Made in USA leaf springs

[Patriot]

Yesterday I had the Alcan 5 leaf pack installed at Alcan. This morning I decided to crawl under XPLOR for a closer look and check the torque on my 16 of my 9/16 Ubolts torque setting on the high nuts juuuuust to satisfy my OCD. I found in the short trip back to the our base camp (only 9 miles) from Alcan the Ubolts definitely required retorquing. Each of the (16) high nuts needed at least 1-2 full rotations to bring them into a torque spec per Alcan of 90’lbs. I am glad I checked these high nut fasteners as it is clear that the new Ubolts will stretch in a very short period of travel. 

This is why Alcan repeatedly recommends you check the torque on the high nuts and wetbolts. I will check again at the required interval of 50//50/500 mile mark. Passing this forward!

Happy and Safe Travels All from Grand Junction, CO!

 

 

You will need a 3/4” deep well socket which can be purchased alacarte at a local HF store. 

Edited September 8 by Patriot
Highlight ft lbs and add deep well socket size

[John Dorrer]

28 minutes ago, Patriot said:

Yesterday I had the Alcan 5 leaf pack installed at Alcan. This morning I decided to crawl under XPLOR for a closer look and check the torque on my 16 of my 9/16 Ubolts torque setting on the high nuts juuuuust to satisfy my OCD. I found in the short trip back to the our base camp (only 9 miles) from Alcan the Ubolts definitely required retorquing. Each of the (16) high nuts needed at least 1-2 full rotations to bring them into a torque spec per Alcan of 65’ lbs. I am glad I checked these fasteners as it is clear that the Ubolts will stretch in a very short period of use. 

This is why Alcan repeatedly recommends you check the torque. I will check again at the required interval of 50/50/500 mile marks. Just thought I would pass this forward!

Happy and Safe Travels All from Grand Junction, CO!

 

 

 

 

What other bolts need to be torqued? Wet Bolts?? How many of those and what else?🙃

[Patriot]

31 minutes ago, John Dorrer said:

What other bolts need to be torqued? Wet Bolts?? How many of those and what else?🙃

I only torqued the Ubolts this morning. @500 mile mark check Spring wet bolts, they should be good with the HD nyloc nuts.

Alcan will provide a very detailed work sheet when you have the springs installed. 👍🏻 

Edited September 7 by Patriot

[John Dorrer]

55 minutes ago, Patriot said:

I only torqued the Ubolts this morning. @500 mile mark check Spring wet bolts, they should be good with the HD nyloc nuts.

Alcan will provide a very detailed work sheet when you have the springs installed. 👍🏻 

Can't you tell? I'm clueless🤣🍺

Edited September 7 by John Dorrer
typo

[Mike and Carol]

Oliver did ours and I checked the bolts on our way to East Tennessee at about 70 miles and then at about 120 miles.  Final check was when we got home, a couple thousand miles.  Each time some tightening was required.  Not much on the final.  I’ll probably check again before our next trip (Inks Lake Oliver Rally).  Mike

[Patriot]

5 hours ago, John Dorrer said:

Can't you tell? I'm clueless🤣🍺

You will be totally fine John. Lew and his staff at Alcan are really awesome to deal with. 

[topgun2]

9 hours ago, Rivernerd said:

Looks like 5 to me...

Yep - 

Looks like 5 to me too.

Bill

p.s.  I suspect that somewhere alone the line Mr. Oliver decided that given the weight he was adding to the Beast, he should upgrade to 5 leaves from the original 4 leaves.  However, the pictures I recently posted are valid for the Beast as recently as 3 weeks ago.

Edited September 8 by topgun2

[ScubaRx]

On 9/6/2024 at 8:56 PM, SNY SD UP said:

Steve @ScubaRx

I copied this pic from @topgun2 "Jim Oliver's The Beast" Post, are we seeing 4 or 5 leaves on Jim's Beast?
Or do we not count the one that is rolled with the 'wet Bolts'???
Seriously asking for myself...
 

B~OUT

 

Link to Post for context,

 

Bryan, I do believe you are correct that these are indeed 5-leaf springs. I could not imagine that Jim would ever have outfitted any of his personal trailers with anything but the absolute heaviest duty components.

[Patriot]

FWIW..

Completed the last recommended torquing of my new Alcan 5 leaf pack 9/16 Ubolts at 596 miles. All 16  nuts were in spec and good to go except on which required a 1/4 turn.

I will recheck again whenever we decide to head back home to NC. Off to Yellowstone tomorrow.

Happy and Safe Travels!

[johnwen]

1 hour ago, Patriot said:

FWIW..

Completed the last recommended torquing of my new Alcan 5 leaf pack 9/16 Ubolts at 596 miles. All 16  nuts were in spec and good to go except on which required a 1/4 turn.

I will recheck again whenever we decide to head back home to NC. Off to Yellowstone tomorrow.

Happy and Safe Travels!

Thanks for the updates :)  Enjoy Yellowstone...hope you brought sweaters :)

Happy Trails,

Us

[Patriot]

2 hours ago, johnwen said:

Thanks for the updates 🙂 Enjoy Yellowstone...hope you brought sweaters 🙂

Happy Trails,

Us

You bet John. We are well prepared for the cool weather with a little goose down and LP tanks topped off. Ha! We will take the cool temps over heat any day! 😊

Talk Soon!

 

[topgun2]

9 hours ago, Patriot said:

12 hours ago, johnwen said:

Thanks for the updates 🙂 Enjoy Yellowstone...hope you brought sweaters 🙂

Happy Trails,

Us

You bet John. We are well prepared for the cool weather with a little goose down and LP tanks topped off. Ha! We will take the cool temps over heat any day! 😊

Talk Soon!

Yesterday I saw a front headed for Colorado but I didn't see how far north it extended.

Even if you get the snow that is forecast for Colorado, at this time of year you should only need to hunker down for a day or two.  In any case - be careful on the roads.

Bill

Edited September 20 by topgun2

[ScottyGS]

I am getting nervous!   I have our trailer all hooked up to take it in to have the leaf springs replaced tomorrow.  I just checked and see that the flattening of the Left Rear spring has started.  This is the one with about six inches missing off the second leaf.   If this thing goes in transit, am I stuck stuck?  Or, can I limp it in?  Any advice would be most appreciated. 

Scotty

 

Edited September 22 by ScottyGS

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, ScottyGS said:

I am getting nervous!   I have our trailer all hooked up to take it in to have the leaf springs replaced tomorrow.  I just checked and see that the flattening of the Left Rear spring has started.  This is the one with about six inches missing off the second leaf.   If this thing goes in transit, am I stuck?  Or, can I limp it in?  Any advice would be most appreciated. Scotty

How far do you have to go? Drive easy and slow like a school zone over RR tracks!

[ScottyGS]

27 minutes ago, jd1923 said:

How far do you have to go? Drive easy and slow like a school zone over RR tracks!

22.5 miles.  Mostly highway but surface streets about the last 4-5 miles.   My fear is that if it goes it lets the tire hit the fiberglass trim or wheel well.  That puts me at a hard stop.  Anyone had theirs go on the road.  Is there any wiggle room to get it over to the side without tearing the wheels off? 

TIA,

Scotty

[jd1923]

18 minutes ago, ScottyGS said:

Anyone had theirs go on the road.

There are a few members here that had this experience and could chime in. From what I remember in the 22 pages before, these failures have not caused other real damage. Nothing you can do but to go get the work done. It's a short distance so pick the best route to go slowly, maybe skip the highway unless it is nicely paved, which is hard to find these days.

[Mountainman198]

3 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

22.5 miles.  Mostly highway but surface streets about the last 4-5 miles.   My fear is that if it goes it lets the tire hit the fiberglass trim or wheel well.  That puts me at a hard stop.  Anyone had theirs go on the road.  Is there any wiggle room to get it over to the side without tearing the wheels off? 

TIA,

Scotty

Mine went while going 67 on I25. I suspected something was wrong because my spring-mounted led light whip affixed to the front box began waving wildly from side to side. I drove about 3 miles to a Love’s where I confirmed one broken spring and one flattened spring (same axle).   The tires did NOT rub the fiberglass, but the ubolts were in hard contact with the frame above. After this I only pulled the trailer across the facility to the newly opened Love’s campground where I replaced the two springs to get me home. 
 

is your spring broken (pics please if so) or you are merely concerned that they will break enroute to the shop where you plan to have them replaced?

I have read where someone was unable to stop following a broken spring and affixed a piece of a thick mudflap to the top of the axle between the ubolt and frame to soften the impact. Were I in your situation and I chose to drive to the repair facility I certainly would bring materials to do this ( e.g. heavy rubber matting and several heavy zip ties. 
 

If I had needed to transport my trailer with a broken spring I would consider a flatbed. 

Edited September 22 by Mountainman198
Hit send too quick

[ScottyGS]

31 minutes ago, Mountainman198 said:

is your spring broken (pics please if so) or you are merely concerned that they will break enroute to the shop where you plan to have them replaced?

 

Thanks for the update and the info.    Spring is not broken but there is a piece missing.  See picture.  

I will look for some matting or other before I make the trip down.   

I also have a mobile repair place that I will call to see if they can come out.  It will cost a premium but probably cheaper than a flatbed.  The place I am taking it to says they will keep it 1-2 weeks before it's ready.  Not thrilled about that. 

Thanks again for the help.  Sure do appreciate it. 

Scotty 

 

[Geronimo John]

4 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

22.5 miles.  Mostly highway but surface streets about the last 4-5 miles.   My fear is that if it goes it lets the tire hit the fiberglass trim or wheel well.  That puts me at a hard stop.  Anyone had theirs go on the road.  Is there any wiggle room to get it over to the side without tearing the wheels off? 

Earlier this year we had a discussion about what to do if you had to run on just one tire on one side of an OE2.    Below was some thoughts.

If you must, then having some blocking under the good axle to carry additional load maybe a workable solution to eliminanate any fiberglass damage.

Going slow is also paramount.

DIY - Two Flat Tires On An OE2.docx

[jdmmtx]

5 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

22.5 miles.  Mostly highway but surface streets about the last 4-5 miles.   My fear is that if it goes it lets the tire hit the fiberglass trim or wheel well.  That puts me at a hard stop.  Anyone had theirs go on the road.  Is there any wiggle room to get it over to the side without tearing the wheels off? 

TIA,

Scotty

Ours broke while in transit. We had no choice but to drive it very slowly about 12 miles as the nearest company with flatbed towing capability was 3 hours away. It caused no additional damage that we are aware of.

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

Never seen a leaf break this way! What junk Dexter sells. We should not have to replace leaf springs, bearings, and other major parts of these trailer axles! It’s only a 7K lb occasional use travel trailer.

I would hire the mobile repair guy. I would not be a customer of a service center that cannot schedule a date and get it back same or next day. They need 2 weeks, give me an appointment in 2 weeks. That’s BS.

[ScottyGS]

Made it!

Took it slow and it was all good.  The spring is flat like a pancake, but it held.   The Nissan Titan pulls it well and I'm pretty sure will be a great towing platform.  Although I am puzzled as to exactly why you need to keep the speed 50mph or below for the first 500 towing miles for break in.  

Thanks everyone for the advice.  Sure do appreciate it.   

Also...  The place I took it to, RV Services in Asheville looks like a good shop.  They have two Oliver owners that store their trailers with them.  Will give a better review after the work is done.  

Thanks again,

Scotty

[Mountainman198]

2 hours ago, ScottyGS said:

Made it!

Took it slow and it was all good.  The spring is flat like a pancake, but it held.   The Nissan Titan pulls it well and I'm pretty sure will be a great towing platform.  Although I am puzzled as to exactly why you need to keep the speed 50mph or below for the first 500 towing miles for break in.  

Thanks everyone for the advice.  Sure do appreciate it.   

Also...  The place I took it to, RV Services in Asheville looks like a good shop.  They have two Oliver owners that store their trailers with them.  Will give a better review after the work is done.  

Thanks again,

Scotty

So glad you made it there without issue. 

[Patriot]

On 9/20/2024 at 6:48 AM, topgun2 said:

Yesterday I saw a front headed for Colorado but I didn't see how far north it extended.

Even if you get the snow that is forecast for Colorado, at this time of year you should only need to hunker down for a day or two.  In any case - be careful on the roads.

Bill

No snow forecasted for YS, a little chilly in the early mornings, but gorgeous and in the mid 70’s tomorrow here according to our weather app. Nothing but sunshine and blue skies! 🤩

Edited September 24 by Patriot

[MAX Burner]

9 hours ago, Patriot said:

No snow forecasted for YS, a little chilly in the early mornings, but gorgeous and in the mid 70’s tomorrow here according to our weather app. Nothing but sunshine and blue skies!

We just returned home after our annual 2-week MC ride up the spine of the Rockies and were absolutely blessed with the best WX ever!  3,800 miles, 8 states, 6 national parks/monuments, and untold numbers of margaritas....  like @Patriot describes, we enjoyed wall-to-wall blue skies every day of the ride.  Spectacular fall colors from Ouray to Silverton, BTW!  Now, its all about getting the Casablanca ready for a Thursday departure on our long weekend at Columbus, NM and Palomas, Old Mexico...

 

Cheers, All!