"HD" front leaf spring necessary?

[SEHunter]

Not long after I got my cart I swapped in a HD front leaf spring. It's always bugged me that I have noticeable negative camber because I think it may contribute to my front bushings prematurely wearing out.

I don't remember how it was with the original spring but seems like most stock carts have noticeable positive camber. There's no adjustment for adding or reducing camber except for the equalization adjustment. I started wondering if the HD spring is longer than stock and causeing my excessive negative camber. I'm thinking about going back with a stock spring to see. Anybody know the advantages or selling point of the front HD spring?

[Htownblue]

What kind of cart and lift do you have on it?

[SEHunter]

99 DS. Economy z-bar lift

[SEHunter]

After looking around at specifications from various retailers on the web, one actually specifies the length of both. The HD is 28.5" in length while the standard duty/stock replacement is 28.0". Guess that's my answer. I'll probably switch back.

I don't have any attachments or carry loads on the front end so I can't see where a heavy duty front spring would benefit me. Who knows, it may even smooth out the ride of my cart. It was so long ago and a short period of time when my cart had the stock front spring that I don't remember if it rode better. I was reminded that for some reason I heated up the spring and it broke.. Not realizing how to properly heat and quench that type of steel so that it doesn't get brittle and break. Can't remember why I did that except it must have been bent.

[meimk]

The only carts I've ever put the HD front spring on were "Limo's" (6 or 8 seat Villagers). Most of what gets added to a cart (rear seat, utility bed, etc) adds weight to the rear, but not the front.

[SEHunter]

Got the new standard spring installed today. The ride is a little better. The cart sits nearly an inch or more lower though. Not crazy about that. Didn’t help the negative camber issue like I had hoped. Ordered a 1” front block kit to get some of the lift back.

The HD spring itself adds nearly 2 inches of front height due to the curve profile in the spring being steeper and the fact it doesn’t hardly settle with weight. The trade off is a stiffer front suspension that doesn’t handle bumps well.