2008 sportsman 500 new front Hd springs
 

My new front Hd springs came in today and I've been looking up instructions on how to install them and I read that you don't need a spring compresser to do the work. i need to know if this is fact or fiction before I get this thing all torn apart. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

I guess I did it the hard way or cheated as air tools make this a fairly easy job.I removed the tire,tie rod,then I clamped the cartridge shaft with a shop towel and vice grips to hold it steady,loosened the top strut nut with an air ratchet or wrench if I couldn't get the ratchet on it.Lowered the strut assy down slowly,impacted the cartridge nut off and removed the spring retainer plate,removed the old spring. Some people used straps,spring compressors,etc,but I just used the vice grips again after the new spring was on,ramped the vice grips up a rung or so just enough to compress the spring,got the retainer cap and nut started. I impacted the nut tight,replace the lower plastic pivot,shoved the strut up in place,replaced the top pivot,rubber and steel washer and nut and I was through.Hard part is to make sure you don't pull the cv joint apart at the strut when working the spring off and on! Air tools make work a lot easier if you have to do this day in day out. ALL depends on how heavy gauge the springs are also. Some springs I couldn't do this way and had small spring compressors to help pull them down far enough to get the spring retainer plate and nut back on. Some have used ratchet straps,etc.
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I used a jack to help compress mine when I put the spacers in and I also used a ratchet strap to compress one of the springs.