Axle spacers compensate for lost axle length due to suspension lift installation in independently suspended, front suspension, four-wheel drive trucks. They maintain proper axle offset and suspension movement, preventing damage to the CV joint and axle. They are commonly used instead of lowering the front axle differential.
Axle spacers are thin pieces of steel machined to a specific thickness to compensate for lost axle length due to the installation of a vehicle suspension lift. Installed between the axle shaft and front differential on independently suspended, front suspension, four-wheel drive trucks, axle spacers maintain proper axle offset and suspension movement once the kit has been installed of elevation. The thickness of the axle spacers depends on the amount of lift altered on the vehicle’s chassis. The use of spacers prevents the destruction of the constant velocity (CV) joint used in independently suspended front suspensions, as well as binding and breaking of the axle itself.
When installing a suspension lift kit on an independently suspended front suspension application, there are two methods to compensate for the axle length for the additional height of the suspension lift. One method is to lower the front axle differential the same amount the rest of the suspension was raised. This will maintain the factory geometry of the front axle and will allow proper operation for most of the front axle. The problem with this type of axle length offset is that the extra ground clearance that was achieved by installing the suspension lift kit is negated by lowering the front diff.
A common offset method for most four wheel drive truck owners is through the use of axle spacers. Once the suspension is lifted the axle becomes too short to reach the differential in the front drive train, installing axle spacers closes the gap and allows the axles to be reattached to the differential. Axle spacers are commonly machined from steel or a strong alloy that allows the axles to retain all of the factory strength designed into the suspension system. The longer mounting bolts are sold with the axle spacers to solve any mounting issues created by the addition of the thick spacer.
It is common for some extremely radical suspension lift kits to use both a drop differential and axle spacers to accommodate the lift. Some independent suspension four-wheelers use axle spacers on all differential linkages to allow the front and rear axles to be retained. This saves on the additional cost of including longer axles with the lift kit. However, these kits are available on a limited basis. Front suspension spacers are a much more common addition to the raised suspension used on trucks.
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