Trailer springs

N

nmitch2859

New member
Last year; On my way to get my trailer inspected.3 springs broke. The boat was not on the trailer. I finally had the time and funds to buy new springs and shackles. I am currently putting new springs on. It is my first time. The only way to do it ,do it.Springs were rusted through.
 
Neal,
Ya' gott'a love the wonders of what salt water will do to most any steel over time.
This has happened to me as well and I had to replace the springs on two of my trailers last year due to rust. Fortunately, Portsmouth Trailer has everything you may need and they are local (and will do the repair if you choose not to).
If you need assistance or tools, you are more than welcome to bring the trailer to my house and I will help you with the repairs (if the trailer is safe enough to tow that is...).
 
The trailer is a 2007. Left at the marina. I have not done any maintenance . Any help. The bolts and springs were froze as well. I do have one side done. The axels were out of alignment and twisted. The tires are supporting the trailer. The left side is the one to repair this weekend, my job, :thdown
 
That's been 8 years for those springs. On the 22 Catalina, I launched in salt water from '75 to '85 and the springs were reasonable; I guess, never noticed them. Took them through Mexico where they got a good workout. Blew a tyre, but not a spring. The rest of the trailer, non-galvanized, was a mess but workable. That's probably a comment on how often I launched it, or a comment on east coast humidity.

That's certainly not a comment on your situation, Neal, just a random thought. It might explain why EZ Loader went to torsion rubber springing. I assume others do also. Nothing to rust but the hubs and the other non-galvanized mounting stuff. What brand is yours, since they use springs instead of rubber? I've started spraying the brakes/hubs (and in your case, springs) with Salt Away. It seems to work.

If a nut and bolt are rusted together, I just tighten them until they break. Sometimes, I need an extension on the wrench, such as a PVC pipe. No shame, but it works. Since you've already done 1 side, you probably have it figured out.

Boris
 
I will give the Salt Away idea a try. I always pressure wash the bay boat and trailer after every salt water excursion, but when I hooked the rig up and pulled it out of the garage last week (hadn't used it in a year), the shackles and the "C" clips that attach them to the trailer, were BADLY rusted away. An old trailer, I replaced it with a new all aluminum job with torsion hubs. We'll see.
 
I too have had my leaf springs break, never had that happen on any of the other 14 boat trailers I've owned for past 40 years. Mine happened on my way "up" the Grapevine (Interstate 5 North before Bakersfield). I have always washed down my springs and brakes along with the boat with fresh water right after retrieval from the saltwater. I didn't freshwater rinse them after launch generally, so I was only doing maybe 50% of something right.

On this boat (CD25) when it was new in Dec' 2002, I coated all the visible surfaces with wheel bearing grease, thinking it would help preserve the non-galvanized metal. In 2009 (I think), that's when they failed. I hit a pot hole on the I-5, it broke 1 or 2 springs after I inspected it off the highway. I figured I could make it to the Pacific Trailer factory near San Jose if I drove under 50 mph, I did. But when 1 or 2 springs break, the others are under more stress. I had one (1) spring left on the curb side when I arrived at the trailer factory. The guy just shook his head, we all new it was stupid to have continued on that far. He said I got "good" service from them, usually they're shot in 4-5 yrs! Geez. He said there's really no coating or other method to preserve them-- I just don't believe that. On a previous boat trailer, when new, I coated the springs with a tar-like, spray-on substance very thoroughly, didn't have a problem in the 8 yrs I owned it.

BTW, my trailer is an oversized 27 ft, rated at 11,500 lbs, total weight boat and trailer normally loaded is 7,400 lbs. So I shouldn't be over-stressing the springs, bearings or tires (well maybe I did with that pothole...). Maybe spring life has to do with the quality of the metal used. These seem to be doing much better, very little rust showing, more of a surface rust film.
 
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