Leaf springs on front mower axle conversion: How to!

So i've had a lot of interest in my front suspension, and even that is a understatement. Here's how i did it in simple terms.

Where did you get the leaf springs? I got mine on a late 60's early 70's 440 cheetah last registered in '76. Many other sleds in the junkyard there had leafs- mine measured 24" long by 2" wide.


Now for mounting, under the chassis i put in cross bar (1"x1") two of them side by side for 2" drop down brackets. (Only one bar shown in the photo) These came off the 1"x1" frame bracing i did.


These are the rear drop down brackets.


Now going to the frame, your going to tear the whole front off of it. I removed my axle, took tires off, and took whatever brackets that connected the axle to the frame off. Now working with just the bare, front frame i went crazy with bracing, after all you want this to never move. i welded my 1"x1" to the frame, two pieces coming straight out and one going perpendicular to them. I did some x bracing so the whole program didn't sway side to side. I also welded my bumper on the front too. The small 3" long "lift blocks" are so the front bumper sits lower, so the leaf springs have more travel, theoretically giving my 1" more suspension travel and trust me, you want every bit of it.  




Now moving onto the mounting of the leaf springs to the frame i bolted the mounts i made earlyer to the springs and welded them to my frame mounts.



Mounting the axle to the springs, so it will stay in place took some thinking, the original leaf springs were all tied together with a big metal block and bolts. i took the block, flipped it over so it was on top of the leafs and cut a groove in to so it hugs my axle. This was a rough cut, i welded little keepers in there that were more persistence and have barely and wiggle room.



This is how it looked with both of the blocks bolted to the leafs, and the leafs on the axle.


To make the axle not slide back and foruth i just welded some rod on the axle.


Now you have to tie everything together. i made these little straps that sit on top of the axle and used bolts that went through the leaf spring pack and clamped everything down.




Last thing was to make front mounts for the leafs.


Now your done! Sit back and enjoy your nnew setup.





I have step-by-step videos on this setup also:
Part 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xcnfJqwjNdk
Part 2: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmXrCfghsbc
Part 3: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhCEL2X_b7M
Part 4: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QcwGTv3ctc

Nicely done, Red. Thanks for undertaking the effort to write it up!

Doc Sprocket wrote:

Nicely done, Red. Thanks for undertaking the effort to write it up!

Thanks, no school and not much to do and i knew it would help someone out there, or atleast help them out on a rainy day...

How do you have your steering linkages hooked up?
Im in the process of building suspension using a single leaf spring... may or may not work, but Im gona try!

Fantastic! I take it you're doing a transverse (buggy) spring? For that, you'll need radius rods or similar, to locate the axle.

Umm... not 100% I know what you are talking about there Doc. lol surprise suprise

If it goes as planned, it will end up having a gasser, or hotrod/ratrod looking setup. But a little bit different....
Providing the spring will actually flex at al, one side could move and not effect how the other side moves... maybe kinda like independant?

Still not 100% how Im going to do this... or make it work, but Im doing something anyways lol
Ill try to get a picture up in my build thread of what Im envisioning.

I dont see it to be that hard. you showed me how its set up with the wishbones and the double shackles, and what confused me is that i always thought there was a panhard bar in there. Steering isnt hard at all.

Thats using your head. The 16 year olds where I work can barely wash a car   let alone fabricate like that. Its good to see the younger generation with skills like many of you on here.  

My question is y go axle on top of leafs rather than use the lift it'd give u if u flip it to where axle is on the bottom of the springs?

i dont think red wanted to lift the rear he would of had to do a lift if he did the axle under the leaf springs and he would of had to extend the steering arm more maybe when he does the 820 swap he might change the front end who knows lol only time will tell. Or unless red tells us

partin_us_99 wrote:

My question is y go axle on top of leafs rather than use the lift it'd give u if u flip it to where axle is on the bottom of the springs?

For a number of things, if you put them under the axle then it lifts the front about 6" just by flipping it. then its looks aall goofy being so far up in the air. you'd need to put some kind of bars from the chassis to the bottom of the axle to stabilize it or it will fold under the tractor if you were to hit something for example.

Flipping the axle makes it a hole other project witch i didnt want, i just wanted to try out leafs. i like the low center of gravity, being that mowers are very top heavy and weight distribution is bad with these machines, so if i can keep my butt lower to the ground and not sacrifice ground CLEARANCE that = less chance of flipping, and improving the mowers off road abilities.

MowBandit wrote:

maybe when he does the 820 swap he might change the front end who knows lol only time will tell. Or unless red tells us

Well heres your answer. Nope. Only changes i see with the front is adding a leaf or two. It bottoms out to much with jumps. When the 820 goes in the mounts will be a inch lower then what i have now to help clear the tires better, and belt/clutch alignment is better.