Topic: Broken shackle hanger

[neale_rs]

This happened wheeling on Saturday.  I am sad to say the inversion stoppers contributed by acting as a fulcrum.  The stock hangers are known to be weak anyway.  Maybe some chains from the front would be better inversion stoppers.



A few vendors sell replacement hangers.  Any recommendations?

[sharpxmen]

i had mine broken on the driver's side, welded back in and added a support under the hanger, not sure how well it will last but should be better than just the thin support around the tube from factory.

[neale_rs]

Thanks. I'll ask the welder to add a support.  Maybe it could be tied into the lower bumper bolt too.

Upon closer inspection, one of the break surfaces is rusted (the other three are not), so it was already cracked in one place.

[Jeffy]

You can have your welder make two new ones.

[sharpxmen]

Thanks. I'll ask the welder to add a support.  Maybe it could be tied into the lower bumper bolt too.

Upon closer inspection, one of the break surfaces is rusted (the other three are not), so it was already cracked in one place.

mine cracked on the outside support too, then welded it and then cracked again, didn't happen after the support was added.

[neale_rs]

Thanks for the ideas.  I'll post how it gets fixed.

[neale_rs]

It's fixed now.  It just got welded back together but with extra welding between the tube that hold the bushings and the part of the hanger that remained attached to the frame, plus a 3/16" plate on the underside running from the back of the hanger to the tube.  It could still rip off the frame as these have been known to do on YJs but for now it is stronger than it used to be.  The driver side was reinforced in the same way. Time will tell how well they hold up.    Also, I can't install my shackle inversion stopper plates any more because the underside of the hanger is now blocked off by the 3/16" plate.  It seems some boomerang shackles would be the simplest solution now.

[Jeffy]

How far can the shackle move back?  You don't need it to swing more then be inline with the leaf.

[neale_rs]

Right now it could go all the way back to the frame if the shackle gets forced back by hitting a rock.  It happened before I added the shackle inversion stopper plates so I know it will happen again unless something is done to prevent it (like boomerang shackles).

[Jeffy]

Well with your kickback stopper removed you won't be having that problem again.  You'll just have to watch to make sure you don't overextend the leaf spring.  I don't think dog legged shackles will help.  Once the centerpin hits the frame it's going to lever against the hanger again.  In which case it would have been better to replace both hangers with ones that are a lot stronger.  Another option would be to go with a shackle relocation kit.  A third option would be to run limiting straps on your axle.

[neale_rs]

Well with your kickback stopper removed you won't be having that problem again.  You'll just have to watch to make sure you don't overextend the leaf spring.  I don't think dog legged shackles will help.  Once the centerpin hits the frame it's going to lever against the hanger again.  In which case it would have been better to replace both hangers with ones that are a lot stronger.  Another option would be to go with a shackle relocation kit.  A third option would be to run limiting straps on your axle.

Those are good points.  To avoid breaking the hanger in the same way the lever action has to avoided and this means avoiding the boomerang shackles.
A shackle relocation would definitely work but it might cause other handling and trail performance changes that I might not like.  Oh, and one of my wheeling buddies said I should just convert the front to a link suspension, but that would be much more costly.

The two options I'm seriously considering are:

1) limit the rearward shackle movement from the front with some lengths of chain or cable, the chain would go from the bumper to near the lower end of the shackle, or
2) weld an extension on the rear side of the shackle that will stop the swing of the shackle, this is the same general idea as a boomerang shackle but it would be placed near the lower end of the shackle so that it would not cause the lever action that a boomerang shackle would allow.

Both options would be unusual but in the end I'm more interested in having a very reliable Jeep than one that looks "normal".

[Jeffy]

Did you damage the shackle from over extending the suspension or were you plowing the shackle into a rock face?

I don't really thing either of the options you're considering will work very well.  I've seen shackles with a bumpstop built into them but those are really hokey.

I'd just replace the front hangers with something more robust.  Some square tubing and a round for a sleeve and you're done.  It's not going to break off again.

2" SQ tube w 3/16" wall
1-5/8" round DOM tube w 3/16" wall ( has 1-1/4" I.D.) cut to 2.5"

[neale_rs]

It broke due to hitting a rock with the lower end of the shackle which levered against the hanger with the inversion stopping plate acting as the fulclum.  If the plates had not been there, it most likely would have just inverted the shackle.

Stronger hangers combined with boomerang shackles might be the best overall solution but that means getting this repair redone.  I'd really rather try something else first.

Also, talking to the repair shop owner and inspecting the repair, it turns out the hangers were removed to fix and reinforce and then welded back on.  So they are now welded on much better than how the factory did it.

[sharpxmen]

you should also cosider the momentum arm you had with your shackle stop, in the way you had the stop welded the ratio was let's say 4 to 1 (for the sake of argument) with a boomerang shackle would be less, maybe 1.5 to 1 so proportionally less resulting force at the shackle hanger.
I like the ones Jeffy posted, they look damn solid, would like to have something like that in the future (i think stock is somewhere between 1/16 and 1/8 thick tops).

[neale_rs]

I went out and measured and the it was actually about 2.6.  With the RE boomerang shackles it would be about 2.1 (they have a 1.75" short side).  But I've seen some boomerang shackles with longer short sides which would get the ratio down to about 1.5 like you said.

I still like the chain from the front idea but the second idea might interfere with the spring when the suspension compresses, so it is out for now.  Some low leverage boomerang shackles are probably worth a try.  Then if it fails again, get some heavy duty hangers fabricated and welded on.