Replacing The Suspension On A 2006 Forest River Work And Play Enclosed Trailer

Question:

2006 20ft Forest River Work and Playinch enclosed trailer. Gross vehicle weight rating: 7770 pounds. GCWR: 3160 pounds When I bought this trailer, it came with an extra pair of 5200 pound axles with electric brakes that I am now installing, along with all new parts. I have removed all of the factory springs, equalizer, and shackles. My plan is to mount the axles on the bottom of the springs, so I will grind off the old perches and weld on new perches on top of the axles. The spring hangers on the frame measure 59 inches center to center. The bottom mounting hole has a 4.5 inch clearance from the frame down to the center of the hole. The spring and equalizer hanger will be braced with boxed tubing from the left side to the right side. The factory springs were 1750 pound springs, and when I removed them, they did not look to be in great shape. They seemed weak for the weight of the trailer. I want to buy new springs, a rubber shock equalizer, shackles, and a wet bolt kit. I need this to be as high as possible for off-road use. Even though it can hold 3160 pounds, the most it will have in it is approximately 2000 pounds. Is it possible to upgrade the springs from 1750 pounds to 2200+ pounds? What spring, equalizer, and shackles do you recommend for this setup?

asked by: Craig

Trailer With Suspension Removed
(click to enlarge)

Expert Reply:

Hi Craig,

When it comes to leaf spring suspensions the best practice is to measure the sizes of the components the manufacturer originally installed and replacing with same size components. If you start replacing items with different sizes then it throws everything else off and lead to a bind up.

Replacing the leaf springs with a higher capacity is definitely doable and we also offer kits for flipping the axle for increased ride height (2-3/8" axles # K71-384-00 or 3" axles # K71-385-00). In the attached video below I installed this kit on an enclosed trailer that was used for hunting and it was caked with mud because the suspension sat too low. These kits will raise the height by the diameter of the axle and leaf spring stack height.

I've attached some diagrams below to help you measure your current suspension components. Once you have those measurements let me know and I'd be happy to pick out the correct replacements.

expert reply by: Kevin C