Made in USA leaf springs

[Patriot]

1 hour ago, MAX Burner said:

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!

Hey Max, awesome vid and ride! Wow! Looking forward to the fall colors and getting in a little seat time when we get home whenever that is? Ha! Glad you had a safe and fun trip! Thanks for the color report, the Aspens are little late this year here in YS, the beauty of this park never ends.

Glad to hear you getting Casablanca ready to roll again! 👍🏻🇺🇸

 

[jd1923]

I know somewhere in the 23 pages of this thread, somebody posted the OEM part number for our leaf springs that can be purchased on eTrailer.

Was under our hull today and all 4 OEM leafs look excellent, but at $60 I’m thinking of buying one for the toolbox. Also making sure I have the long sockets to replace one on the side of the road. Thx

[Mountainman198]

Look on the spring retainers. Mine was stamped there. Model PR4B is what came from the factory on my 2021 E2, 3,500lb axles, 4-leaf springs

[Mountainman198]

25 minutes ago, Mountainman198 said:

Look on the spring retainers. Mine was stamped there. Model PR4B is what came from the factory on my 2021 E2, 3,500lb axles, 4-leaf springs

And here is the replacement part number that Oliver service gave me to replace my original springs

[jd1923]

11 hours ago, Mountainman198 said:

Look on the spring retainers. Mine was stamped there. Model PR4B is what came from the factory on my 2021 E2, 3,500lb axles, 4-leaf springs

Thanks, Mountainman for all your input on this thread. Mine does not have a label like this (see pic). I had a conversation with @mountainoliver who has a 2017 and Ken sent me some specs of what he had ordered. They all seem the same.

This is what you suggested: Amazon.com: TexTrail 9150014 Double Eye Trailer Leaf Spring for 3,500 Lb Axle - 4 Leaf - 25-1/4" Length - 2 Pack : Automotive

What does everybody think of the items below? The leaf springs are almost double in cost, but both of these items are Made in USA. Do we really need the heavier leaf, or just something dependable? These would be half the Alcan cost, but of course 4-leaf 1750# springs. They do not have the 5-leaf design where the second leaf is longer, so these could have the same failure point.

TruRyde® 4 Leaf 25 1/4" Double Eye Trailer Leaf Spring with Bronze Bushings 1750 lbs. - SW4B-BR | Southwest Wheel®

SOUTHWEST WHEEL® Southwest Wheel® U-Bolt Kit for 5,200-7,000 lbs. 3" Trailer Axle - APUBR3BX | Southwest Wheel®

I remember reading where some Oliver owners were concerned with mounting heavier springs that were basically for 5200 LB axles.

Edited October 1, 2024 by jd1923
Added picture

[rich.dev]

@jd1923 John another option is the Dexter 2400lbs 4-leaf spring part# PR4, on special now for $49 

[mountainoliver]

That looks like a great deal. The two spares that I purchased from Dexter are made in china and all of the springs that they sell are made in china. Probably most if not all of the really inexpensive ones from Amazon are also made in china. Had I stumbled across this supplier with USA made springs of this capacity I would have purchased all four and just replaced them all. I’ll probably do that this winter whenever we get back home from our trip. I don’t have any complaints about the current spring capacity so I’ll stick with the 1750# springs.

[Joe and Janet Childers]

Another broken spring to report Curb side 2021 hull 588 LE 2.We were able to find a replacement at Nothern Tools to get us home. All springs will be replaced before our next trip 

[2008RN]

My Dexter leafs on the rear were flat towards the rear of the trailer. I ordered the Alcan springs.  I had problems with Alcan’s shackles. The first set they sent me the holes were oversized and the knurls on the bolts  just slid in. The second set were the right size, but they bent shackles when they punched the hole. The end of the bolts after being pressed in were about .230 out of alignment which makes assembly impossible. The Dexter shackles and bolts are .005 inch or less for alignment making assembly easy.

Alcan said they would let me know when they figured out how to produce shackles that would work and that was on Oct 15th. I’m still waiting. I put the original Dexter shackles back on and set hummi back on the ground. 
The bottom of the second leaf  to the ez-flex measures around .040 inch universally.  Way too close to take her for a spin. 

I've gotten busy with a small remodel job on a wall into the kitchen. I need to get it done for the new fridge to fit. Once I get the stove and fridge set up, I will shift back to the shackles, if Alcan has not came up with a solution, I will buy the metal and make my own, I have a buddy with a vertical mill. 

If / when Alcan replies back to me I will update you.

The 2000# Dexter leafs are starting to look a reasonable solution. I’m sure  I will be happy when I get this back on the road. glad I haven’t retired yet I’d be a little pissed to not have the trailer available for a couple of months.

[Geronimo John]

On 10/1/2024 at 12:45 AM, Mountainman198 said:

Look on the spring retainers. Mine was stamped there. Model PR4B is what came from the factory on my 2021 E2, 3,500lb axles, 4-leaf springs

A very easy swap is to just use the PR4 Dexters.  They are 2400 pound rated.  Perfect fit replacement for the PR4B the lighter 1750 rated ones.

Edited November 20, 2024 by Geronimo John

[Gliddenwoods]

13 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

A very easy swap is to just use the PR4 Dexters.  They are 2400 pound rated.  Perfect fit replacement for teh PR4B the lighter 1750 rated ones.

If I purchased the PR4 Dexters as travel backups, and I have a roadside trip break,  would they be a straightforward replacement install for a local garage? 

I have a 2022 Legacy II.

With the history of breaks that others have had I am really considering packing an emergency replacement for our next long trip. I assume I should order two.

Thanks.

[Geronimo John]

7 hours ago, Gliddenwoods said:

If I purchased the PR4 Dexter's as travel backups, and I have a roadside trip break,  would they be a straightforward replacement install for a local garage? 

I have a 2022 Legacy II.

With the history of breaks that others have had I am really considering packing an emergency replacement for our next long trip. I assume I should order two.

Roadside Spring Failure:  If I were in your shoes, I would make sure I had a jack and three each  2" X 6" X 11 inch blocks of wood.  Elevate the broken spring and slip the lumber between it and the frame.  Lower and maybe use a couple of band clamps or at least stout zip ties to secure.  Then travel carefully to a recommended shop.  At least one owner just drove there carefully.  That could be risky to your fiberglass wheel well area.  Hence my insurance blocks suggestion.

Local Garage:  It is an easy job with the right tools.  But not one that you would want to do on the side of the road or at a rest stop.  To your question, YES, a local garage will have floor jacks, hydraulic jack, jack stands, dead fall hammer and other tools to make it just a simple spring change.  It took me a couple of days working alone. 

What to Buy:  You will need four springs.  Be sure to also order out BRASS shackle bushings and "U" bolts with the springs.   For other owners with older trailers like our 2018 OE2, when doing the springs I also changed out the EZ Flex.  

Two Reminders: 

Your suspension has bolts that have splines on the shank on the bolt head end.  Make sure that these bolts are "backed-up" (as in fixed in place with a wrench) on the head end, and only then loosened from the nut end.  If you turn the bolt head you'll spin off the splines.  That has resulted in several owners experiencing the suspension bolts actually walking their bolts nuts off.  This is especially imperative for the EZ Center Bolt. 

Also, the Wet Bolts (Ones with a Zerk on them), have two grease discharge holes near the bolt's shank center.  This is where the zerked grease comes out of the bolt to lubricate the suspension.  These two holes are recommended to be at 9AM and 3PM.  This allows for easier greasing.  Be sure to back up these zerked bolt heads when tightening as mentioned above.

GJ

Edited November 21, 2024 by Geronimo John
typos

[Geronimo John]

PS to the above "Reminders":

Follow your spring MFG requirements on torques of the hardware.  Especially for the U-bolts.  For the U-bolts, they typically are to re-torque three times at specific mileage as  they stretch out.  Here is a sample of one MFG's requirements:    

     Always re-torque the newly installed U-bolts after 50 miles of driving.
    Then recheck after another 50 miles.
    Then again after 500 miles.

I checked mine again at 1500 miles and they were still good on torque.  It is my opinion that after the initial and then four more torque checks (Initial, 50, 50, 500 and 1500 miles), I am done with it.  I prefer not to adjust the U-bolt torques further as the bolts/nuts will have corroded a bit.  Breaking that connection in my minds eye would not be useful or needed.  

GJ

[dewdev]

22 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Roadside Spring Failure:  . 

What to Buy:  You will need four springs.  Be sure to also order out BRASS shackle bushings and "U" bolts with the springs.   For other owners with older trailers like our 2018 OE2, when doing the springs I also changed out the EZ Flex.  

 

GJ

@Geronimo John

Why would you replace the EZ Flex?

I would think when the springs are replaced the shocks should be replaced.

Edited November 21, 2024 by dewdev

[Geronimo John]

3 hours ago, dewdev said:

Why would you replace the EZ Flex?

I would think when the springs are replaced the shocks should be replaced.

Good questions.  Roger on doing the springs and shocks.   I did so myself as they were 6 seasons used.  That said, none of them were blown.  Amazingly considering other owners experience with them.

Why change the EZ Flex? I had several motivators.

A.  First, our first season with our OE2, the center bolt walked 95% out of the flange.  Only explanation that made sense for a brand new trailer was that during the assembly of the frame process, the center bolt of the EZ Flex had been spun from the head.  This caused some wear on the supporting arm bolt bores.

B.  So there certainly was debris in the lubricated channel.  Casting doubt.

C.  Over time, the seals on the unit leaked grease and when doing so cast further doubt about what condition the bearing surfaces.  Especially with heavy use and and lots of miles each summer. 

D.  So, the last thing I wanted to have was a road side break down from the EZ Flex when I could have done it with the shocks and springs. 

E.  Especially when it was so convenient to do so.

GJ

Edited November 21, 2024 by Geronimo John

[2008RN]

On 11/19/2024 at 5:55 PM, 2008RN said:

 

If / when Alcan replies back to me I will update you.

The 2000# Dexter leafs are starting to look a reasonable solution. I’m sure  I will be happy when I get this back on the road. glad I haven’t retired yet I’d be a little pissed to not have the trailer available for a couple of months.

Well, I finished my other projects, semi-retired and I was able to get back to the Shackles on the Oliver. I emailed Alcan around December 16, 2024 and the special die set for punching the shackles without bending them was on still on backorder.  So I canceled my order with them. Got some hot rolled low carbon steel, and purchased some Cobalt drills from drill bit warehouse. BTW, I have never used the cobalt drills before. Man are they nice.  Cut that hot roll like butter.  Never use them in a hand drill they can break easily. Only use something like a mill, Drill press, etc.  I only had a .002" variance in Center line on the holes and they assembled easily. 

I made my Shackles 2-5/8" on centers. The original shackles were 2-1/4". When I was replacing the the leaf springs originally, I found rub marks on all EZ-Flex arms where the original Dexter leafs had rubbed against the arm.  With the Original shackles and the new Alcan leafs I had .040 clearance between the 2nd leaf and the EZ-flex arm. The thickness of the individual leaf was about 3/8.  So I added 3/8" to the Hole to hole distance making them 2-5/8. THis set the distance close to what the original distance was on the Dexters.  This lowered the trailer back down by 3/16", The Alcans raised the height by 1/2" so a net gain of about 5/16" in height.

I also went back to the original Dexter Wet bolts. The reason I did this I was having problems getting grease pumped through the bushings with the wet (grease-able) shackle bolts from Alcan when torqued down to 60 Ft/#.  The Dexter bolts are shoulder bolts and the Alcan's are straight bolts.  The shoulder/wet bolts measured about .010-.015 wider then the shackles/leafs or hangers/leafs. So that meant that Dexter designed that .010-.015 of side to side slop so that grease could moved to all surfaces and the EZ-FLEX could move freely.  So I am using the Dexter Wet bolts.

I finished all of this before the end of the year.  I decided it was time to change all my coolant hoses on the truck before a cross country adventure, added larger heated mirrors with blinkers to the old F250 SD diesel, and did some other maintenance.  So I just got the Oliver out on dry pavement (that does happen often in the Pacific NW). I took her on a 105 mile trip. 45 miles was small curvy roads  and about 10 miles was rutted, sunken, patch road. The Oliver performed great. I could barely feel her / see her move, and she didn't rock around all over like before.

I did my Torques at 9, 45,68,105 mile points.  I will plan on torquing her again at 250, 500, 1000 mile marks.  I may also do more torques if there is any movement at the 1000 mile point.

I feel comfortable where I am at with the suspension.  I may go back in a 2-3 years when it is time to re-grease the axle bearings. At that time I will check bushings, wet bolt wear with the leafs and ez-flex.  The ex-flex bushings in the arms are not the thickest metal. and I will replace what is needed.

When I put the new leafs on I replaced all of the axle bearing with Timken bearings. I also had small spots of rust al over the 3" axle tubes and leaf plates.  So I sanded the tubes/plates and what I could of the Brake Backing plates, then coated with a Rust neutralized, primed and painted and coated with Cosmomline RP-342 after everything was reassembled. Hopefully this will stop/deter the rust.  I was disappointed that the tubes had a small amount of rust on it when we got the Oli at 9 months old.  We also frequent the Pacific NW beaches a lot so that did not help the rust increasing.

 

 

Edited January 25 by 2008RN

[topgun2]

Congratulations on the "semi-retirement" - the only thing better is the "full-retirement"!

The rest of your post is above my pay grade but it sounds like ya did good.

Bill

[Teaney Hull 292]

On 3/12/2024 at 9:09 PM, Mountainman198 said:

For example

 

That settles it. I’m getting those Alka leaf springs and taking my Armada and my Oliver on this course lol

[katanapilot]

Just a quick note on the use of twist drills - while they will cut through mild steel and do an adequate job, the use of an annular cutter is likely to yield better results.  As these cut only the outer "annulus" of the hole versus a twist bit that removes all of the material in the hole - they cut quicker and cleaner.  At least that has been my experience with them on several steel and aluminum projects.  The smaller sizes are not terribly expensive and have been a valuable part of my shop's tool collection for several years now.

One project I used them on was the replacement of the stock Bulldog coupler with the 2 5/16" size when we updated our Andersen hitch.

https://www.hougen.com/cutters/annular-cutter-kits/annular-cutter-kits.html

Edited 16 hours ago by katanapilot