It's easy to take these necessary parts of leaf spring suspensions for granted, but they are critical for the proper operation of your suspension. They help determine wheel travel and ride quality. As your vehicle is sitting on its suspension, the shackles support the weight of the vehicle and have a minor role in determining ride height.

As the axle moves downward and the arc of the spring increases, the eye to eye length of the spring shortens and the shackle swings in to allow for the change in the length of the spring. Conversely, as the axle moves upward the spring must flatten and loose its' arc, becoming longer. The shackle must now move outward to allow for this change in length. The higher the arc of the spring, and the longer the wheel travel, the further the shackle must be able to swing, or travel to allow for the change in the springs' overall length. This is the reason stock length shackles are not generally adequate for lifted, or long travel suspensions, as they become the limiting factor in wheel travel. Any weaknesses or flex in the shackles is translated into alignment changes, and results in poor steering, loss of control, and instability.

The best shackles for your vehicle will allow for full use of available wheel travel, while maintaining proper spring to frame alignment. Triangulated anti-inversion style shackles are by design the strongest type of shackle available, and are generally designed to allow for full use of long travel suspensions, but are also the most expensive style available. Some of our shackles and spring pins feature grease fittings to allow lubrication to be added periodically.
 

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