So I have had a set of Ground Force Shackles on my truck for about 7yrs now and the bushings have rotted out and are causing me to bottom out on right turns and large bumps so I have to change them. I'm between DJM and BELLTECH. The largest difference that I can tell is the DJM use poly bushing and the BELLTECH use more traditional rubber bushings. I've had issues with the rubber bushings on these shackles squeaking and now they're deteriorated. So I'm a little hesitant to go back with rubber bushings but they do provide a smoother ride and, even though mine did, are not supposed to squeak. I know that poly bushings have a reputation for squeaking but wont deteriorate and the rides a little stiffer. Any advice?

 

why not just changing your existing shackle with new bushing?

 

I thought about that but figured it would be less trouble to replace the entire shackle. Besides I don't know what condition the shackle themselves are in and wont know until I get them off. I think they'll probably be fine but factoring in the cost and labor it just seemed more logical to change both shackles.

 

Poly lasts longer, but can make more noise during normal travel


Always remember to tighten the bolts one the truck is weighted at its normal ride height, to ensure the bushing gets "clocked" at the correct postion

 

I went ahead and put on the DJM. After removing the Ground Force and seeing how destroyed those rubber bushings had become it was a no brainer to use the poly.

 

 

That's supposed to be OEM quality rubber from Ground Force? The OEM bushings in the leaf springs which had been exposed to all the same environmental factors and non-environmental factors are still in great shape and look like they will be for a while.

 

Do you corner the truck real hard?

 

No I don't corner hard. My truck is a daily driver and I don't think nor have I ever been told that I drive any way out of the ordinary. I've run a 1/4 mile twice and 0-60 test a few more times than that but no road courses or oval courses or dragging or extreme drifting or cornering.

 

What about a steep driveway frame flexing situation?

 

No steep driveway. You can look at the pics in my album and see my driveway in some of the pics. I can't figure out what caused the bushings to fail like that.

 

Did you do final torque with the weight of the truck on them?