How concerned should I be that my open eye leaf springs are barely hanging on?

San_Diego_SeaRay

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Recently replaced my leaf springs. Pictures tell the story. Can any adjustments be made?

On a side note, the trailer was put in water ONCE (saltwater), and rust and salt are already attacking the leaf springs and zinc hardware. *SIGH* :facepalm:
 

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GA_Boater

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A good speed bump and you'll have a 2 axle trailer.

The old and new springs the same lengths? Looks real short.
 

Bondo

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Ayuh,..... I ain't so sure,...... The other end is bolted into the equalizer, 'n ya need a long slipper to allow the equalizer to walk,.....
 

San_Diego_SeaRay

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A good speed bump and you'll have a 2 axle trailer.

The old and new springs the same lengths? Looks real short.

Well it's already a two axle trailer. I imagine you're saying that one axle will break in half, leaving a 3 axle trailer?

I actually don't remember comparing the old and new springs. I thought these were standardized sizes so I figured I was good. The re-install didn't betray a problem as the trailer had no weight on it and the slipper ends seemed to have plenty of "grip" on the bolts, per picture. Picture 5.jpg
 

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San_Diego_SeaRay

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Ayuh,..... I ain't so sure,...... The other end is bolted into the equalizer, 'n ya need a long slipper to allow the equalizer to walk,.....

This is what I was thinking; maybe it was designed this way? I've attached a picture of the setup just before I installed the new springs.
 

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wrench 3

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The re-install didn't betray a problem as the trailer had no weight on it and the slipper ends seemed to have plenty of "grip" on the bolts,

I think that you answered your own question. If the trailer lifts or the axle drops on a bump the hook will move in and have lots of contact with the bolt. When it's at the end of the hook like that it has too much weight on it to go anywhere.
 

dingbat

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My trailer uses slipper springs as well.

They are not standardized. They vary by both length and weight.

First time around I measured the slipper length and number of leafs. Put them on the trailer and the equalizer wasn’t working right.

Called my trailer OEM and found out I put the wrong weight springs. Number of leafs matched, but the OEM springs where #300 heavier. Swapped out the springs and everything was fine
 

MTboatguy

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I would be calling the spring supplier and sending them a picture of how it is now sitting with the load on the trailer, that spring looks to be a bit long to me.
 

GA_Boater

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A good speed bump and you'll have a 2 axle trailer.

The old and new springs the same lengths? Looks real short.

I sure fouled up this post.

Should have been single axle and the spring looks long.

So 0 for 2 - Batting .000%. :doh:

MT does have a good idea.
 

bruceb58

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I would send a picture but it looks fine to me. When I get back from my trip, I will take a picture of mine.

Measure the distance from the bushing of the equilizer to the bolt for the bushing that sits inside the "C" of the spring at the spring hangar. That should be the spring length you ordered.

Regarding the rust, I wold have coated the heck put of the springs before I installed them with paint. However, the areas between the leafs will just rust anyway. I just spray the heck out of them with fluidfilm.

Do you rinse your trailer with fresh water after using it for the day, I use a pressure washer and go over every inch of it after I am in the salt water.
 
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San_Diego_SeaRay

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I would be calling the spring supplier and sending them a picture of how it is now sitting with the load on the trailer, that spring looks to be a bit long to me.

Good idea. But first thing I'm gonna do is go measure the exact distance between the two bolts. I did it before I bought the springs but since there's an axle preventing a "straight line" measurement I kind of fudged it a bit. But now I"m going to be more precise and careful about it. If it's reasonably close to 26.25", then I'm going to call the Vendor where I bought the springs at; see what they have to say. Never thought of contacting the actual manufacturer. I might just end up doing that if the Vendor isn't any help.

By the way, these are advertised as 3500 lb leaf springs. I have four of them. I have a 1993 27' Chaparral 270 that has a dry weight of 6300 lbs. I imagine the trailer weighs 1500-2000 lbs. So it seems the math says I have plenty of "buffer".
 

San_Diego_SeaRay

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I would send a picture but it looks fine to me. When I get back from my trip, I will take a picture of mine.

Regarding the rust, I wold have coated the heck put of the springs before I installed them with paint. However, the areas between the leafs will just rust anyway. I just spray the heck out of them with fluidfilm.

Yes at some point I'm going to grease everything down. I'd like to get past the point of me working on the trailer before I do that though.

Do you rinse your trailer with fresh water after using it for the day, I use a pressure washer and go over every inch of it after I am in the salt water.

Here in San Diego we have a fresh water problem. Mission Bay is the largest man made aquatic park in the country. That's where I launch my boat and store it. Do you think there's a fresh water spigot for public use here?....


....nope. :lol:
 

bruceb58

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Been there many times. So I take it you don't flush your engine out either?
 

San_Diego_SeaRay

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UPDATE:

Well I went down to my trailer this weekend and measured the distance between the two leaf bolts. I bought a 26.250" leaf spring and the bolt distance measured exactly...26.250". So THAT was not the issue.

So I emailed the trailer part supply company over the weekend with pictures and received a reply this morning. Effectively, the email said something like "I spoke to my lead technician and he says there is no way that leaf spring can come off...etc etc".

Well of course I had to follow this up with a phone call. I asked for clarification and after his explanation, I kind of ended up getting one of those "Gee I'm actually kind of stupid for even asking this question" feelings.

He very politely explained that since all of the weight is bearing DOWN on to the leaf spring, it can never come off. At this point it still didn't click for me. Then he said the magic sentence: That little hook part AT THE TOP isn't actually even doing anything. Then it clicked. Imagine the spring is entirely missing the little hook part. If the trailer is bearing DOWN, the spring will flatten and the whole spring will actually get even longer. Since the weight is bearing down ON TOP of the spring and the U bolts are holding it perfectly in line with the bracket, it's just going to flatten out momentarily and return to it's original position.

Also of note is that this particular wheel is probably at its "extreme" position. The equalizer will probably balance things out when I'm moving forward. (I'm just assuming this as this subject wasn't discussed with the trailer people).

Anyway, just wanted to update because I know I'm not the only person with this issue and won't be the last person to ask this question. Hats off to Pacific Trailers in Chino CA for helping me out with this one. And thanks for everyone's helpful comments in the Forum.
 
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