Too much junk hanging below the rear axle!

[Jebb]

I have a 1500 4x4 with 35" tires - and it appears I have LESS ground clearance than a Toyota Tacoma with 29" tires.

Why is there so much "junk" (shock brackets, sway bar, brake lines, etc.) hanging below the rear axle?

Have most of you guys moved this hardware up out of the way? If so, how?

 

[S0CAL]

I have a 1500 4x4 with 35" tires - and it appears I have LESS ground clearance than a Toyota Tacoma with 29" tires.

Why is there so much "junk" (shock brackets, sway bar, brake lines, etc.) hanging below the rear axle?

Have most of you guys moved this hardware up out of the way? If so, how?

Funny, I was thinking the same thing as I was visualizing the Zone lift I am getting soon. Not the cleanest footprint underneath.

 

[69GWC]

There looks to be nothing hanging down below the pumpkin.

 

[Burla]

Welcome to modern pick ups. Go getcha old military axles and swap them out, or live with it. They have entire businesses depending on your local that just sell old military axles. They last forever and a day. These trucks are built with gas mileage in mind, if you really want capable, you should have bought something else.

 

[Jebb]

There looks to be nothing hanging down below the pumpkin.

Your photo shows exactly what I'm talking about! Look how much clearance is lost under the AXLE (not the pumpkin) because of the sway bar and shock mounts. All of that hardware could have been moved up parallel to the axle axis - gaining about 3" of ground clearance (equivalent to 6" bigger tire).

Yeah, I know, it's a pickup truck not a Humvee. Still...

 

[Jebb]

These trucks are built with gas mileage in mind, if you really want capable, you should have bought something else.

You mean like a Tacoma?

My point is if you're going to build a 4x4 why ruin it with all this ill-placed hardware?

 

[69GWC]

Yes but nothing is below the pumpkin , no sway bar would be better but the shock mounts are close to the tires so I would not think you would really hit them on much.

 

[14RAM4X4]

I used something like this on my Jeep JK

https://www.northridge4x4.com/fits/...MI3YP3hPnX1gIVCiW9Ch3yBA-MEAkYAyABEgJP2_D_BwE

you could probably go to an offroad shop to have something fabbed up to move the sway bar mounts off the axle up to the frame rails. There are usually rear sway bar kits for this too. I haven't looked though.

 

[69GWC]

Not being a smartass here, Are you really going to take a brand new truck hard core offroading that its going to make a difference if that sway bar is hanging down ?

If so I would think you should have bought a 2500 so you had a truck with a straight axle so that it can flex and have a good working front suspension rather than this IFS thats meant for pavement before offroading.

 

[Jebb]

...you should have bought a 2500 so you had a truck with a straight axle so that it can flex and have a good working front suspension rather than this IFS thats meant for pavement before offroading.

I don't need the load capacity, weight or cost of a 2500 - and you're missing my point. Pickup trucks (including 1500's) are TRUCKS, not cars. They are intended to haul loads down muddy farm roads, through snow, etc. It would make sense to design it to make the most of what it is - even if it's a 2WD truck. Mounting all this hardware below the axle is counterproductive.

So, to gain 2" of ground clearance you could spend $10k on a lift kit and 37" tires - or you could cut the shock brackets off and move them up 2" like it SHOULD have been from the factory, i.e., clean.

That's what I plan to do anyway. Yes, on my brand new 2017. Just curious here if anyone has done this already.


MODERATOR - this is a ground clearance topic which is why I posted it in the "Lifted" forum.

 

[69GWC]

I am not missing any point, what you described your truck being able to do it already can in stock forum..lol

Move the sway bar and shocks up and the pumpkin is still going to hang you up just the same.
I can understand the sway bar but the shocks are so close to the tires I dont see them cause problems except once in a blue moon.

Just seems like alot of work to go down a muddy road..lol j/k

Well when you get done post up some pix.

 

[JPT]

I am not missing any point, what you described your truck being able to do it already can in stock forum..lol

Move the sway bar and shocks up and the pumpkin is still going to hang you up just the same.
I can understand the sway bar but the shocks are so close to the tires I dont see them cause problems except once in a blue moon.

Just seems like alot of work to go down a muddy road..lol j/k

Well when you get done post up some pix.

I had 35” tires on my 2002 wrangler. I had to move my shock mounts (were in the same location close to the tires) after I kept ripping them off.

It is very simple to aim larger rocks on either side of the pumpkin, but if you have sway bar/shocks mounted on either side, you have no option of getting past the obstacle.

If I had the money to take my truck on trails, I would be in the same situation as the OP. It always is weird to me to see vehicles targeted for off road (see almost every SUV/Truck commercial) while they have things like these hanging so low.

 

[Jeepwalker]

That's one thing Toyota does a masterful job at. Their pumpkin is also pretty high up there.

 

[69GWC]

Well its not needed if you not going to take it offroad and just down muddy ,rough, snowy roads (see commercials you speak of for Ram trucks)
Like you said rock crawling or severe trails sure, but the 1500 with its IFS is not the best choice of truck for that to start with and why they make the Power Wagon.

 

[Riccochet]

No truck is really meant for that with it's long wheel base. I always chuckle when I see these trucks out on the trails and they get high centered on rocks or mangle their rockers. Meanwhile my Rubicon with a measly 2.5" lift and 35's walks over everything in it's path.

As for stuff hanging down, even my Rubi has shock mounts that hang down. I've welded skid plates to them though, trunioned the axles, skids on the diffs and everything important underneath. I still bang off rocks and slide over stuff. I just couldn't imagine having an extra 6 feet of wheel base to worry about.

Lifted trucks are cool, I just don't think they are meant for anything more than mud, gravel, snow and relatively easy off road obstacles.

 

[Phil21502]

I took the rear sway bar off my 15 ram 2500 for this very reason. Really helped the look from the back of the truck and zero change in handling. Heck might even ride smother over speed bumps. Lol