Made in USA leaf springs

[Mountainman198]

46 minutes ago, mossemi said:

I may have missed this fact in this great 17 pages and growing post, does Alcan make a 4 leaf spring pack that would also work for a LE2 and still be a capacity upgrade?

Mossey

Last I spoke with them this past Spring they did not. As they are a custom shop, might be worth a call to see if they would make a set. If you do call, please report back here what you are told. 
 

 

[ScubaRx]

3 hours ago, Jack Coddington said:

Also, I hope someone can confirm what Lew told me. Torque setting for 1/2" diameter U-bolts is 65#, and 90# for those with 9/16" diameter U-bolts. Thanks. 

That is the correct torque settings. All 1/2" bolts should be torqued to 65 pounds. All 9/16" bolts get 90 pounds.

 

[ScubaRx]

2 hours ago, mossemi said:

I may have missed this fact in this great 17 pages and growing post, does Alcan make a 4 leaf spring pack that would also work for a LE2 and still be a capacity upgrade?

Mossey

No, the only spring they make for these axles is the 2750 pound version. I changed out our original 5-leaf springs for the Alcans and I honestly can not tell any difference in the ride or the handling. Tali did most of the towing during our recent 5000 mile trip up to Maine and she said she could not tell any difference either.

[John Dorrer]

3 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

That is the correct torque settings. All 1/2" bolts should be torqued to 65 pounds. All 9/16" bolts get 90 pounds.

 

So would the 9/16 equate to 3" axel?

[Geronimo John]

22 hours ago, mossemi said:

I may have missed this fact in this great 17 pages and growing post, does Alcan make a 4 leaf spring pack that would also work for a LE2 and still be a capacity upgrade?

I suspect that they could.  But as you noted, I too am wondering.  Their, and about all 5 leaf springs are made for stiffness by the extra leaf.  The weight of the steel is a good indicator of the weight bearing capacity.  The initial ALCANers were asking for a 2,000 pounder and were mis-informed as to the true capacity and stiffness of their product.  When I saw the ratings jump of almost a thousand pounds per leaf (1750 to 2700) my red flags went up.  That's how I got to the Dexter capacity upgrade of the PB4 from the PB4B.  

One thing to keep in mind is that ALCAN's speciality is off road applications.  Their focus is not on an easy ride for the load, but surviving punishing situtations encounted by the Baja and Mountain Racers and those inspiring to be.  Hence their recommendation.  

Per several experts that I trust, this is way over-sprung for general use for the majority of  the OE2 Fleet.  But on the other side of the coin, it may be a good choice for those super heavy or more serious off road users,  Expecially if they have experienced whitness marks from banging of the axle U-bolts against the subframe.  Those owners need a 5 leaf. 

Point is this is not a good/bad discussion.  It is all about each owner's trailer weight and use.

GJ

Edited July 21 by Geronimo John

[mossemi]

21 hours ago, Mountainman198 said:

Last I spoke with them this past Spring they did not. As they are a custom shop, might be worth a call to see if they would make a set. If you do call, please report back here what you are told. 
 

 

Thank you!

@Gliddenwoods asked the question about increased hight and it caused me to wonder while I was at my keyboard.

And now a question for all of the Dexter axle spec sheet interpreters, please see the attachment.

 

[Geronimo John]

20 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

That is the correct torque settings. All 1/2" bolts should be torqued to 65 pounds. All 9/16" bolts get 90 pounds.

Agree!

Be sure to re-torque after road miles as suggested by MaxBurner and others.  It is normal for the U-bolts to strech.  Mine got an additional 1/2 turn on the first re-torque and a 1/4 turn on the second.  Will check one more time in 500 miles and suspect it will be nill.

GJ

[Mountainman198]

11 minutes ago, mossemi said:

Thank you!

@Gliddenwoods asked the question about increased hight and it caused me to wonder while I was at my keyboard.

And now a question for all of the Dexter axle spec sheet interpreters, please see the attachment.

 

I believe in this case 3” references the spring arch.

Edit:  my mistake. I responded too soon. You are likely correct in it being axle diameter

Edited July 21 by Mountainman198

[rich.dev]

12 minutes ago, mossemi said:

And now a question for all of the Dexter axle spec sheet interpreters, please see the attachment.

I asked same question to Dexter and was advised it indicates a 3” axle dia. 

Edited July 21 by rich.dev

[mossemi]

On 7/20/2024 at 3:29 AM, ScubaRx said:

I've been following the number of broken springs for over three years. All were four leaf springs and all have broken in exactly the same place and manner.

I remember we helped @Ken_Judy replace their rear street side leaf spring at the 2022 rally.  Do you know if the street or curb side is the most prevalent side for a failure?

Mossey

[ScubaRx]

2 hours ago, mossemi said:

I remember we helped @Ken_Judy replace their rear street side leaf spring at the 2022 rally.  Do you know if the street or curb side is the most prevalent side for a failure?

Mossey

I don't, but a good many have failures on both sides at the same time. They may not both break at the same time as they tend to flatten prior to actually failing.

[ScubaRx]

2 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Agree!

Be sure to re-torque after road miles as suggested by MaxBurner and others.  It is normal for the U-bolts to strech.  Mine got an additional 1/2 turn on the first re-torque and a 1/4 turn on the second.  Will check one more time in 500 miles and suspect it will be nill.

GJ

Good point, about half of mine took a smidge of a turn the first time. Maybe two on torquing the second time. I've called it good as they have over 5000 miles on them now.

[ScubaRx]

20 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

So would the 9/16 equate to 3" axel?

All the U-Bolts supplied by Alcan have been 9/16". The OEM's (at least on mine) were 1/2". It is very important, if you buy the Alcans, to know before placing your order the diameter of the axles on your trailer. Most will be 3". Some of the earlier builds will have 2-1/2". One owner told me his (used) trailer had one of each. This, most likely, was from one having been replaced prior to his acquiring it. I'm not totally confident in the report that one owner said his axles were 2-3/8", but who knows? Measure them to know for sure. If you don't have a caliper or a micrometer or don't know what these are then you may have to result to the string method (but this does require some math.) You could use a C-Clamp as a poor man's micrometer. Just tighten it up on the axle just loose enough so it slides off, then measure between the jaw faces of the clamp.

Edited July 21 by ScubaRx

[rideadeuce]

3 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

All the U-Bolts supplied by Alcan have been 9/16

This is not entirely accurate. Lew just sent me out U-bolts that were 1/2 in. for my 3500 lb axles with 3in tubes. The only problem for me is if the replacement U-bolts are 9/16, I will have to drill out the U-bolt plate so they fit. Easy to modify. 
Bottom line and the reason I first posted about the U-bolts is to point out to be sure you measure your axle diameter or get your spec sheet from Dexter before ordering. Lew has no way of knowing what you have except experience and an educated guess due to Dexter’s non-conformity building their axles. 

[connor77]

15 hours ago, rideadeuce said:

This is not entirely accurate. Lew just sent me out U-bolts that were 1/2 in. for my 3500 lb axles with 3in tubes. The only problem for me is if the replacement U-bolts are 9/16, I will have to drill out the U-bolt plate so they fit. Easy to modify. 
Bottom line and the reason I first posted about the U-bolts is to point out to be sure you measure your axle diameter or get your spec sheet from Dexter before ordering. Lew has no way of knowing what you have except experience and an educated guess due to Dexter’s non-conformity building their axles. 

I originally thought I was mistakenly shipped 1/2" u-bolts but after I learned that I should be measuring the diameter of the threaded section, not the smooth section, I realized that I received the correct parts. 

[jdmmtx]

On 7/21/2024 at 8:47 AM, mossemi said:

Do you know if the street or curb side is the most prevalent side for a failure?

I wondered the same thing. Ours was curbside rear. The other 3 still had good shape.

Edited July 22 by jdmmtx

[Mountainman198]

3 hours ago, jdmmtx said:

I wondered the same thing. Ours was curbside rear. The other 3 still had good shape.

Streetside rear on my E2 sheared at the usual spot. Curbside rear was flattened and starting to form a slight “S” shape. Front two springs appeared normal. 

[MAX Burner]

On 7/19/2024 at 4:07 PM, rideadeuce said:

. I guess they can be either size diameter.

True that.

[rideadeuce]

So got the new U-bolts from ALCAN and put the new leaf springs on only to find out the HD 1/2 in. OEM shackles were too short. They are the HD 1/2 in width but 2 in long measured zerk to zerk. The 2nd leaf rides on the suspension arm. 

Talked with Lew, figured out the problem and he is sending out new 2 1/4in HD shackles to resolve the problem.

Confirmed Key points:

3500 lb axles use 4 bolts on the backside of the hub and 1/2 in. U-bolts. They can have tube diameters of 2 1/2 or 3 in. Make sure to measure.

5200 lb axles use 5 bolts on the backside of the hub and 9/16 in U-bolts. They typically have tube diameters of 3 in. Make sure to measure. 

If you don't upgrade to the shackles Lew sells, make sure even if you have upgraded HD 1/2 in. shackles to measure the length. If it is 2 in they will not work, must be 2 1/4 in. Make sure to measure. 

Lew was great to deal with as always. @ScubaRx I did confirm that he does not want his 2/12 in U-bolts back. 

Hopefully, this adds to the conversation since both of these issues came up for me. 

Cheers, 

Mike

 

 

Edited July 24 by rideadeuce

[Jack Coddington]

On 7/20/2024 at 9:33 AM, Mountainman198 said:

Last I spoke with them this past Spring they did not. As they are a custom shop, might be worth a call to see if they would make a set. If you do call, please report back here what you are told. 
 

 

Here is something interesting I found from Lew. You can take their 5 leaf 2750 lb. spring and remove the small bottom leaf and end up with a 4 leaf spring rated around 2050 lb. But, he also said he knows of no one who has done this yet. 

[ScubaRx]

2 hours ago, Jack Coddington said:

Here is something interesting I found from Lew. You can take their 5 leaf 2750 lb. spring and remove the small bottom leaf and end up with a 4 leaf spring rated around 2050 lb. But, he also said he knows of no one who has done this yet. 

Please explain your motivation for wanting to de-rate these springs. 

Edited July 27 by ScubaRx

[Jack Coddington]

4 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

Please explain your motivation for wanting to de-rate these springs. 

I remember seeing some folks wondering about a Spring rated somewhere between the original 1750 # and the Alcan 2750#. That was my only point. Some folks think the Alcans might be too stiff, but from what I am hearing this is not the case. 

[MAX Burner]

2 hours ago, Jack Coddington said:

the Alcans might be too stiff, but from what I am hearing this is not the case. 

You are correct, sir.

[Mike and Carol]

3 hours ago, Jack Coddington said:

I remember seeing some folks wondering about a Spring rated somewhere between the original 1750 # and the Alcan 2750#. That was my only point. Some folks think the Alcans might be too stiff, but from what I am hearing this is not the case. 

Mine are fine.  We’ve put about 5,000 miles on the ALCANS and all is well!  Mike

[SNY SD UP]

On 7/21/2024 at 11:33 AM, ScubaRx said:

I don't, but a good many have failures on both sides at the same time. They may not both break at the same time as they tend to flatten prior to actually failing.

Correct, 
Last season, We arrived in Inuvik, NWT where we discovered that one of the rears snapped (same area as most previous pics).  We were able to replace it (similar, but not exact) and we continued onto Tuktoyaktuk.  On the return to Inuvik and the same mechanics shop, I thanked them for their help, but noticed the other 'rear' had snapped (same area as most previous pics) sometime between Inuvik to Tuk & back to Inuvik.

Note:  I drove to Inuvik on the way up the Dumpster, and Maggie drove from Inuvik onto Tuk and back to Inuvik.

While waiting for the 2nd replacement leaf spring, we found that all four shocks were blown, (this may have been before the trip), we just did not check them before we left for the trip and that probably contributed to LS failure.  We had 4 new Monroe 555001 brought in and installed.  a couple days later the leaf spring arrived and we were on our way to Whitehorse for 4 new/matching leaf springs.

In Whitehorse, they installed 'UNA-212' rated Capacity: 1,830 lbs. each, the 4-leaf measurements were close enough for us...  Oliver uses the MPN: UNA-210 rated at 1,750 ea.  
We made it home no issues, and back up to AK and around this season, no issues.  Just not the NWT.

So we are running with something a bit different than most of you.  We will keep an eye on our shocks. I see some pics of something different than the High Gloss Black 555001 Monroe's on other trailers  
I am not going  to make any changes until I see what OTTO’s comments are after this camping season.

B~Out