Recommended Parts and Installation for Replacement Tandem Trailer Suspension

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Question:

Hello had a question my rear leaf springs broke on my tandem axle toyhauler thats ten years old. That caused the hanger bolt to crack on the other rear side also. So replaced everything on the rear axle, leaf springs, u bolts and hardware, shackle bolts and such. Also re welded the one side on the hanger back on. Question is will the hanger piece we re welded on be ok or should we have replaced the whole hanger on the broken side? Also I couldnt find the correct size shackles so the ones I put on are a little longer than the originals on the front. I am going to replace the fronts also but probably not for a couple months as we have trips planned but wondering if thats ok also? The equalizer isnt perfectly straight and I am guessing thats why? Just want to make sure thats ok until I change the other shackles out also One last thing is we did one side at a time while replacing the leafs and everything, is that ok or was the whole trailer supposed to be off the ground? We overtightened the u bolts at first also but once we found that out we backed the bolts back out and re torqued them to 70 lbs while the trailer was completely on the ground, would that have damaged the u bolts? it was never driven whiled being over torqued. they are 1/2 inch u bolts Thanks for your help.

asked by: Steve

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Expert Reply:

If a part of your spring hanger broke off I recommend replacing it entirely rather than re-welding the broken piece. Even if you got the alignment perfect, the hanger could be weakened due to the repair so its best to replace the whole hanger with a new one. If it were to break you'd have a lot more work on your hands than just replacing the hanger.

The included link will let you see replacement hangers for 1-3/4-inch wide double-eye springs and you can match the height to your original and choose your shackle bolt diameter using the filters on the page. For example, part # 28-5 takes a 9/16-inch shackle bolt and is 3-1/4-inches tall.

Shackle straps are available in lengths from 2-inches up to 3-1/2-inches and can be seen on the link provided. Obviously its best to have the same size as what you had originally since this will maintain the suspension's original geometry, but if you're going to re-work the front axle fairly soon anyway you should be okay with the alternate shackles as long as the suspension components can still move as they are supposed to.

It is generally best to lift a trailer offer the ground to work on its suspension, rather than to jack up one side at a time, but since you were replacing parts and not building the trailer suspension from scratch you should be close to your original set up and be okay for a few trips.

U-bolts that are 1/2-inch in diameter can be torqued to between 45- and 70-ft/lbs so yours should be fine.

The linked article on trailer suspensions may be of interest to you.

expert reply by: Adam R

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Recommended Parts and Installation for Replacement Tandem Trailer Suspension

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