OT - leaf springs for a trailer

Tom Woods uttered summat worrerz funny about:

May be worth sending the seller your measurements. :-)

Lee

Lee_D uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Then again I've just seen the prices!

found various vehicle springs on ebay but they all look too big. 18 inches like the ones on the trailer is pretty small!

I get the feeling that unless i can find one in the scrap yard its going to be cheaper to either buy a pair of indispension units off ebay - hopefully that fit the existing wheels, or buy a complete trailer off ebay.

Don't give up too easily. If it's not the main leaf that's broken then you can prolly take the spring to bits and weld the broken bit back up. If you just want the thing to trundle a few miles to the tip on a Sunday then you could just remove the springs altogether and weld/bolt the axle direct to the chassis with a spacer or two.

Julian

Its the main leaf. It will just be for occasional use (after i've shifted a few tons of soil in it asap) I did think of just doing away with the suspension and having it direct. Is this wise? would it not stress the rest of the frame on bumps?

if you remove the suspension, aviod speed bumps. the trailer will bounce into the air,

be ready for when something breaks.

I can think of a few trailers with no suspension. Very rarely will agricultural stuff have suspension, I've got a 6 ton Marshall tipping trailer in the yard that is solid, but so's the tractor that I pull it with. But, you wouldn't want to go much above 30 mph with it and you learn to 'read' the road ahead and slow off for the potholes.

I guess you pays your money and takes your choice. Solid suspension is doable for sure, and if you can't find a spring then you haven't much to loose really, but you will have to drive sympathetically at times.

Julian.

Well, I've driven a car with suspension but no dampers, and it was bloody lethal at much above walking pace, so I'd be more worried about coming off a roundabout and finding the trailer hanging out the side as an undamped bounce had set up on the unsuspended side and the trailer was hopping about like a grasshopper on speed.

Stick a little logic into the equation, push bikes have no suspension, just a tiny amount from the tyre. You don't see push bikes hopping around roundabouts. Last time I saw the Tour de France on the box they were going at a heck of a lick!

Suspension with no dampers is a different animal, and not relevant to the OP's problem.

Julian.

It's not logic, it's amounts, a pushbike has tiny tyres and is very light, whereas a trailer has a much larger air volume and can be heavier with a load. Hopefully it'll be OK though, I think my parent's trailer used to have just a bendy piece of metal, undamped, and it was OK.

I also forgot to mention that the car that was lethal with no dampers was also pushing 300BHP through the back wheels ;-)

Trailers rarely have dampers anyway. The latest offerings with indespension units have no dampers - that includes Ifor Williams 3.5 ton ones (heavy and with non tiny tyres) Your argument regarding grasshopers on steroids at roundabouts is spurious.

I drove my Disco up the lane with no front dampers (just for a laugh) I was midway through putting new front turrets on it. It made me smile!

Yep I realised halfway through that damping isn't such an issue, although I'd still be worried about having solid suspension on a trailer not intended for it. Consumer trailers aren't that strong.

My old lotus's rear wheels were slapping up and down when I put the power down, that was pretty scary!

Hi Group

Try to find one of the old fashioned blacksmiths. One of them made up a spring for me

Alan

Roberts uttered summat worrerz funny about:

In that case, there is a Blacksmiths just down past the Mainwering arms Tom.

Wrought Iron madness or something like that they go under.

Lee D

This is the way to go but finding a blacksmith is going to be the problem. There are some spring manufacturer/repairers still around. Try Spring Manufacturers & Suppliers in Yellow pages but be prepared to eliminate many who only deal with coil springs.

This is the sort of place:

Wheres the mainwaring arms?

I am in crewe/stoke on trent

I have sent queries to a few spring suppliers. One has answered to far and said they dont have the size i want but the nearest one is £95/pair.

A set of indispension units off ebay is about £70 new or less in a proper auction!

Just got a lead on a local one spring place so gonna try them tommorrow (P & S in fenton if that means owt to the locals on here)

Tom Woods uttered summat worrerz funny about:

Three Mile lane from Keele towards Whitmore when you get to the hard left over the bridge (watch out for 110 gearbox bits in the road!) they are just on the right as you go up the bank towards the A53 Junction. Worth it if only for a trip to the pub! :-)

Lee D

Aaah. i know the place. Ive been to that pub a couple of times and it is very nice but has low hard doorframes!