ScottMT
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Replace shocks or not.
I'm in the middle of replacing all of my springs and upgrading to a moryde wet bolt kit... so, while I'm here... I've figured out what size shock I need, but as I test the one I have off, it seems okay (maybe). There is resistance when extending/compressing it. It compresses easier than in extends, which might make some sense to absorb bumps and slow down the rebound, but I dunno. There is no automatic rebound when not attached like I've seen in most automotive shocks - there appears to be no internal pressure that wants to extend the shock automatically. That said, again, I don't don't really know what is expected. Thoughts? I could replace them all with the monroe version, for $32 piece, but I'd rather not waste $130 needlessly. I just got this trailer, and I don't know if these have ever been replace. I do know that the bushings are totally squashed out.1.8KViews0likes9CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
fj12ryder wrote: FWIW, one guy on another forum ordered some American made springs from a shop recommended to him by another guy who had some made for him. The last I heard he was not happy with the springs because they were too wide for his hangers, even though he sent all the pertinent information. I have yet to hear how it has panned out. That's a bum deal... it seems like it would be straight forward, as everything I've seen for springs in this size are all 1 3/4" wide.727Views0likes0CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
fj12ryder wrote: Sounds like you're on track. Let us know how it all shakes out. I pulled the trigger on 24 1/8 springs from etrailer. 4 leaf, 3K rating... I had to stop waffling and do it. Along with some new zinc yellow plated U bolts. If there were a clear answer for American made stuff I'd have paid double, but that isn't so clear anymore. It seems if you have the time to wait there are American suppliers that'll build you exactly what you want, but I don't have that kinda time right now. We'll see how these work out. They are going to be identical to what I had, theoretically, so I'll keep the best two I have as spares, and tools to swap them. Thanks for the input folks. I'll continue to learn the hard way I'm sure.727Views0likes0CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
fj12ryder wrote: It wouldn't surprise me to hear those springs have sagged a bit over the years, so when your springs were new it's very likely they were 24 3/4" eye-to-eye. Also it would be good to know what the spring arch measurement of the original springs was supposed to be. That came out to a touch over 13 1/4 is pretty close to what either the 4 leaf or 5 leaf options are.727Views0likes0CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
Cummins12V98 wrote: fj12ryder wrote: And no guarantee that even if it's supposed to be made in America, it won't say Made in China when you actually get it. You're doing what I would be doing. My son purchased springs for his cargo trailer from Northern Tool and they clearly state Made in USA. I would believe that. The only brand I see for double eye leaf springs is "Rockwell American", which supposedly is american made, and they seem to be the same or bought out by dexter. The problem is they didn't seem to have a spring that matched the specs I need. The only 6000 lb (per pr) springs they sell, are 6 leaf, 27".727Views0likes0CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
It turns out, when I search for "93115" springs, they are sometimes 25.25, and sometimes 25.13 (or shown as 25 1/4, I'll assume there is rounding in the first number). The examples are always 4 leaf springs rated at 3,000 lbs each. They get away with a 4 leaf spring because it has thicker leaves than the 5 leaf springs. I'm not sure if one is really better than the other. I'm also not 100% sure mine measure out to 25.25, or 25.13, with a tape measure it is easy to be off by a 16th, these maybe fall in the middle somewhere, but they are 19 years old, and maybe at this point we are splitting hairs. The longer length at best adds 1/16 on either end of the spring. Interestingly enough, you can find a set of 4 on amazon, haha: 4 Leaf Spring Set They are stupid cheap at $40 a each shipped, so I'm going to assume those are the worst china has to offer. I'll continue the search to find the best quality, but it is a trick to know what you're even ordering now. It seems dexter/rockwell is still american made, but can't seem to find them to order online. I need to get this order done today so I can get them in by next weekend.727Views0likes0CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
Allworth wrote: 3K per spring is 6K per axle which is more then 5.2K per axle which is more than 5.02K max load!!! You should NEVER run at max load anyway. Yeah, I hear you... I think I'm safe going with more spring, but I agree, the numbers don't line up, and I don't plan to overload it, I just don't want the springs to break again. It turns out, the RV industry can design their GVWR based pin weight supported... so, GVWR of 12K, with a 2K tongue weight supported by the tow rig means they can legally sell a 12k GVWR RV with tandem 5K axles. In a way it makes sense, but it still doesn't seem smart to me to be running maxed out all the time. They are 3" axles, as are most 6K axles. AL-KO is the brand.428Views0likes0CommentsRe: Broken Leaf Spring
So I finally pulled the good spring off... measures out to 25.25 eye to eye. Gonna need new shoulders bolts anyway as those mostly were trashed removing them, I plan on a wet bolt/shackle kit anyway. The stamping on the spring band was: RA 93115 7 29 04 I might assume the second number is the date it was stamped A search does bring back a matching hit: https://standardaxle.ca/product/spring-25-70-4-leaves-72-26a-sup/ But those are rated at 3K, so, who knows. The number I found on the axle was 5200. The number on the RV is 5080 per axle, so, ha, none of it lines up. Either way I think I'm going with 3K springs.428Views0likes0Comments
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