks in. any ideas guys? pic below is full flex
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heinkeljb
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by heinkeljb »

The issue you would have if you extended the limit straps more than a couple of cm's (and even that might be too much when off road) is that the springs are not held in place except by their own pressure top and bottom.

If you allow too much extension it might be alright in a static situation in the garage where you are working on it, but when faced with the flex and sudden movements off road, then might be just enough for a spring to fall out with not pleasant consequences when you come back down to earth!

The other issue is that it would narrow the track even more than it already does, not so good when off camber as more likely to roll.

If you have the ability to make your own Webbing based limit straps, you could experiment with different lengths, but I don't think you will get much more than an extra inch of lower tyre movement before the spring becomes a problem.

John
Haflinger 703AP LWB 1973 - (Once owned by Lady Sutherland & Sons.) Now called "Lurch" !

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kerry460
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by kerry460 »

bluntly . why . that is what the lockers are fore
and if the tyre has no pressure on the ground , it has no traction .

also the risk of damage to the inner knuckle

kerry
ex Tasmanian Haflinger agent .
1984 G Wagen 300GD auto
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AustHaflinger
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by AustHaflinger »

All of the above - I find the issue is the opposite - too little upward wheel travel when offroad - it hits the bump stops too early.

Garry
Haflinger 700AP (73)
Range Rover Sport TDV6 (07)
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David bullock
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by David bullock »

yea forgot about those springs, where i live all the trails have snotty rockey hills and although the lockers are confidence builders the poor haffy always seems to be balancing on two wheels, a bit more suspension travel either way would give her a smoother feel through the fun stuff. Body lift seemed near impossible and if i try and soften up the bump stop it looks like it would bottom out.
just trying to figure a way on increasing its abilities without butchering it.

dave
kerry460
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by kerry460 »

dave .
about the only way you will increase the ability of the haffy .
is with better tyres .

and learning its abilities , and when to use the diff locks .
i do not mean this sarcasticly .

extra travel in the suspension will do bugger all , except create premature wear .
you might get the wheel touching the ground .
but if it has no weight on it . there is no point to it .

sorry if my comments are blunt , i mean them in a positive way .

cheers
kerry
ex Tasmanian Haflinger agent .
1984 G Wagen 300GD auto
jhon
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by jhon »

David bullock wrote:yea forgot about those springs, where i live all the trails have snotty rockey hills and although the lockers are confidence builders the poor haffy always seems to be balancing on two wheels, a bit more suspension travel either way would give her a smoother feel through the fun stuff. Body lift seemed near impossible and if i try and soften up the bump stop it looks like it would bottom out.
just trying to figure a way on increasing its abilities without butchering it.

dave
Hi Dave - one way to improve its ability and stability is to increase (widen) the track; either by using wheel spacers or wheels of a different offset.

I found this made a huge difference to mine when in tricky, off-camber conditions.
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Goatwerks
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by Goatwerks »

Best advice is add a passenger for better traction :mrgreen:
Yakov
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by Yakov »

When I lose traction, I push in the diff locks, leave it running in gear, and get out and push. Then, when it starts moving, I run after it and jump in.

Im only half-joking. :roll: It happened on one mini-adventure.
David bullock
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by David bullock »

yea iv put 25x8 tyres on 5.5 wide rims, not sure the offset. and they seem to be the maximum size without scrubbing, They have a mean tread pattern on them and are dot approved, pitty only for 155kgs per tyre) thought about spacing the wheels out a bit but those little studs did'nt look like they would be up to it, but it works does it? u must have put longer studs in to do that?
iv been kicking my co-pilot out when doing rock crawling, only because coming off a large rock the other day it ended up on its nose, throwing some one in the back and getting them to push there weight around improves its abalitys to.
Really i probably shouldnt be pushing the poor lil haffy so hard, but dam its satisfying when you get to the end of a trail and the only other 4wd's that have made it have extensive suspension and wheel modidications, then you see the stupid looks on their faces and its all worth it.
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AustHaflinger
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by AustHaflinger »

Forward control vehicles are all light in the rear end and the Haffie is no different. Some extra weight in the rear certainly makes a difference in traction and stability, particularly going down hill.

Garry
Haflinger 700AP (73)
Range Rover Sport TDV6 (07)
Landrover FC 101 (77)
Landrover Series 1 SWB Station Wagon (57)
Landrover Series 1 SWB (57)
Jaguar E-type Roadster V12 (71)
Jaguar XJ12C (76)
jhon
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Re: anyone extended the suspension drop limiter strap?

Post by jhon »

David bullock wrote:.. thought about spacing the wheels out a bit but those little studs did'nt look like they would be up to it, but it works does it? u must have put longer studs in to do that?

Really i probably shouldnt be pushing the poor lil haffy so hard, but dam its satisfying when you get to the end of a trail and the only other 4wd's that have made it have extensive suspension and wheel modidications, then you see the stupid looks on their faces and its all worth it.
Hi David - I haven't used spacers myself, but there's a club member who has - he used spacers so that he could fit 5" mini wheels which are a different pcd. The spacers work well with the standard stud length (you might know this already but wheel spacers have their own studs fitted - the original studs are only used for attaching the spacer to the hub.) His is on the left.

Image

If you're already using 5.5" rims then you're probably as wide as you want to go.

Have a look at this video and the comments - he appears to be getting decent articulation and mentions that he has modified the spring deflection - no real detail, but maybe you could contact him.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGv6KprygHA

I'm with you on loving the looks on the modified 4x4 drivers faces when the Haffy putt, putts it's way through some section that they all struggled with. :P
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