Replacing springs on trailer question.

[hz293]

Boat is 1989 Chaperral on Shorlander trailer. Springs are rusted, 6 spring and have some breaks in them. I took them off and front is an eye and rear appears to be a "C". Length is 26.25 middle of eye to middle of "C". There are no shackles and they are bolted directly to a welded part on the frame. I have nobody in my area who can answer the following question for me. When they are installed, what keeps the "C" from slipping off the rear bolt? Do they have a bushing too? Do you tighten them tightly or loosely so the open part can move? Tia.

 

[fhhuber]

The "C" end needs to be trapped but able to move. Sometimes there are rubber bushings for noise reduction but not needed.

 

[GA_Boater]

Are the springs like this one in the lower left or any of them ? Slipper springs.





These springs don't use a shackle. The slipper end has no bushing and the bolt on the slipper end either has a spacer or a smooth shank so a tight bolt won't impede the slipping action. The correct length spring will not come out.

 

[Silvertip]

Leaf springs MUST be allowed to move so do not tighten things so time the front end can't move and that applies even more to the back end. Think about it. When a load is applied the spring flattens out. Since the front and back fasteners are fixed, the spring length changes hence the name "slippers". The back end of the spring "slips" or slides back and forth as the spring lengthens and shortens.

 

[hz293]

Another trailer spring questions

I have an eye / c loop leaf spring set up on my boat trailer. Can I convert this to a double eye set up by using shackles where the c loop was hooked up? It looks like the same bracket on the rear as well as the front.

 

[GA_Boater]

I have an eye / c loop leaf spring set up on my boat trailer. Can I convert this to a double eye set up by using shackles where the c loop was hooked up? It looks like the same bracket on the rear as well as the front.

Moved this out of the new thread you started. Some advice - Please don't start new threads on the same topic.

Why do you want to replace the slipper spring set up with a shackled spring?

 

[hz293]

The c spring seems to be difficult to find in my area. I thought since the rear welded bracket for the c is about the same as the front bracket which is an eye, maybe I can use a double eye with a shackle hanging down instead of a c spring. Opinions please.

 

[bruceb58]

I would replace with the exact type springs that you currently have.

You can buy these online if they aren't available locally.