# What I Learned About Springs And Trailers



## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

Well as you have seen on the forum, my springs broke and it was quite alarming to many of you, not to mention me!! I spoke with the springs expert at Thurston Spring Service where my TT will be repaired and these are some of the things he had to say.

Question: Why did this happen, is this normal?

Answer: Well it is hard to say why it happened. Pot holes, large bumps, poor road conditions are all tough on your trailer springs. Any spring 'could' break at any time. Is it normal, hard to say but my trailer is not the only one he has ever seen that this has happened.

Question: Have you seen many Outbacks with this problem?

Answer: No

Question: Do you see many trailers with this problem?

Answer: Yes

Question: Is it because the springs are not "heavy duty" enough for the weight they are supporting?

Answer: No. The springs may not be as thick or heavy duty as they could be, but generally they should be enough to do the job they are being asked to do. Springs sometimes just break, without any warning or earlier signs of problems.

Answer: A problem with the springs is that people don't check them regularly and are not under their trailers like they are their cars. The trailer is usually backed up to, hooked up and pulled where ever you are going without to much concern for the springs. The fact that the trailer takes such a beating from the road just compounds the problem. In my case, if I had checked the springs regularly, I would have noticed when the 2nd leaf broke and could have had it fixed then, before total breakage occurred.

We did speak briefly about the springs being made in China that go on the Outbacks and that the steel is not quite as strong as other steel. The fact that it took me and my friend a substantial amount of time to drill the spring steel indicates that it is still pretty tough but not as tough as it could be, if it were American Steel.

I hope this encourages some of you folks to start making periodic checks of your spring systems. When I sat down and thought about what could have happened to me and my family, it really shook me up. On the way home, as my knuckles continued to whiten, I got really emotional about the potential harm that my family was in and I had no idea about it. Well, now we all know, so hopefully no one else will have to go through all this.

Happy Camping

Jason aka Black Cloud


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## Katrina (Dec 16, 2004)

Cheer up buddy.....
Think of it as an upgrade as you'll have American made springs when this is over.


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## qgallo (Jul 2, 2005)

You might be able to list this as a MOD !!!!


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## wingnut (Mar 21, 2005)

Cloud of Black

I have been away for a couple of days. WOW when you do things you do them all the way. I'm glad you all are OK. You need to write a book "The Life And Trials Of An Outbacker" You have had your share plus. Are you going to put heavier springs on? You may want to have the axle alignment checked as well. I've seen what that can do to an 18wheeler not pretty. The next time you get close to the star city give us a yell. action


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## aplvlykat (Jan 25, 2004)

Jason what is the solution now that we know what the cause is. Are you going to put on heavier springs? This has concerned me in the past when I found out that the springs on my Outback where rated for 2750 pounds each. This is 5500 pounds and the TT is suppose to be rated for 6000 max. When I added shocks I found out that the axels will vary, it can go from 2500 to 3400 depending on the max load of the TT. Looks like I need to make a call to the local Al-Ko distributer and see about some heavier springs or at least some rated for the Max capacity of the Outback. Kirk


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## drobe5150 (Jan 21, 2005)

we are bringing the outback home this weekend to get her ready for labor day w/e. i will be under that trailer with flashlight and fine tooth comb along with my neighbor looking for anything out of wack. katie saw the pictures and could not believe what she saw. 
thanks for the update, are you paying out of pocket, or is keystone working w/you?

darrel


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## 1stTimeAround (Sep 22, 2004)

My dealer and Keystone are working out the $$$$$. I am not paying for anything out of pocket because I am still under warranty.

Jason


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## HootBob (Apr 26, 2004)

Jason
Thanks for the update
This will be on my check list of things to do before hooking up.
Glad to hear that Dealer and Keystone are taking care of it.

Don


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## Castle Rock Outbackers (Jan 18, 2004)

So what exactly should we check on the springs? Is there anything specific to look for?

Randy


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## GlenninTexas (Aug 11, 2004)

I'm wondering if installing shocks might help reduce the potential for leaf spring breakage. 
Anyone have an opinion/ (Now that is a silly question).

Regards, Glenn


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

I wonder if balanced tires would help reduce fatigue on the springs? I recall a while back that we had a discussion on balancing and I was surprised that they apparently come out of the factory unbalanced. If tho you may not notice the bounce when sitting comfortably in your TV, the springs are probably taking quite a beating.


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## PDX_Doug (Nov 16, 2004)

Jason,

Thanks for all the great info. You have done your good Outbckers deed for today!









Randy,

I would scan down the length of each leaf of each spring and look for signs of cracking (big cracks) and/or fatigue (little cracks that will become big cracks. Also, I would check all the mounting and attachment bolts. I'm not sure what they need to be torqued to, but it is probably in the manual.

Glenn,

Shocks would probably help, although I would not expect it to make a lot of differance when driving on the highway. If you spend alot of time off road - and are at risk of bottoming the trailer, I would guess the shocks would help alot.

Happy Trails,
Doug


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## BigBadBrain (Aug 26, 2004)

Aother thing to check might be how level your trailer rides (proper WD and hitch hieght) to assure equal load on each axle. even a couple of inches out of level and the load can vary quite a bit.

I was driving between Spokane and Seattle and stopped to refuel (its funny how often I do that) and had a choice of very few gas stations because of the length of the TV/TT. I ended up pulling through a dirt lot that had some major potholes in it, some I saw, some I didn't. The load on each tire and axle must have been extreme for a few moments because of the uneven surface. After reading these posts, it makes me wonder if that wasn't a really stupid thing to do (not that I had much choice, it's a long way between gas stations in places along I-90).

I took a quick look last night and discovered it is going to be very tough to examine the springs for cracks. Tight area and hard to get good angle for really seeing the things.


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## vdub (Jun 19, 2004)

> I ended up pulling through a dirt lot that had some major potholes in it


Sounds like Vantage....


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## cookie9933 (Feb 26, 2005)

BBB,

I wouldn't think that a low-speed foray onto potholed pavement would do any harm to your springs. Nor would uneven loading due to uneven pavement, as long as you were moving slowly. Such low speed movement wouldn't work your springs very much...they wouldn't be flexing very much in those situations. High speed impacts would put much more stress on springs and would be the likely cause of failure. Just MHO.

As far as inspection of springs, just be looking for cracks. I could be wrong , but I wouldn't personally expect to see any partial cracks. I would think that once a spring has flexed its last flex, it breaks all the way through all at once. After that happens, you will see a crack all the way across the affected leaf, or a piece could fall out. This is what you want to catch before another leaf (or leaves) also break. If the main leaf breaks (the one that the bolts go through), you are immediately out of commission. Also, keep your eye on U-bolts, that they are tight and nothing is slipping out of place. If properly tightened, these will stay put normally. Hope this helps.

Bill


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