Leaf Springs about to fall off

[LegalEagle]

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. The hangers holding the leaf springs onto the frame have broken. The below picture shows two of them that had broken. It just seems to never end. Surely these things should last longer than 4 years and approx. 50,000 miles??

[Route 66 Traveler]

What is broken are the shackles, not the spring hangers. Just last weekend I replaced mine with a Dexter Heavy Duty Suspension kit from eTrailer for less than 150 bucks. The stock shackles and plastic spring bushings are not high quality. The shackles in the kit are 1/2 inch thick and the bolts are “Wet Bolts”, meaning they are lubricated, and the bushings are bronze.

Do a search on suspension systems and see what’s out there....

This is the one that fit my trailer...your Equalizer is different so it would take a different kit:

https://www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Lea...71-448-00.html

[LegalEagle]

Sorry. Shackles. And yes, I will replace them with heavy duty ones that are thicker. But my point remains. Why are these failing after less than 4 years??

[Lowmiler]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Sorry. Shackles. And yes, I will replace them with heavy duty ones that are thicker. But my point remains. Why are these failing after less than 4 years??

Because the metal is thin and the pivot bolts can’t be lubricated. Sticking rotation plus thin metal equal fatigue and failure.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Mine were just a little over 2 years old with under 5000 miles. They fail for the same reason they use staples instead of screws....cheaper construction costs. I would venture a guess that 100% of new spring bushings are cheap plastic instead of a quality bushing.

The hardest part of replacing the suspension is getting out the old bolts. I used an impact wrench and needed a torch to heat them up before they broke loose. Might try using some liquid wrench solvent overnight. Lots of YouTube videos to give you some ideas.

[Jagiven]

Broke the pivot point out on an equalizer many years ago on an old Nomad.

Because of that we ripped out the sewer pipes as we pulled in to camp.

[GHen]

Key words you need to look for are WET BOLTS when replacing the shackles.

That means they can be lubricated.

[oh355mbqs]

I did the wet bolt kit 2 years ago when I got my fifth wheel new. This year the leaf spring broke, another was deformed. Only had little over 2 years and about 12000 miles on mine. Planning a big trip for next year, seriously considering replacing the entire suspension, maybe something like this.....https://timbren.com/silent-ride/

[Jim Smyth]

Morryde wet bolt kit is your answer. The shackles are twice the thickness of stock. Your lucky to get the mileage you did out of the first set.

[bill3kirk]

On my previous trailer I had to replace them after about 4 years. However, In order to get into my driveway I had to always backup making a sharp, almost 90 degree turn which puts a lot a stress on those. Over the years of doing that the drivers side (which were the inside wheels turning) elongated and eventually broke.

Not that it shouldn't be better quality but conditions can have a large impact. The trailer was a different brand but I have no idea what brand the shackles originally were. I too replaced with beefier ones.

One of those items I check every 3-4 months now.

[Mopar_Earl]

Original light duty shackle links are a wear item. Should be inspected often. They will tell you when they are going bad. Rust marks, starting to see the hole under the bolt head. Bolt can be turned. Play in the links. Very common issue. Going to hd links is the key, especially wet bolts. But you still have to inspect your suspension components often. If you have wet bolts, they need to be greased or they will fail early as well. Equalizers are another common component to fail. Pivot holes wear and then wear through and break.

50K miles is a lot of miles on standard trailer suspension! I'm surprised the links lasted that long. If the springs are good, I'd replace the equalizers and install HD wet bolt kit.


Earl

[Colorado]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. The hangers holding the leaf springs onto the frame have broken. The below picture shows two of them that had broken. It just seems to never end. Surely these things should last longer than 4 years and approx. 50,000 miles??

Honestly, those were showing signs of wear looong before you noticed them broken. Preventative maintenance and regular inspections will catch stuff like that before it leaves you on the side of the road. If those shackles had completely broken while driving down the road or interstate….

[Lake Huron]

I replaced mine on both my 5th wheel and my utility trailer just for this reason. I went with the Mor Ryde wet bolt kit. I should have done it YEARS ago on my utility trailer. The nylon bushings get bagged out within the first 100 miles and my shackles were elongated as well but not quite to the point of breaking like yours did. Do yourself a favor and dont screw around anymore. Get either the dexter HD wet bolt kit or the MorRyde one. Cant go wrong on either.

[RedHorse1]

Originally Posted by oh355mbqs

I did the wet bolt kit 2 years ago when I got my fifth wheel new. This year the leaf spring broke, another was deformed. Only had little over 2 years and about 12000 miles on mine. Planning a big trip for next year, seriously considering replacing the entire suspension, maybe something like this.....https://timbren.com/silent-ride/

That’s an interesting suspension solution no conventional springs, no torsion tube.
Anybody have experience with these?

[oh355mbqs]

Hi Redhorse,


The silent ride system gets good reviews where it is sold, eTrailer, Summit Racing, Amazon etc. There aren't alot of reviews on any of the websites though. I keep posting about it here hoping someone will say they have seen / used it, but I haven't gotten anything yet. For the 7k lb system, it will cost me about $1000 for the parts, I can do the install myself. I'm going to do something to get rid of the leaf springs, silent ride or torsion axles. It's not fun to have a leaf spring break on a Sunday afternoon when you are 2 hours from home, I really don't want to have it happen when we go across country again next year.

[NVGun40]

Had the shackles break on my toy hauler beginning of this last summer. We hadn't even had the toy hauler a year, and had travelled only around two thousand miles. Our shackles broke in the same place as the OP (at the walking beam/equalizer), except both the inner and outer had both broke and the rear leaf spring was against the frame. Unlike the OP, our toy hauler had wet bolts from the factory, but they had not been lubricated....
I made a temporary fix by using shackles from a four wheel drive lift kit purchased at an auto parts store. This got us home where I could go and get some new heavier shackles. Once all was back together, I made sure to grease the wet bolts.

[Siamese]

Ditto on the wet bolts.

Suspension cannot be ignored. Same goes for wheel bearings.

If I were to defend the industry, I would say that the builder doesn't know whether you're going to tow your trailer up to the lake one a year, leave it there, and then tow it home in the fall, or whether you're going to put on serious miles by touring the country. So, they provide adequate suspension. That's IF I was going to defend them. The short story is, they use the bare minimum hardware and leave it to the owner to sort it out.

After about 8,000 miles on our Jayco 26BH, I replaced the equalizer on my suspension with the MorRyde, along with replacing the plastic bushings with MorRyde wet bolts. Some of the plastic bushings were toast. My wheel bearings get hand packed annually by me.

Along with all that, I'm fastidious about my tire pressure and wear. I don't need any additional worries while rolling down the road.

Giving us a heads up on this stuff is the greatest service this forum provides. Preventative maintenance. Anticipating failure before it happens and dealing with it.

[robert9999]

Originally Posted by LegalEagle

Just wondering if anyone else has had this issue. The hangers holding the leaf springs onto the frame have broken. The below picture shows two of them that had broken. It just seems to never end. Surely these things should last longer than 4 years and approx. 50,000 miles??

Can you imagine if you bought a car & this is what happened in such a short time. There needs to be some new stringent quality laws & regulations passed to prevent future road hazards like this from being sold to consumers. Its like the RV manufactures are in the "tin man" business. (Aluminum siding) How long did that last!

[Bullitt6283]

A lot is lacking in the industry. But as long as we keep buying the inferior parts, we will continue to get them.

Go to a RV dealer and walk around the lot. When the salesperson approaches you, ask to see only the units which have wet bolt shackles....

.

[Route 66 Traveler]

Originally Posted by Bullitt6283

When the salesperson approaches you, ask to see only the units which have wet bolt shackles.... .

After it rains they're all wet...
I just replaced my stock bolts with wet bolt a week ago, can't believe the difference in how quiet the trailer is now.