Solid axle front axle 52 1/2 ton AD

[solidaxel]

Has anyone reversed the spring location from top to bottom of axle?
What are the pitfalls of this procedure, is it possible ..... SAFE

[nvrdone]

ive never tried it but some thoughts come to mind:
with the spring under the axle you have no flat surface to mount the spring on which I think would cause the axle to be un stable.
there may be some interference with the tie rod and the springs
it may also put the axle below the scrub line between your wheels causing interference with the road.
those are just some possible problems. there may be more.

[OutlawDrifter]

Considering a drop axle seems to be the norm, I'm guessing there are reasons not to go spring under.

[Katrina/10]

Originally Posted by solidaxel

Has anyone reversed the spring location from top to bottom of axle?
What are the pitfalls of this procedure, is it possible ..... SAFE

I did what you suggest here many years ago, and it did not come out well. I welded steel plates to the I-beam axle on the sides and bottom to make a pad for the springs, and used 4 large bolts to hold it down on each side. It was very low, and had very little up-travel, since the axle was so close to the frame. Also had bad bump steer due to the angles between pitman arm and spindle. I gave up on trying to make it work, and put it back the way it was. Later, put an IFS kit on it.

[solidaxel]

Thanks for the input
I had a guy ask me this question as I had never heard of anyone doing this
I will pass this on to him

[Katrina/10]

I still think it is possible to make it work, if you want to mess with it long enough. But I would say a dropped I-beam axle or IFS would be a better choice if you have the money.