Trailer springs

RidgeRunner

RidgeRunner

God
Check your bloody trailer springs. If you have a spring type setup and not a set of them fancy torsion jobs.

I have had no issues for 10 years with this trailer. Did I say that out loud? I pull the boat out of the barn for a little clean up and notice the tire is on the fender. Broken spring. Took it all apart and all four springs were broken where the bolt holds the individual leaves together. Basically the u-bolts holding the axle to the springs was keeping everything flying in close formation. Not easy to inspect with the boat on the trailer as you have to get on the ground and climb underneath the boat but I will pay closer attention to that area of the spring from now on. This trailer was an accident waiting to happen and I would not have appreciated starting the weekend off with a roadside breakdown.

That said I need opinions. Are the coated springs any better than the painted? AND There is a little slop in my shackles. The holes in them are egg shaped by about 1/16". Replace it all? What do you think? Thanks
Vic
 
How old is the trailer to begin with? If you got 10 trouble free years out of the original springs You would do fine with uncoated .I would change the shackels though.
 
A little trick I've learned over the years is to add a helper spring to the originals. It's small money vs a towing bill. The extra capacity helps when you're all loaded with fuel, ice, etc etc. Especially when you hit a pothole at highway speeds. :beer:

PS... I forgot to mention...If you get the helper spring, make sure when you buy the new shackles that you buy slightly longer "u" bolts to allow for the added stack height you'll have with the new spring.
 
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lathehand said:
How old is the trailer to begin with? If you got 10 trouble free years out of the original springs You would do fine with uncoated .I would change the shackels though.
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The trailer is a Continental Galvanized steel tandem with disk brakes. Yes I did upgrade to disk brakes when I got it. The trailer didn't see much use as the boat was kept on a lift for 6 years. The past 4 years it has seen some salt and some fresh water maybe used 6 times/year.

The shackels I have that are slightly egg shaped are Hot Dipped Galv. The shackels I can get my hands on quickly are the electroplated variety. This thing must be ready no later than Friday at 2:00 pm according to the CEO.

Destroyer, I never thought of that. The boat is near 6000 lbs and the axles are 3500 lb so it is very near max weight especially if I fill the tank. Great idea about the helper spring, I have a spring shop down the road I bet they could help there. The only reason I ain't going torsion is this rig is up for sale.
 
I just purchased a v20 CC this year with a Continental Galvanized steel tandem trailer. The trailer looked pretty good. After the fourth or fifth time out I noticed that one of the shakels which was welded to the frame appeared to be coming loose. We took the boat off the trailer the other day an found one of the springs on the same side broken. While replacing the springs that shakel fell off. We re-welded it back on....I am hoping to get through the rest of the season...Still gotta replace the hubs......
 
Replace everything suspension related! Springs,bolts,shackles and equalizers. How far is the launch from ya Reel? If not far then the standard springs will last a good long while. Rinsing the trailer along with the motor is part of our regular routine here on the Acid Water Coast now the Oil Coast. :cry:
 
Bonita Dan, If I lived in Pensacola I would never need to buy Corrosion X again.
I had to edit cause the oil situation ain't even funny. And I rinse it all, sometimes dunk it in the lake after a pure salt run. The original drum brakes were toast due to corrosion. There is just no stopping it, but we can slow it down.

Reel, that is cold but accurate.:cen:

I travel all over to launch and play. My favorite spot is about 180 miles one way. Lakeland to Suwannee.
The verdict--
All new, save for the equilizer which got new bushings. Went with the regular springs but the 2000# variety instead of the 1750#. To add a leaf would have pushed the repair into next week. The factory used Galvanized 1/2" bolts in several places that should have been 9/16". I used a wire brush to clean up the already galvanized spring mounting points on the trailer and then sprayed with cold galv for a little insurance. It sure was easier to take apart than it was to put back together. The torch don't play. Got it all together but need to tighten everything and replace a grease seal on the STBD Front hub. I will spray it all down with Corrosion X HD, bolt on the wheels that just got 4 fresh 6-ply Radials ($300) and hope to have it all done before midnight, again... Then I can get the balance of the supplies ready for departure.:sun::beer:
Bust Out Another Thousand.
 
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I know how ya feel Ridge. A little while back Tsubaki posted that he had to work on the springs on his trailer and I commented that his springs looked better than mine. A month later I noticed one had broken in half and was more of a trailing arm than a spring. I replaced all four and took the V to my mechanic to work on my old 225. He called me to tell me that one of the spindles had FALLEN OUT while they were moving it in the yard. Turns out the spindle had just been sitting in the axle tube and the weld had rusted out long ago. Only by the Grace of God it didn't fall out while I was pulling it down the road. Had two new axles built and now I've got two crossmembers rotted out because of galvanic corrosion between the aluminum crossmembers and the galvinized steel bunk brackets.

Not to mention I blew some rings on the 225 and broke down and bought a new engine.

Break Out Another Ten Thousand
 
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RidgeRunner said:
Double Dog Ouch!! How is that new motor running Bradford?
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As Willy would say, "As smooth as the inside thigh of a Honduran virgin." :sun:


I redid my crossmembers and placed gaskets between the aluminum cross members and the new galvinized bunk brackets. Also went with stainless hardware wherever possible. The trailer is just about better than new! Should last me a lot longer than it's first 11 years.
 
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