Troubleshooting Reduced Fender Clearance After Replacing Leaf Springs

Question:

Hi, I have a boat trailer which calls for 1,830lbs leaf springs but installed 1,750 springs and now the clearance is a 1/2 inch lower than it was before. I went to a trailer shop and was shown two springs measured all the same and both were 1,750 rating but one set was 4 leaf and thin but the other set was 3 leaf and thicker. What exactly is going on here with all of this?

asked by: Leo

Expert Reply:

It's certainly possible that you have two identically rated and sized leaf spring sets on your trailer that feature a different amount of leaves. Most likely at one point only one side of the trailer leaf springs was replaced, while the other remained installed. We do recommend replacing both sides of the leaf spring sets on an axle at the same time. As long as you get the needed capacity and length, there is not really an advantage with going to a set that features more leaves. The additional height that a larger set will provide will be minimal, but you do want to have matching sets on each axle.

Just as an example, we do have a few 4-Leaf Double-Eye Springs for 3,500 pound axles, such as with # e54SR, along with a selection of identically rated 3-Leaf sets, like with # e59SR.

This small difference might be contributing to the reduced fender clearance you are experiencing. The sag in suspension might also be coming from the slightly under-rated springs, especially if you have the trailer loaded to its capacity. With the lower rated springs installed, you will need to stay below their weight capacity when loading the trailer, as they will essentially lower the trailer's overall capacity since you are always limited by the trailer's weakest component.

I have attached a link that will take you to our available selection of leaf springs that you can look through if new ones are in order. I have also included a couple articles on trailer suspension that you might find helpful.

expert reply by: Chris R