You're right. what i said was rude. I meant to say "build something from scratch", but I was in a fouler mood at that point than I am, now.

I don't see the need to give a counter-point description of how revolvers work, and why they're a bad idea. We've gone through this several times in 3 years; I figured there's no reason to keep saying the same thing over and over and over...

BECAUSE revolvers hinge in the middle, THAT'S why they don't transfer force like regular shackles do. Your problem is you keep thinking the ONLY way a tire can drop down is due to gravity. If it were an independent suspension, that would be true. But it's not. And once you finally figure that out, you'll realize why revolvers CAN'T provide traction once it reaches the droop point that the revolver shackle starts opening up.

Yes, they give you more flex. But you can't do anything with that more flex, because the only traction you have is coming from the weight of the tire when it drops down (with the hinged portion of the revolver), which means it's WORTHLESS offroad.

Does you no good to have a tire on the ground that has no traction. May as well be hanging up in the air than having a pivot hinge that makes it *look* like it can do something, when it actually can't.

Imagine, if you can, how a leaf spring setup works on a live axle. It's essentially a lever and a fulcrum. Push left side up, right side goes down. Not gravity related; force related. This is why a solid axle has MORE traction than an independent suspension, when offroading, because it's not all gravity. When 1 side is pushed up, there's an equal and opposite force pushing down on the other side (good 'ol Newton and his pesky laws). All a regular shackle does is allow the leaf spring a little more "flex", by allowing it to grow in length when it flattens out, and shrink in length when it arches more.

Now look at the revolver shackle setup. When left side gets pushed up, right side gets pushed down. Still has this same effect/result as a normal shackle, when the hinge is not pivoting. When a force pushes from one side, forcing the other down, it forces the shackle to stay closed, and there is no hinge action going on.

Now think of what it actually takes in order to get the hinge to let loose, and the shackle pivot downwards. Since it isn't an equal and opposite force that's pushing the side down, then the only thing you've got going for you, at that point, is the weight of the tire/hub/etc. pulling downwards. This is what causes the shackle to open up, hinge, and look killer 'cause of all the flex.

But it's not useable flex. The weight of a tire/rim/etc. alone is not enough to get traction to move a rig forward. It takes more downwards force than that. Essentially all you end up with with a Revolver is that in times when you would ordinarily have a tire hanging up in the air w/ regular shackles, you'll now have it sitting on the ground. But in neither situation do you have any useable traction.

So let's look at my recommended advice: get a real leaf spring that can flex to the limits you're wanting. Why would this give you useable traction with the flex?? Simple. Because when left side gets pushed up, it gives an equal and opposite force going down on right side. So you actually have traction due to more than just gravity.

So seriously, do we really have to go over this every 3-6 months or so? I can't explain simple physics to you any easier/simplier than this. There are 3 Newton's Laws. 2 of 'em apply to the spring setup. In a regular shackle case, you get the benefit of both of 'em. In a revolver, you get both of 'em up to the point that the revolver opens up, in which case you only get 1 law working for you. And gravity alone on a tire isn't giving you enough traction to do anything with it.

So I reiterate. If you want to look pretty on an RTI ramp, get revolvers. If you want flex that has a purpose (traction), get a real leaf pack.