Video Review & Installation

Merideth: Hey, guys. So, today, we're taking a closer look at the ReadyLIFT Universal 1.5-inch Add-a-Leaf System, fitting all 2005 and newer Toyota Tacomas. An add-a-leaf system will be for you if you are scouting on ways to add some added height to the rear end of your truck, and this option by ReadyLIFT is going to be one of your most affordable options to do so.Now, the add-a-leaf system will be an excellent choice for somebody who has a generally newer spring or just has a spring that they don't really want to replace and just want to add to it, as it says in the name.Now, the kit here, on the table, will give you, approximately, 1.5 inches of lift in the rear in most situations. That is going to depend on what you have mounted up to your bed. If you have a bed rack or anything heavy mounted to it, it is going to differ a little bit. But in most situations, you are gonna get that 1.5 inches. This will also add a lot of strength to the springs to help with towing and hauling, if that's something that you're looking to do with your truck.Now, this will also be great if you're looking to get rid of that bro lean or the sag in the rear that can happen naturally or just paired with a leveling kit. So, if you've added the leveling kit to your front struts and you're looking to kind of level out the truck or get rid of that lean, then this is going to be a great choice.Now, this also is just going to successfully level the truck if you are looking to accomplish a good look, a clean stance, a solid look, and it also is going to be functional as well.Now, this is going to have a heavy-duty construction to the kit. You're going to get two leaves to the kit. So, one is going to go on either side, it is going to be added to your stack at the center or a little bit above center, and this is going to be able to stand up to any abuse that comes with towing, overlanding, and even just everyday driving. So, if your Tacoma is a daily driver but you still want something that is going to be heavy-duty and have a long lifespan, then this is going to be right up your alley.It also has a nice black-powder coat finish on top that's just going to protect the metal underneath from any rusting or corrosion and, of course, match with the rest of the leaves in your leaf spring.Now, this is also going to come with center holes drilled out and longer bolts to accommodate for the added height of the stack itself. Even though this is going to be a universal kit, it is going to have a good fit to the leaf spring and, overall, just going to be a great option when it comes to getting that extra height.I do really like the simplicity out of the kit, this is going to make it very affordable in comparison to other options or an add-a-leaf system.Now, this is also going to come with a nice black-powder coat finish to protect the metal underneath, obviously, to protect it from any rusting or corrosion, and there is going to be a center hole drilled out and it will come with new hardware, it will come with longer center bolts to make sure it is accommodated for that extra height that you're adding to your leaf spring.Now, overall, as you can see with the full kit laid out on the table, this is going to be a very simple system, and I personally am a fan of that. It keeps the price low while also adding a lot of functionality to your truck in comparison to some other options for add-a-leaf system.Now, other choices in the category may be a little bit more expensive just because it does come with more hardware. And some other options may not just add to the existing stack, they may be placed at the bottom and come with hardware on the outsides that attach to the frame, which will make them a little bit more expensive.Now, speaking of price, again, because this is so simple, it is gonna come in at roughly $100. And, I think, it's, honestly, a no-brainer if you're looking to add a functional system to the rear end of your truck that's going to give you that added height.Now, what I do really like about this choice in comparison to something like a block added to the axle instead of a leaf added to the stack is that this is going to add a little bit more rigidity and strength to the leaf spring itself as to where a block is just going to sit underneath that leaf spring. So, a block is also a very affordable way to add a little bit of extra height but, if you're also looking to add strength and a little bit of rigidity for towing and hauling, if that is a concern of yours and you use your truck for that application, then this is going to be more up your alley.So, again, if you're looking for something that's going to be incredibly affordable, that's going to be very easy to get these onto your truck and are also going to have good quality within the kit and last for a very long time, then this is gonna be the right direction to go in.Now, as far as installation is concerned, I would say that this is gonna be a two out of three wrenches on the difficulty meter. You will need a little bit of mechanical know-how to get the job done, and this project is probably gonna take you about 2 to 3 hours to do. Now, that is if you have the right tools. So, speaking of tools, you will need to have some basic hand tools ready to get this job done, including an impact wrench, ratchets, a torque wrench, you'll also need some vise grips and a C-clamp to keep the stack together when you're looking to bolt it down. You're also gonna need an 18 and a 14-millimeter wrench and a socket set ranging from 12 millimeters up to 21 millimeters. You also may need a small pry bar and, of course, a little bit of grease to get everything moving properly.Speaking of the install, one of our customers here, at ExtremeTerrain, has completed this install on his Tacoma and is going to walk you through all of the steps of getting this add-a-leaf system onto your Tacoma. So, that is going to wrap it up for my review. Let's go ahead and hop into the install.Man: Here's what you'll need for the installation. Some vice grips, a hammer or small sledge, a torque wrench, a ratchet, a couple sets of C-clamps, an 18-millimeter and a 14-millimeter wrench. You'll need a 21, a 19, 17, 18, 14, and 12-millimeter socket. A small pry bar, just in case, some grease, and an impact driver.Today, we're gonna be installing the ReadyLIFT 1.5-inch add-a-leaf on this 2021 Toyota Tacoma. Now, before you get started, make sure you read all the instructions that comes with your package. With that said, let's get started by jacking up the rear end under the rear differential.Now, you wanna make sure you get it jacked up pretty high because you gotta get some of these larger jack stands put under. Then slowly lower it down until it hits the jack stand. We still gotta make sure we can get the tires off. Now, using a 21-millimeter socket, we can get these tires off. If you don't have an impact wrench, you can use the kit that comes with the truck.Now, after you remove the tire, you'll need to let some pressure off of the jack to lower the rear differential in order to release some pressure off these shocks. Now, with a 14-millimeter wrench, we'll be able to take this top nut off. You might have to get a pair of vice grips in order to hold this center pin so it doesn't rotate.After you take out the top nut, you'll need a 17-millimeter socket and wrench in order to release the bottom. From there, you might have to lift up on the shock just a little bit in order to get the pin out. And then simply just pull it out.We found that it's best to remove the shock from each side in order to let the rear axle drop down as it needs to. Now go ahead and remove the brake line with a 12-millimeter socket. Now that the brake line's released, we can go ahead and start working on the U-bolts.For the U-bolts, you'll need a 19-millimeter socket. And in order to get good flexion on the rear axle, we're gonna loosen the opposite side. With the other side loosened, we can go ahead and remove the U-bolts on this side. So, now, when I take the U-bolt bracket off, I like to just set it straight down to make sure it gets put back in the correct orientation. Just remove your U-bolts and the factory bump pad, hang on to this. It doesn't have a certain orientation but we will be reusing it.Now you're gonna wanna place some C-clamps onto the springs in order to keep them locked up as you undo the bolt. At this point, we can go ahead and lower the jack in order to get the axle away from the springs. Once the axle is away from the springs, you can go ahead and detach the center pin. You might need to put a pair of vice grips on the bottom in order to hold onto it if it starts turning on you. For this nut, it will take a 14-millimeter. Now you can release the pressure off of the springs.Now, the overload spring will have this shim on it. You need to keep that on. So, if it falls off, make sure you put it back on. Also, make sure not to adjust the orientation of your overload spring. At this time, you'll gonna get your ReadyLIFT add-a-leaf in order to start putting it back together. This particular leaf is shorter than the one here, so, you wanna make sure, when putting these together, that each leaf is incrementally smaller than the next one as it's stacked.Putting the center pin in through the bottom, be careful not to rub the threads off as you're working this in. This can get out of line a little bit, so, you just wanna make sure to be safe on that. Now, it does look like I'm gonna have to lower this rear axle down just a little bit more in order to get this to fit.Now, one thing I forgot to add is you wanna put a little bit of grease on this new leaf so it doesn't squeak as much as things go on. You're mainly just gonna wanna put it on the tips but it's not a bad idea just to rub it all over.Now, for my application, I'm still a little shy on space, so, I'm just gonna grab the clamp, clamp these up to give me that extra space to get all the new stuff put back in. And then take your overload spring with your new add-a-leaf and put it back in place. When you've got it put back in there, let's go ahead and remove this clamp if you need to use it. And line everything back up.Now, when it comes to getting this bolt back through, you might have to use your jack in order to put the axle back up some to line it all up. But like I said, be careful about those threads. Once you put a little bit more compression on it, you might have to line them back up, so, you just use a hammer. In this case, I'm gonna have to get the clamps back out in order to get this back together.Now, what I'm doing here is using the clamps to shift back and forth with the pressure to line up the hole. As luck would have it for me, I'm gonna have to lift the rear end up a little bit more in order to get it all lined up. So, after you get your center pin lined up, just use your clamps in order to clamp it all back together, and make sure there's no light shining through each of the springs.Now, you might be tempted to try to just put the bolt or the nut right on top of the bolt and tighten it down, but it doesn't hold the tensile strength in order to tighten this up like the clamps do. So, just continue with the clamps until you can actually put this together.Now, with everything clamped tight to where you can't see any light in between these, go ahead and use the bolt provided...sorry, the nut provided to secure it down. Now, once you get the leaf pack clamped down to where you can't see any light through this area, go ahead and use the provided nut to put back on top. This will take an 18-millimeter socket. Once this nut is securely fastened, we can take the bump stop, and make sure that it's gonna fit, and remove these clamps.At this time, if your spring housing isn't attached or sitting in that little notch in the axle, go ahead and shift that around to make that fit. And then we're gonna put the U-bolts back on.Now, you'll see the dirt rings if your vehicle had a little dirt on it, you'll be able to line everything back up just as it was when you took it off. Now, once you've got the bolts down here loosely on, you wanna take it in a criss-cross pattern to make sure that tightens evenly and make sure that the studs at the bottom are out evenly as well.You wanna double check as you go. Just take a look underneath and make sure everything's coming out lined up. Once you get them on there snuggly, you'll wanna make sure that you check your vehicle for the torque specifications that it needs.Okay, now that the leaf assembly is put back together, let's go ahead and put in the shocks and attach the brake lines. Always make sure to check the manufacturer's spec torques on all these items. Now, once you have all these items back, just do the exact same thing on the other side.Once you have both sides completed, simply put the tires back on. Now we'll just remove the jacks.Merideth: So, that's gonna wrap it up for my review and install on the ReadyLIFT Universal 1.5-inch Add-a-Leaf System, fitting all 2005 and newer Toyota Tacomas. For more videos just like this, always keep it right here at extremeterrain.com.