Replacement Leaf Spring and Suspension Kit for 1990 Prowler Fifth Wheel

Question:

I plan to replace/upgrade the suspension on my 1990 28’ prowler fifth wheel. Tag GAWR is 4070 per axle Fully loaded axle scale weight is 8000# total Current axles are 3” OD Current springs are 1 3/4”wide 26” eye to eye 4 leaf Current equalizer is 5 3/4” center to center Current shackles are 3 1/2” overall 2 1/4” center to center My plan is to purchase: 4ea SP- 256275 springs 1ea K71-359-00 Suspension kit 2ea APUBR-8 U-Bolt kits Are these good choices for parts? All 4 springs measure 26” under weight and are 30 years old. Is it likely they were 25 1/4” originally and have stretched? Could I replace them with either 25 1/4”or 26” Since the axles are 3” dia My guess is they are 5200# Is there risk in installing 5000# springs in lieu of 4500#? Thanks for the help

asked by: Carl H

Helpful Expert Reply:

Typically leaf springs will stretch around 1/4 of an inch or so when they are worn out but if the springs are 30 years old I could see it easily being 3/4 inch instead. So based on yours currently being 26 inches long and 30 years old your best solution for a leaf spring replacement would be the part # e28SR which is 25-1/4 inches long and has a 5,000 lb axle capacity. This will give you a little more capacity than you'd need which won't hurt anything.

This spring would work great with the suspension kit part # K71-359-00 and the U-bolt kit part # APUBR-8 since you said you have a 3 inch axle diameter.

expert reply by: Jameson C