FSL0119 Tires rubbing

[Tori]

Stopped by my local trailer supply place and talked to them about my options.
One possibility was that my springs have flattened out. I brought home one NEW spring to compare to mine. There is some slight difference. About an inch at the one end. Probably won't make much difference but while i've got it off, i'm going to go ahead and replace it and the other spring on this side to see what that does for my height. It clearly has sagged, so this won't hurt. Plus the hardware is worn a good bit. The shaft on one of the spring bolts is very noticeably worn and the holes in the shackle links are badly oblonged. I'll replace those too.

I don't want to go thru the expense to put larger axles under it as that will also entail bigger brakes, different wheels and tires. I think i'll get a weight on this thing on my next trip out and see exactly where i sit with it when loaded then decide from there.

Most likely i'll drop the spring hangers down an inch or so and keep what i've got.

[kandl]

Originally Posted by Tori

Most likely i'll drop the spring hangers down an inch or so and keep what i've got.

You might also consider adding another leaf to the spring pack on the new springs. There are numerous shops out there that can do this and it's typically not cost prohibitive. Otherwise, your new springs could eventually end up like the old springs.

[Tom48]

Originally Posted by Tori

Stopped by my local trailer supply place and talked to them about my options.
One possibility was that my springs have flattened out. I brought home one NEW spring to compare to mine. There is some slight difference. About an inch at the one end. Probably won't make much difference but while i've got it off, i'm going to go ahead and replace it and the other spring on this side to see what that does for my height. It clearly has sagged, so this won't hurt. Plus the hardware is worn a good bit. The shaft on one of the spring bolts is very noticeably worn and the holes in the shackle links are badly oblonged. I'll replace those too.

I don't want to go thru the expense to put larger axles under it as that will also entail bigger brakes, different wheels and tires. I think i'll get a weight on this thing on my next trip out and see exactly where i sit with it when loaded then decide from there.

Most likely i'll drop the spring hangers down an inch or so and keep what i've got.

You might look on line for pre packaged leaf spring sets that are a bit heavier. Not sure that custom adding a leaf is going to assure even weight distribution, but the springs you have look like they could use another leaf and this stuff is so reasonable priced on line or just tell your local guy you want the same spring width and shackle distance but one with an additional leaf.

http://www.amazon.com/Trailer-Leaf-S.../dp/B009CMNFHM

4-Leaf Double-Eye Spring for 3,500-lb Trailer Axles Redline Trailer Suspension PR4B

There is a wide variety on line to look at.

[Tori]

UPDATE: So i've bought new springs rated for a 3500# axle. The idea of going to a stronger spring sounds good until you think about the fact that if the springs aren't flexing under the weight, something else will. And that'll be the axle. Don't want bent axles, so thought i'd give these another try. Maybe it's been overloaded in the past by a previous owner ? ? ? And maybe i'll never have the problem again. .....time will tell.

So, I had just enough time before heading out with the trailer last friday afternoon to replace 3 of the springs. - Also replaced all of the hardware and nylon bushings. Most of the flat links for the springs to the hangers were badly worn.

New springs got me 3/4" higher. It's not a lot, but so far its enough. I put a strip of masking tape inside the fender liners so i could see if the tires rubbed again and they did not on a 250 mile trip.

I"ll get that 4th spring replaced in a couple days and call it good for now. I was about 500# shy of my max load that i sometimes carry, so again time will tell.

I also stopped at some trucker scales and ran the riggin' thru to see where i was weight wise.

Front axle of truck: 4120#
Rear axle of truck: 4340#
Trailer axles: 6540#

I only had about 2/3 water, and probably 20 gallons in the fuel station.

Truck weighs 7460# according to the scales at the dump - not sure how accurate those are.

So if it's all that simple, there's another 1000# of actual trailer weight that the truck is carrying.