Suspension that works and that doesn't

 
 

 

 

 
  This suspension system works about as well as a screen door on a submarine. What is being used are shocks for a small car. They support no load at all. If you look closely to where the red arrow is pointing, you see a short piece of chain. That is what is holding my rear end up in this picture. All that came from this setup is a rough ride and some wrecked bearings.  
   
   
  My new system works well. I took some heavy-duty springs from an old piece of farm equipment and made the assembly to fit the rear arms on my back axle. The springs are pretty stiff but considering that my bike weighs over 400 pounds alone and that they need to support all that weight plus one or two riders they work out alright.