HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

I snapped one of my std 2 leaf springs this weekend and I need to replace them with some HD ones. I see both 3 and 4 leaf models available. I'm trying to decide on which flavor to buy. My cart is a '99 with a 5" lift and a rear seat for passengers. Any suggestions?

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

4 leaf for sure!!!

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

Colt is correct, you want at minimum 3, how many riders do you have on the back of your cart? Some members go for 3 because it is less rough per say. Now if you go to 4 leaf your ride will be stiffer, but if you are hauling a couple 200lb guys on the back well, you will want them.

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

Ok, 4 sounds reasonable. I just didn't want to hear that a 4 leafer is similar to a hard tail!

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

Well yes of course it will be stiffer but you won't have to worry about replacing the 3 leaf setup when they start to sag.

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

That's funny because the 3 leaf setup for ClubCar is actually rated for more payload capacity than the 4 leaf setup.....

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

Really? That's weird? How so

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

What about the 5 leaf springs I’ve seen online? Do they consider 3 leaf springs to be HD... how many leafs are stock? When I bought my cart, they said it had HD springs (has 3 leaf), but they are starting to W on me. Now having two 200+ guys on the back as often as I do I’m sure doesn’t help anything. I’m looking at upgrading, but not sure if I should go with the 4 or 5 leaf. Not sure, but I also think my shocks are like fully compressed. Not sure if fixing the springs will correct this or not. Thinking I should just upgrade the shocks at the same time.

This is a really stupid question... what job does a spring do and what does a shock do? I assume one is for one thing and the other is for another, but what does changing one or the other fix?

PS- 07 txt series cart with rear seat, 6” lift and 22” tires.

Thanks for all the help!

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

I have the 4 leaf, good enough for about 400 lbs of drinkin' buddies on the back seat. (she's a little squirly at speed with all that weight in the back...wonder if it's my worn out shocks??) My 22" tires on 10" rims also have something to do with the ride, they are soft, and I'm running them at >10 PSI, there is going to be some sidewall flex in there for sure.

Beerbuggy: I'll let one of the pros chime in on this, but in short the springs are way more important than than the shocks, they hold everything (the rear end) together, and hold up the vehicle....my shocks are pretty worn out, I don't they don't do anything at all.

Here's another "special" question...should I be able to compress my shocks fully with only one hand? They also stay that way untill I pull them back down (did this when they were not attached to the shock plate on the axle of course)

Re: HD Leaf Springs 3 leaf vs. 4?
 

I'm no pro, but the shocks are only there to stabilize the load in my opinion. The rear leafs are actually what support the load. Yes a stock set of shocks should be able to be compressed and opened by hand. Unless they are leaking or the bolt has broken off due to rust they should be fine.