CARLI SUSPENSION 05-23 FORD F350/350 4X4 FABRICATED LEAF SPRING SHACKLE
May have applicable lead time. Direct ships from Manufacturer
Improve your Super Duty's ride with the CARLI SUSPENSION 05-23 FORD F350/350 4X4 FABRICATED LEAF SPRING SHACKLE. The vulcanized bushings in the factory shackle may contribute to a rough ride, but our shackle is designed for a smoother experience. Although Super Duty trucks are built for towing, our shackle is created to improve suspension travel and provide a more comfortable ride. Factory leaf springs often have a high-spring-rate and short-travel, so our shackle is designed to enhance the overall suspension performance. You'll appreciate the difference with the press-fit vulcanized bushings that are commonly used by OEMs for optimal bushing material adherence at both points of contact.
In this case the black busing material you see above (installed into the factory shackle) is adhered to both the shackle itself and the crush sleeve the bolt goes through. The crush sleeve (silver sleeve that runs the length of the bushing) is very thick making the actual bushing very thin. When your bushing is designed to only move as much as it can deflect and the deflection is minimal, the ride will suffer.
We, at Carli, do everything in our power to milk these trucks for as much ride quality as we can. The vulcanized bushings may not seem like a big deal until you consider that there are 6 total bushings fighting suspension movement in the factory configuration – front leaf spring pivot, rear leaf spring pivot and shackle pivot.
Replacing the factory springs with Carli-spec Deavers replace 4 of these (front and rear leaf-spring pivot) with free-moving, serviceable bushings; this shackle replaces the final 2.
In contrast to the factory bushing, the Carli Bushing assembly utilizes more bushing material and a thinner sleeve to prioritize ride damping.
If you do manage to wear out the Carli Shackle bushings, you purchase new ones and swap them in; reuse the crush sleeve. The factory shackle requires replacement in its entirety when the bushings crack/rot.
In short, the factory shackle is beefy BUT utilizes a press-fit vulcanized bushing designed to bind and resist movement. This makes for a crappy ride, no serviceability and no rebuildability. The Carli shackle costs less than a pair of American-Made sneakers and works wonders to free up the rear end of your Super Duty (even fits factory leaf springs) while offering BOTH serviceability and rebuildability.