Spring Shackles

Had a spring shackle breaK last Winter while pulling into Catalina S.P. near Tucson. I was lucky to find a nearby axle place and bought a pair of shackles and bolts and was back in business in no time. The hardest thing was getting the nuts off. I recently decided to check out the other shackles for metal fatigue and boy it is a good thing I did. They were all stretched out and ready to break. Today I replaced them all. I suspect that this is a problem that is not unique to me, so I am surprised that it has received sUch little attention on this thread. My fifth wheel is pretty light but naturally it only has leaf springs but no shocks. I would think that without shocks the spring shackles take a good beating and metal fatigue would be a common problem. I would encourage everybody to check their shackles every 3 or 4 years.