Simple Leaf question

Ok so When I got my old man emu Hybrid lift It came with the d22xl add a leaf to go in the full leaf pack. It has worked out well for me but when I got it I was told i could add another one later to return the arch a bit if it sagged or just stiffen it if I find it is getting too soft for the towing I told him I would do sometimes.

Well it has worked great for years and hasn't sagged since the minor settling the front/rear did the first year or so. However now that I have the XJ trailer it is towing quite a bit more and has wheeled with the trailer.

Anyway to the point finally I picked up another set of the d22xl leafs to throw in and i noticed the part that wraps the leafs to keep them from fanning out and maybe to prevent damage from over drooping (that is a guess) will not fit its bolt that crosses over the leafs back on if i add the second leaf.

I Talked with the guy that sold me the lift and he said they for sure did that on their rigs a fewtimes and he didn't recall the issue. He also said it should be fine to throw the leafs in and not use the bolt. The clamps is secured to the bottom leaf so It would still be under and on the sides of all the leafs, just not on top. Is that Ok? I could get my buddy to weld a piece across the top of the piece if necessary but I would rather not if its a waste of time.

Here is a pic, the clamp in question is on the right and it is held to the bottom of the leaf without the top bolt.

Those clamps are there to help keep things lined up and supported when you droop. Many people do remove that bolt and get along fine, but you run drastically increased chances of bending a leaf if you droop out and back up.

Its not the cause in the image below, but it will help visualize it.

Myself, I'd weld extensions on the clamp to make it longer vs running without.

Awesome, thanks for the input!

[FONT=&quot]We extended them and got the leaf in tonight. We decided to leave about a 1" gap so that I would get more droop. However I am probably going to clamp it down a[FONT=&quot]n[/FONT]d a piece to get rid of the gap, not sure yet.
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[FONT=&quot] I would rather my leaf be more stable and less likely to bend if I need to back up and adjust a line while flexed out. Also I will see tomorrow on my driveway flex ramp but I think it may now droop farther than my shock will reach with that 1" gap.
I could extend my shock mount to give the extra length, but I have a feeling I am not going to like the look of it drooped with the leafs separating, it will make me worry about durability.

[FONT=&quot]Iirc it was near the end of the shock length to begin with [FONT=&quot]at full droop [FONT=&quot]before we added the leaf[FONT=&quot], when they were tightly secured to each other.[/FONT][/FONT][/FONT][/FONT]
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That gap looks fine. I wouldnt waste your time.