Shackles & pins... holding together your driving experience.
When it comes to suspension kits, it's important to include greasable shackles and pins wherever possible. Greasable shackles ensure that the bushes are lubricated sufficiently. Unless greased, the pins will be hard to remove from the vehicle and in many cases will require cutting off.
A lot of the time shackles and pins are overlooked when it comes to upgrading the suspension of a vehicle, which is surprising given the difference they can make... a greasable shackle and bush will ensure the rear end of your vehicle handles excellently in any scenario.
A vehicle's original shackles and fixed pins can corrode over time and damage the bushings, lessening the stabilization of the rear axle. On solid rear axle vehicles, worn or damaged bushes will create movement and veering across the road, not to mention inferior stability under heavy braking.
Your quick check list on whether you need new shackles & pins:
Your rubber bushings show signs of wear & tear
You're fitting bigger wheels or tyres
Your vehicle tows a trailer, boat or caravan
Your vehicle ride height has changed
Your vehicle carries lots of heavy loads
If you tick any box above, you need new shackles & pins!
Don't be bamboozled by all the different shackle sizes. You'll find there's a wide range small, medium and large D-shackles or bow shackles, and these products will often also include pin size. Something to look for is that key measurements given with any D-shackle specifications will be the diameter of the material used in the body section... the pin measurements will typically be longer than this. It's important to keep the right sizing top of mind when making a shackle purchase, as this is the crucial measurement that drives the suitability of any shackle for use under certain loads.
Your top shackles & pins tip!
Other measurements, like the pin length or the distance between the shackle body eyes, is very useful to know throughout the whole life cycle of the shackle because this information can help you work out when you've got warping over time... a shackle which has an eye-to-eye distance that goes above what's written in the manufacturer's specs should be avoided.