Adventure Truck
Old Man Emu Rear Suspension & Lift for the Nissan Frontier
- Details
- by Mark Stephens on Fri Jan 15, 2010 - (14) Comments
The Old Man Emu Dakar Suspension Brings Life Back to My Heavy Nissan FrontierConsider all the weight on the back of this truck:
- an aftermarket steel bumper and tire gate (~100 lbs)
- Eezi-Awn tent (~120 lbs)
- Water tank (~120 lbs when filled)
- Custom storage drawers (~75 lbs)
- Tool box with aux. battery, air compressor, and extras (~80 lbs)
- Total: 500 lbs (approx)
To manage all that extra weight, doesn't it seem reasonable to employ the gusto of proper shocks and load tested leaf springs?
The Old Man Emu Rear Suspension: Dakar Leaf Springs, Nitrocharger Sport Shocks, & Greasable Shackles
- Heavy Load Emu Dakar leaf springs - for ultimate load carrying
- Greasable shackles - for smooth, noise free operation and longevity
- Nitrocharger Sport Shocks - for off-the-shelf vehicle control when loaded and driving on unimproved roads and trails
- Molded and splined spring bushes - perfect mates between the shackle bolts and leaf spring eyes
Of course, I could have just as easily had some custom leaf packs made and fitted some high performance racing shocks. Slick as can be, but inappropriate for me in terms of my budget and my desired end result.
Most importantly, ARB produces these parts with a philosophy and technology to the engineering, along with a warranty and applaudable customer support.
Details and Features That Inspire Confidence in the Parts That I Bought:
- progressive design that distributes the weight and reduces stress at the leaf ends, ultimately creating a stable and quality ride that'll last for years
- anti-squeak nylon leaf liners
- graphite coating that also keeps the packs noise free
- load tested to ensure a long life
- military wrap on the spring eye provides safety and "back-up" in case the top leaf should break, the military wrap will keep the packs in place and attached to the truck
- flat axle seat area also reduces stress and increases the spring's life
- the tension side of the leaf is shot peened, which also aids in inreasing the life of the springs
- two overload leaves engage primarily when the truck is under a heavy load
Are you thinking what I'm thinking? "Damn, these are nice springs . . ."Well, in my best tradeshow pitchman voice, "AND THAT'S NOT ALL!" The greasable shakles use heavy, precision milled hardware that reassures me that I'm going to enjoy squeeky free cycling and a smooth ride.
The new Nitrocharger Sport shocks have been lauded for "being like an external reservior shock, but without the reservior." I can't attest to such a claim, but I'm certainly pleased with them.
What I appreciate most about the Old Man Emu suspension equipment is the common-person sensibility to the design and performance. I just want something that performs to my needs - as I stated, I could have simply used some racing shocks and customs leaf packs, which would have a serious drool factor, but perform beyond my needs. Make no mistake, as I wouldn't dare say that the Emu system is merely "good enough." That's not my position. Quite different, actually, the Old Man Emu system provides superior ride, load handling, and a fair lift for a reasonable price.
Installed Lift Height: 23.5" (center hub to fender)
Disclosure: I did not receive any of these parts, nor payment of any kind (cash, credit, or other goods), from the manufacturer, distributor, or an outside firm for this review.
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Comments
Great pictures.
Right now all I have is the rear OME suspension. I'll finish with the front in the future.
I understand that installing them on the opposite sides would place them further inboard by about an inch, and might not line up 100% perfectly with the spring perches on the axle, but in that photo, it looks like the bend in the inner shackle plate is binding on the frame rail, which will certainly limit travel and comfort, and possibly cause you to break a leaf at some point. I'd highly recommend double checking for proper unrestricted movement while cycling the suspension.
Indeed, the driver's side plate on the inside of the frame is actually rubbing on the frame.
Both bent dogleg plates are supposed to be on the inside of the frame. The passenger side isn't rubbing though.
I have the dogleg plate on the driver's side upside down and flipped - that's the problem. I'm going to go fix that now . . . THANKS!
I notice the stock shackle in the previous pictures are a LOT longer before the bend, giving a ton more clearance.
The reason I thought they should be flipped to the other side of teh frame rail is because it looks like there is a sleeve sticking out on the outboard side of the rail. if the leaf is the same width as the frame rail, it looks like they would line up perfectly, giving you lots more travel, if the flat plate was on the inboard side and the dogleg kicked out on the outboard side to accomadate that sleeve (tube) that protrudes. Like I said though, I can understand how that might not work, as the springs probably wouldn't line up with the spring perches on the axles. Interesting setup.
Love the site, by the way.
Thanks to you pointing it out, I got that shackle fixed. You can see where the frame left a mark on the plate. Kind of amazing that's it after all these miles in Baja and on trails:
Gave you the opportunity to put some fresh grease in there too. ;)
I envy your climate. a year and a half in my climate, and the whole thing would be unrecognizable for the rust.
Just got in from replacing all the steel brake lines on my truck. The old ones broke out in pieces like pretzels!
Can you tell me a few things:
A) have you noticed any excessive sagging since you've had this setup?
and
B) do you recall the cost for your setup?
Thanks again Mark,
John
Cost? I think about $800 with the shocks, the shackles, the bushings, etc.
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