Thread: Axle Check Straps Question

Dave - they serve no useful purpose whatsoever - remove them and throw them away.

With standard military suspension, the springs can't even droop far enough to bottom out the shock (unless you had a 1 tonne payload and the other axle was compressed - levering the other side down).

I have absolutely no idea what the LR engineers were thinking - maybe they thought the shocks were too weak to limit travel...?

I have modified suspension with lots of wheel travel, and my shocks limit travel (threw away the check straps in 1995). In all that time - of heavy offroading - I have broken one front (genuine x-mil monroe) shock eye from the body opf the shock. I simply re-welded it, and added an extra weld to the other (front) eyes. That was about 7 years ago - no problems since.

The rears are OME RRC rears, and are untouched.



I didn't notice the difference in ride and handlingf with one broken shock!

I believe the idea of the check straps was to limit travel to the point where the shackles or dampners are damaghed, but as isuzurover said, it's unlikely to be a problem

I have also heard some people say they are to stop the propshaft splined joint coming apart, but that is a load of crud as well.

As far as I know their only purpose is to limit the shock load when the shock absorber reaches the end of its travel. Whether they are necessary depends mainly on the shock absorber fitted and the way you drive. I suspect they were originally fitted in early production to solve a problem of pulling ends off shockers and retained as a safety precaution to the end of Series production.

I suppose because leaf spring shock absorbers have less damping than coil ones (because interleaf friction provides part of the damping), if the interleaf damping disappears in unusual situations, such as when the leaves are lubricated by water or mud, then they could have unusual shock loads applied. I have not had it myself, but I have seen Series Landrovers without check straps pull the ends of the shockers (for example, two of my "spares" chassis).

John

G'day Folks

The reason for the check straps is to stop the rear swinging shackles from going over centre and therefore lifting one side of the vehicle up, which requires it to be jacked up, and the shackle relocated.

Disco Dave
If this is on a military series 3 with a raised chassis the check straps are available to be purchased from the Mob in Melbourne "landrovers.com.au"

cheers

Thanks for your replies.
My understanding therefore* is that the check straps are to protect the shocks from overstrain in extreme (or near impossible) circumstances and may now be redundant due to improved shock design. Would this be a fair way to look at it?

A couple of further questions...
1. Could the check strap serve some purpose in preventing drive-train (or vehicle) damage in the event of failure of both ends of a spring? I'd image suddenly having one end of an axle free to follow its own course could be dangerous and possibly life-threatening.
2. Since the military Land Rovers have extended spring shackles would I be right in thinking the check straps are longer than the ones used on civilian models?

* Just read UncleHo's post - I used to get that problem with the rear swaybar on my Disco (before I removed it) and I could see that would not be something you'd want to happen with your leafs (leaves?). I'm trying to think how the mechanics of that would work though with a leaf spring acting to push the shackle out the 'right' way?

Originally Posted by DiscoDave

Thanks for your replies.
My understanding therefore is that the check straps are to protect the shocks from overstrain in extreme (or near impossible) circumstances and may now be redundant due to improved shock design. Would this be a fair way to look at it?

A couple of further questions...
1. Could the check strap serve some purpose in preventing drive-train (or vehicle) damage in the event of failure of both ends of a spring? I'd image suddenly having one end of an axle free to follow its own course could be dangerous and possibly life-threatening.
2. Since the military Land Rovers have extended spring shackles would I be right in thinking the check straps are longer than the ones used on civilian models?

1. Land rover springs have a 2nd leaf with a "military wrap" (in SAE-speak), This means that TWO leaves would have to fail to have axle location problems. This would be like winning the lotto twice in one week. But even if it did happen, the check strap MAY help, but no guarantees it wouldn't stop the axle moving far enough to break a uni/propshaft.

2. Should be longer - never measured.

UncleHo - is this from experience or just heresay???? Landrover's are not toyotas and don't have shackle inversion problems. I have 14-15" of wheel travel at each end. At full droop, the shackle forms a straight line with the spring, pointing at the axle tube. Yet I have NEVER inverted a shackle, even when I broke a front shock and there was nothing to stop the spring from drooping further and the shackle inverting (broke it on day 1 of a long weekend trip to a property - drove lots of very hard tracks).

JD's comment has some merit, inferior shocks MAY snap an eye off in some cases, but coillers use shocks to limit suspension travel all the time without problems.

EDIT - UncleHo - note the shackle angle here - and this whithout any axle leverage arching the spring even more. The front is even worse. Yet I have NEVER had a shackle inversion problem, and neither has anyone else I am aware of who runs similarly modified series leaves (or paras).



Btw - for anyone interested, RRC rear shocks will fit an x-military series. They are slightly longer, which is a bonus!

Originally Posted by DiscoDave

This is one of those things that's been in the back of my mind for a long time and I've never received a satisfactory answer... the check straps on the rear axles of Series Land Rovers, what are they for? Yes I understand they limit the down travel of the axle, but why? Many offroaders want to maximise the downward travel of their wheels and fit modified suspension mounts and long travel shocks to achieve just this. Why did Land Rover build something into a vehicle which prevents it?
I'm posting this in the Series III section because my ex-military 109 is missing one and the other is badly worn.

Dave, they maybe some use if the vehicle was airborne after being driven badly over a hump/jump, could possibly stop the T/shaft splines dropping out, Regards Frank