Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Folks,

Getting conflicting info re extended or more to the point longer than standard shackles on rear leaves.

Leading 4X4 North Shore mod shop tells me that extended are illegal but after market over size are O/K.

Contact a few engineers registered with the RTA to perform blue slips and I am told that any shackle not offered as an after market accessory by the vehicle manufacturer is illegal.

Read an article in Aus 4WD Monthly mag re a Zook suspension upgrade indicating that longer shackles are O/K and that a NSW engineer passed them.

Who do I beleive??

Any NSW RTA Engineering signatories watching this group that can comment??

Yours Confused

Rainsey

rainsey wrote:Who do I beleive??

the man that will pass the mods as Legal would be a start.. not the one making the $$...

What they mean is your not allowed to extend the origional shackle by making it longer, you need to fabricate or buy one that is one peice and mega strong.

Its legal, i know numerous people who have extended shackles engineered in NSW. You just got to find the right engineer.

Gribble wrote:You just got to find the right engineer.

sadly that doesnt make it legal... its like some of the Tufftrucks "legal" with approved mods, and with 44's and other things.

Engineers in general have stopped certifying mods unless they do it themselves. There have been some serious claims against engineers and they are running scared(I don't blame them).
I tried to get 35's under an 80 series engineered and nobody would do it so I had to stick with 33's.

bogged wrote:

Gribble wrote:You just got to find the right engineer.

sadly that doesnt make it legal... its like some of the Tufftrucks "legal" with approved mods, and with 44's and other things.[/quote]

Its nothing like that... the tufftrucks are engineered but the tires arnt But the orginisers of the comps allow larger tires in the comp

you will actually find th big trucks such as Duncan Scotts and the Dobbins rig, are fully engineered with the 40-44's but they are speed limited,

Duncan Scotts truck is limited to 60km/h with the big meats.

Gribble wrote:

What they mean is your not allowed to extend the origional shackle by making it longer, you need to fabricate or buy one that is one peice and mega strong.

Its legal, i know numerous people who have extended shackles engineered in NSW. You just got to find the right engineer

Ahh... this is just it... confusion... I contacted 2 engineers, one on the Central Coast and another in Newcastle (the latter does a lot of 4x4 engineering) and both stated there is a black and white rule from the RTA stating no extended shackles.

The reason, although unfounded in his thoughts, was that the longer shackle can place greater force on the chasis where it is mounted thus increasing the possibility of chassis damage.

But, he continued to say that there is no law to stop the actual shackle mount on the chasis being lengthened and using standard shackles.

His last words were, if the longer shackle was not an original vehicle manufacturer option on the original truck, it was a no go.

So from this I talke it it means longer shackles are out, not just ones that are lengthened.

I have sent an email off to the Editor of Australian 4WD Monthly who wrote an article called "Project Otis" which has a Zook, in NSW, that was passed. If i can get hold of the signatory of this vehicle I will ask their interpretation!!

Yours Confused

Rainsey

rainsey wrote:Gribble wrote:

What they mean is your not allowed to extend the origional shackle by making it longer, you need to fabricate or buy one that is one peice and mega strong.

Its legal, i know numerous people who have extended shackles engineered in NSW. You just got to find the right engineer

Ahh... this is just it... confusion... I contacted 2 engineers, one on the Central Coast and another in Newcastle (the latter does a lot of 4x4 engineering) and both stated there is a black and white rule from the RTA stating no extended shackles.

The reason, although unfounded in his thoughts, was that the longer shackle can place greater force on the chasis where it is mounted thus increasing the possibility of chassis damage.

But, he continued to say that there is no law to stop the actual shackle mount on the chasis being lengthened and using standard shackles.

His last words were, if the longer shackle was not an original vehicle manufacturer option on the original truck, it was a no go.

So from this I talke it it means longer shackles are out, not just ones that are lengthened.

I have sent an email off to the Editor of Australian 4WD Monthly who wrote an article called "Project Otis" which has a Zook, in NSW, that was passed. If i can get hold of the signatory of this vehicle I will ask their interpretation!!

Yours Confused

Rainsey

Yes I think more than a few people have noticed what u have Rainsey. I'd look forward to hear what they say.

A small loophole that has been exploited b4 is fitting Ford Explorer leaf springs on the rear. They have a 140mm long shackle, meaning that when a complete "rear suspension swap" (ie leafs and shackles) is mounted on a Hilux, the longer shackles are permitted, similar to a complete "coil" swap some have done.

The most ridiculous thing is that (from the mouth of RTA technical hotline operator) the RTA has no record of standard shackle lengths of any brand of vehicle- they rely on police to notice and defect huge (8" or more) shackles.
Josh.

On the Lovells website ( www.lovells.com.au ) in their PDF catalogue for leaf springs there is an extract from ADRs that states extending shackles is illegal....

states extending shackles is illegal....

so what about using longer shackles not extending the stock ones...that looks like what they are saying

Shackles of any length different to the one specified by the manufacturer and supplies as standard fitting to the vehicle are illegal. Just cause a truck is engineered does not mean it is road worthy and okay in the eyes of the RTA. Some examples like fitting military length shackles to land rovers may be allowed, as rover made the vehicles with that length shackle fitted. But as for longer shackles, or extending your standard ones (why would you lenthen your origional shackles anyway instead of making new extended ones in the first place??) they are ILLEGAL.
Layto....

i now a guy that had extended shackles on his hilux engineered and on the report he handed in to the rta. he got home one after noon to find an rta inspector wiating for him and the truck got defected of the road one of being extended shackles
also the engineer that passed my lux refused to put the extended shackles on the report stating that they were illegal for road use