Now that the axle is supported as well as the truck itself, you can put the jack under one side of the axle again and remove the stand and lower the jack till the wedge clears and you can access the bolt that passes through the leafs. Remove it with a ratchet and socket and a pair of channel locks because the bottom of the bolt is a perfectly round head that goes into the wedge and a nut at the top that you can see on the top of the leaf. Hold the round bottom head with the channel locks and un-screw the nut with the ratchet. Remove the two short lower leafs but keep the 1/16th in metal plates in between. They keep the leafs spaced apart and if left out, even if tight, will leave a 1/16 inch gap between each one that could cause axle wrap or noise issues later on. Stick a stand back under and do the other side.

Owner caption October 2012 · Photo 332 of 377