Are Shackles Supposed To Move Freely and Can They Flip The Wrong Way

Question:

Im currently replacing the eye to eye leaf springs on my boat trailer and have looked all over the internet for a recommended ease of movementinch for the spring shackle. Should the shackle be fairly snug and the load is able to over come bolt torque clamping force or should the shackle be easy to move through the designed range by hand? - this is with the spring front eye not mounted If the shackle is designed to be fairly loose is there a danger of the shackle straps flipping 180 toward the front spring eye, say in a case where the spring is unloaded quickly placing the spring in a bind. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

asked by: Phillip

Expert Reply:

The shackles on suspension systems like part # TRSL350 are designed to be fairly loose because the equalizer on your trailer suspension needs to be able to move without binding. The best thing to do when tightening down shackle bolts is to use lock nuts, tighten them until they are snug, then back them off 1/4 turn.

It is possible that the shackle can flip into the wrong direction however most of the time putting weight on the trailer is enough to correct it or you can jack up the trailer by the axle and get it to flip back over. If shackles flip the wrong way on a regular basis they are usually too short for your setup or the trailer isn't being towed level.

expert reply by: Heather A