Leaf Spring Shackle Question

[NissanOutboard]

I just redid my springs on my road king w/ 1900 maycraft on it

correct springs and gear according to road king.

seems like the shackles are pointy towards the stern…

also to my inexperienced eye it seems that there isn’t much axel clearance.

would love to hear your thoughts. Hopefully it’s just normal but I wanted to check

 

[silverbul]

I just redid my springs on my road king w/ 1900 maycraft on it

correct springs and gear according to road king.

seems like the shackles are pointy towards the stern…

also to my inexperienced eye it seems that there isn’t much axel clearance.

would love to hear your thoughts. Hopefully it’s just normal but I wanted to check

View attachment 397316

what did it look like before? looks good to me. this is not a trailer that you move furniture with, all the weight is already on it. shackles are correct. all looks good to me but please dont take my advice, i have been proven wrong more times than joe you know who.

 

[silverbul]

btw, cut off the excess zip tie. really dont know what its holding. lol

 

[NissanOutboard]

Hahaha ignore the zip tie

I also did the lights today and it there while fishing the wires

Before they looked similar I just didn’t know if the shackle was supposed to be pushed toward the back or if there should be more clearance for the axel.

The more I think about it - it’s perfectly fine

 

[cyclops222]

It sure looks way too close if you hit ANY of the N J road patches.. Some are 6" to 8" high at first. I drive around those axle slam uppers.

 

[airshot]

What kind of weight is sitting on the trailer ?

 

[NissanOutboard]

Maycraft 1900

1900 lb hull
52 gallon tank - 3/4 full right now
2005 Johnson 115 4 stroke - approx - 335 lbs

Springs are rated for 2000 each or 4000 total

Manufacturer of boat works specifically with road king on this package (atleast what road king told me on the phone)

 

[silverbul]

Maycraft 1900

1900 lb hull
52 gallon tank - 3/4 full right now
2005 Johnson 115 4 stroke - approx - 335 lbs

Springs are rated for 2000 each or 4000 total

Manufacturer of boat works specifically with road king on this package (atleast what road king told me on the phone)

i would run it, if you have doubts, get longer shackles, available at any autoparts, speed shop, used on many old school ford, gm, mopar. will just create more bounce. leave it. this is just my opinion, do not listen to me, unless you want.

 

[flashback]

Looks pretty good to me.!

 

[Chris1956]

You can put the axle under the spring, to give more clearance. A lot of trailers (including mine) do it that way. My springs even have a dimple that locates the spring onto the axle. The plate then goes on top of the axle. Some axles have a bolt or rivet thru the center of the leaves. It holds the leaves together. This bolt/rivet goes thru the center hole in the plate.

I think the shackle looks pretty good. You want them to point a bit aft, when loaded. If they were vertical, the boat will ride harder.

I would like to see a bit more bend in your springs. Are they the correct capacity for the weight of the trailer and boat?

 

[Bt Doctur]

axel is too close to the frame
shackles extended a bit too far aft, probable fwd too.
springs look a bit flat for the load ,like theres no spring action

 

[Jmunk]

I’m also in the mindset that they don’t have enough arch, they look almost flat. If the manufacturer is saying they are the correct springs I think the next thing to look at is the weight of the boat, has it became heavier over the years (water in areas it shouldn’t be). May want to consider weighing the boat and trailer to see what you come up with.

If it was mine and I was trailering it regularly I’d like to see a spring on it with more arch. Do you know what the weight rating of the springs are?

 

[NissanOutboard]

Yea weight rating on spings is 2000 each

4000 total - bot should be wel under that…maybe the springs are crappy?

 

[airshot]

Yea weight rating on spings is 2000 each

4000 total - bot should be wel under that…maybe the springs are crappy?

You posted before the hull was 1900 plus 50 gallon tank plus accessories you may be pushing the 4K limit....many recommend not exceeding 75% of capacity. Water soaked hull could be adding hundreds of lbs of weight.

 

[briangcc]

There's usually an arch in a leaf spring. To me that looks flat - as in maxed out. I'd double check that rating as they may have been manufactured wrong.

I wouldn't run it that way at all. Something is drastically off.

BTW..in your calculations for spring weight...did you happen to include the weight of the trailer? From the above, I don't see it called out anywhere and the spring has to support that weight as well - this isn't a free ride.

 

[NissanOutboard]

These are all valid point gents. I appreciate the insight here. Will call the manufacturer and talk with them as well. Maybe I need some beefier springs.

I’m pretty positive the boat isn’t water soaked so I’m thinking the springs might be manufactured wrong

 

[Silvertip]

Shackle angle looks about right. Getting too close to verticle means it can flip forward on rebound from a bump. You them have anothe issue. My feeling is the spring should be above the axle. However -- I don't discount the fact the springs are indeed overloaded and/or as was mentioned, the boat has gained lots of weight over time.

 

[flashback]

Need to see it without the boat.

 

[Silvertip]

That looks like a fairly stout trailer so the weight of the trailer (minus the axle and wheel weight) is carried by the springs as well. The frame itself can be several hundreds of pounds. Weight adds up quickly. Fuel, coolers, fishing tackle, life jackets, anchor, rope, tools, batteries and other seeming "light weight" items can fool you. If the boat has an outboard, the advertised weight of the boat does not include engine weight as the manufacturer has no idea when motor will end up on the boat.