Spring suspension issues

[ivbinconned]

Bought the 09 34foot Cedar fifth 5 years ago. Upgraded the 4 leaf springs to new 5 leaf.
Considering doing it again and going to 6 leaf which would be rated at 3500 pounds.
Or will this give to stiff a ride? They have flattened out some.

I’m also thinking of cutting off the front and rear hangers and re-weld them on in order to spread the axels about 3 inches.
The tires are only about 1.5 inches apart.
I Once had tires that started to expand in diameter when they warmed up and began to touch.
Replaced them of course but I’m not happy with how close they are together.

[C_Schomer]

Is the distance between the tires the biggest problem? Have you measured the length of your springs and check to see if you can get longer springs? Then you could move the hangers farther out and use the longer springs and get more distance between your tires. BTDT, And I’ve also changed the weight capacity of the springs to correct ride problems But you didn’t say anything about any other problems. Craig

[ivbinconned]

I or they would never do this on a customers trailer. In that case we would cut the hangers off and weld on new ones.

[ivbinconned]

6000 lb.
I phoned Lippert.
They agreed that there should be more spread than what I have.
We agreed on an simple economic solution.
I’ll keep the springs but will drill new holes at the front and back hangers. Adding an inch at both locations.

[theoldwizard1]

GVWR on that trailer is over 14,000 lbs.

[fj12ryder]

What are the axle ratings?

[ivbinconned]

Well I guess I’d consult myself as that’s what I own. A trailer repair shop!
I’ve noted that the distance between axels can vary as much as 8 inches depending on the brand and size of the trailers.
This trailer as I stated started out with 4 leafs per spring. I increased them to 5. I’ve put about 30,000 miles on them and they are looking tired.
I think the trailer is about 12,000 lb. until she loads it??
Regarding scrubbing, (which I’m careful to avoid) adding 2 to 3 inches I doubt will be an issue.

[phillyg]

You need to know the trailer weight to determine the spring requirements. Using rough numbers, let's say your max weight is 13,000lbs, and you subtract the average pin weight of 20%, that leaves 10,400lbs on two axles, so each axle should be rated no less than 5,200lbs, and 3,000lb springs would do the job. I suggest you get actual weights, then discuss your requirements with a truck spring shop or trailer repair business. Also, your idea about moving the spring perches is a good idea, IMHO.

[JIMNLIN]

My '97 32' 5th wheel trailer has 1" between the tires on the drivers side and 1 1/4" on the passenger side.
The trailer has over 200k miles of service and no issues with that gap.

Increasing tire gap by moving the axles farther apart causes more tire wear from side scrubbing and tire/wheel/hub side stress issues....BTDT on one flatbed GN trailer and a cargo trailer. I had my trailer repair shop move them both back to 1 1/2 " OEM specs

[ivbinconned]

Why in the world did Lippert build some of these trailers with such a small gap between the tires??
And this is the size of tire stated on the vin sticker.
Was thinking if I can’t find shorter springs then perhaps because there is considerable meat on the hangers I may just drill new holes one inch back on the rear hangers and one inch forward on the front hangers??
That way I will increase the gap by 2 inches.
I should have mentioned in my original post that another concern is the shackles at the equalizer are vertical and damaging the strap and the equalizer.
All pictures I see on the equalizer sites shows them at a slight angle.
Again a sloppy job when originally built.

[bucky]

With springs at 3500 lbs each the suspension can't give as designed. Have you ever ridden in a buckboard? Expect damage to your 5er.

[ivbinconned]

Well I wondered about getting shorter springs but was told none existed??

[jjj]

I am not sure about moving those hangers too far. You may
spread them out too far and put them on too much of an angle
and may have a problem with the shackles
getting inverted by the equalizer. I went from 5 leafs to 6 on my fiver and it actually rode better. My new springs were a
1/2 inch shorter then the original ones and I got a little more seperation between the wheel. My wheels were only a inch apart
before the new springs. Good luck.