Made in USA leaf springs

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, ChristianD said:

I probably didn't need to replace those, but I wanted everything to be new and not have any wear and tear on them.

2 hours ago, Allen Lee Rohner said:

Thanks for the response,  I am also planning in doing the Alcan upgrade.

I believe you did right in replacing them You also have a good used full axle-spring assembly that could be sold locally to somebody building a lightweight homemade trailer for ATVs or whatever (I have my originals listed on Craigs).

Look at your picture above and you can see the center bushings on both Dexter EZ-Flex equalizers are off-center meaning the center bushing are worn enough to be cock-eyed! You can get the full EZ-Flex set, or I just purchased the equalizers since we went with the Alcan HD shackles and wet-bolts.

See more info here:

 

[TimD]

We replaced the OEM springs on our 2019 LE2 (hull 701) with Alcan HD springs a couple of weeks back.  Certified RV in Holliston, MA did the work and, other than having a drop link flip as we lowered the trailer off the jacks, the work was done without drama and to our satisfaction.

We then did a 650-mile round trip to the Lehigh Valley to meet up with some friends from Pittsburgh. I re-tightened the bolts after 300 miles and will check them again now that we're home. 

Not long after leaving home we felt the HD springs have caused a significant increase in "jounce" (pitch) of the TV, which is a 2019 F-150 SuperCrew, 145" WB, 5'7" bed, FX4 off-road suspension.  The TV bed was lightly loaded, perhaps 125 lbs total, with another 50 lbs in the cabin rear seat area.  The effect is that the rear of the TV is accelerated upwards when the Ollie hits a large bump, more than we remembered. 

Anyone else experience this?   Mechanically it makes sense:  the Ollie suspension is less compliant, so the hull moves more and transmits this motion to the TV.   Something to consider when changing springs...  Improved corrosion protection is one thing, increasing stiffness is an entirely different thing.

As a postscript, we recently spoke with a guy at a campground in Morrisville, VT who was pulling a 30' Airstream with a Ford Expedition (not a Max).  He insisted that bigger / heavier / more stiffly sprung tow vehicles were not obviously better and mentioned a Canadian YouTuber (name?  Too lazy to look) who espoused this view...

We did not change the axles nor replace the equalizers.

Tim

 

 

[Mountainman198]

9 hours ago, TimD said:

We replaced the OEM springs on our 2019 LE2 (hull 701) with Alcan HD springs a couple of weeks back.  Certified RV in Holliston, MA did the work and, other than having a drop link flip as we lowered the trailer off the jacks, the work was done without drama and to our satisfaction.

We then did a 650-mile round trip to the Lehigh Valley to meet up with some friends from Pittsburgh. I re-tightened the bolts after 300 miles and will check them again now that we're home. 

Not long after leaving home we felt the HD springs have caused a significant increase in "jounce" (pitch) of the TV, which is a 2019 F-150 SuperCrew, 145" WB, 5'7" bed, FX4 off-road suspension.  The TV bed was lightly loaded, perhaps 125 lbs total, with another 50 lbs in the cabin rear seat area.  The effect is that the rear of the TV is accelerated upwards when the Ollie hits a large bump, more than we remembered. 

Anyone else experience this?   Mechanically it makes sense:  the Ollie suspension is less compliant, so the hull moves more and transmits this motion to the TV.   Something to consider when changing springs...  Improved corrosion protection is one thing, increasing stiffness is an entirely different thing.

As a postscript, we recently spoke with a guy at a campground in Morrisville, VT who was pulling a 30' Airstream with a Ford Expedition (not a Max).  He insisted that bigger / heavier / more stiffly sprung tow vehicles were not obviously better and mentioned a Canadian YouTuber (name?  Too lazy to look) who espoused this view...

We did not change the axles nor replace the equalizers.

Tim

 

 

My new springs took about 1-2,000 miles to fully break-in, becoming more compliant and soften-up as newly formed steel and freshly painted mating surfaces get to know one another).  Hoping you will notice this too after getting a few more miles under your springs 

I noticed no additional jounce after the Alcan install but then again I had previously installed firestone airbags on the Tundra to address this issue experienced with stock dexter springs. 
 

What tire pressure are you running in your trailer tires?  50 psi seems good for me. Others like something within the 45-55 psi range. 
 

Happy travels!

[John and Debbie]

3 hours ago, Mountainman198 said:

My new springs took about 1-2,000 miles to fully break-in, becoming more compliant and soften-up as newly formed steel and freshly painted mating surfaces get to know one another).  Hoping you will notice this too after getting a few more miles under your springs 

I noticed no additional jounce after the Alcan install but then again I had previously installed firestone airbags on the Tundra to address this issue experienced with stock dexter springs. 
 

What tire pressure are you running in your trailer tires?  50 psi seems good for me. Others like something within the 45-55 psi range. 
 

Happy travels!

I noticed less bounce after about 1000 miles too with the Alcan springs confirmed with less movement of items in the trailer.  I did tighten the U bolts as recommended by Alcan at the intervals they recommended.  Very important to do.

John

[2008RN]

Mine was a night and day difference to the positive.  When I purchased the Oli she would roll about 4-5" to each side  going down a smooth interstate, and on some rough washboard roads the jouce  was so bad it was hard to handle the truck.  I had replaced shocks with bulldogs on the trailer and replaced the truck with  High end Bilstein  shocks all around and this made a some difference with side to side rolling and jouce  about a year  before doing the leaf upgrade .  When this thread came out, I checked my leaf springs and the rears were completely straight.  So  they were probably bowing backwards when hitting road imperfections.  

As @Mountainman198 suggested, after my first 50 mile dry run on the new leafs, I decided to lower tire pressure from 55 to 45, which is actually the suggest PSI by the tire manufacture for the weight  of the vehicle.

i have put 8,500 miles on the Oli this year,  and am happy with the upgrade. I did notice a difference in the ride softening  after around 1,500 miles or so. I try to stay off the interstate highways when possible.  I like going down the back roads at 55mph and see the sights along the way.  This also means the roads will be  a little rougher and less maintained in many cases. 

I'm also running a F250 Super duty XLT long box with  WB 172" that weighs 1500 lbs. more than the Oliver trailer fully loaded going down the road which may help.

Good luck,

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, 2008RN said:

Mine was a night and day difference to the positive.  When I purchased the Oli she would roll about 4-5" to each side  going down a smooth interstate, and on some rough washboard roads the jouce  was so bad it was hard to handle the truck.  I had replaced shocks with bulldogs on the trailer and replaced the truck with  High end Bilstein  shocks all around and this made a some difference with side to side rolling and jouce  about a year  before doing the leaf upgrade .  When this thread came out, I checked my leaf springs and the rears were completely straight.  So  they were probably bowing backwards when hitting road imperfections.  

As @Mountainman198 suggested, after my first 50 mile dry run on the new leafs, I decided to lower tire pressure from 55 to 45, which is actually the suggest PSI by the tire manufacture for the weight  of the vehicle.

i have put 8,500 miles on the Oli this year,  and am happy with the upgrade. I did notice a difference in the ride softening  after around 1,500 miles or so. I try to stay off the interstate highways when possible.  I like going down the back roads at 55mph and see the sights along the way.  This also means the roads will be  a little rougher and less maintained in many cases. 

I'm also running a F250 Super duty XLT long box with  WB 172" that weighs 1500 lbs. more than the Oliver trailer fully loaded going down the road which may help.

Good luck,

I don't have the miles yet, but agree with everything said here and Lance's post @Mountainman198, who was first and started this thread. However, the ride experienced could be different towing with a 1/2-ton truck like the F150 and I do believe the 5200 lb axles make a significant difference, providing a more solid suspension platform.

We had our first road-test yesterday. At home, I ran two 30-mile test drives and before leaving home, I torqued the U-bolts 4 times! We drove from home to Tuba City (180 miles) and I retorqued all U-bolts and wet-bolts. The U-bolts all took a 1/4-turn min to a full turn or so. The wet-bolts needed a bit more tightening since I had not re-torqued since installation.

380 miles yesterday to Delores CO and our rig TOWED LIKE A DREAM! It was like were were on rails! Also, I had just added an aftermarket exhaust brake, so I was in tow-heaven for sure! 😎

During one test drive, a full gallon water bottle and our kitchen garbage can that were under the dinette made it to the entrance door (carpet was removed for cleaning). Yesterday when we arrived, oddities noted were that a plastic dish tub in the kitchen sink ended up on the floor, and ALL of our clothes in the closet came off the closet rod (I'm going to run a bungee across the rod to keep the hangers in place). We had NO cabinets or drawers open (no added drawer straps either) and nothing else was out of order. Not bad at all.

I'm glad to hear that it should smooth out some after some miles. I would not trade back to the sloppy OEM axle and springs for anything, with the the trailer porpoising to and froe and waddling left-n-right like a fat duck. She sits solid now, and with new suspension, tires and fresh alignment on the truck, as I said, we were riding on rails! 😂

[TimD]

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences, we are hopeful.  We run the tires at 60 psi but will try lower pressures in the future.

 

Thanks

Tim

 

[katanapilot]

On 10/6/2025 at 1:10 PM, jd1923 said:

I don't have the miles yet, but agree with everything said here and Lance's post @Mountainman198, who was first and started this thread. However, the ride experienced could be different towing with a 1/2-ton truck like the F150 and I do believe the 5200 lb axles make a significant difference, providing a more solid suspension platform.

We had our first road-test yesterday. At home, I ran two 30-mile test drives and before leaving home, I torqued the U-bolts 4 times! We drove from home to Tuba City (180 miles) and I retorqued all U-bolts and wet-bolts. The U-bolts all took a 1/4-turn min to a full turn or so. The wet-bolts needed a bit more tightening since I had not re-torqued since installation.

380 miles yesterday to Delores CO and our rig TOWED LIKE A DREAM! It was like were were on rails! Also, I had just added an aftermarket exhaust brake, so I was in tow-heaven for sure! 😎

During one test drive, a full gallon water bottle and our kitchen garbage can that were under the dinette made it to the entrance door (carpet was removed for cleaning). Yesterday when we arrived, oddities noted were that a plastic dish tub in the kitchen sink ended up on the floor, and ALL of our clothes in the closet came off the closet rod (I'm going to run a bungee across the rod to keep the hangers in place). We had NO cabinets or drawers open (no added drawer straps either) and nothing else was out of order. Not bad at all.

I'm glad to hear that it should smooth out some after some miles. I would not trade back to the sloppy OEM axle and springs for anything, with the the trailer porpoising to and froe and waddling left-n-right like a fat duck. She sits solid now, and with new suspension, tires and fresh alignment on the truck, as I said, we were riding on rails! 😂

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I think you are oversprung with the 5 leaf springs and it sounds like the ride in the Oliver is pretty punishing.  I would be curious to see some accelerometer data to understand better how stiff that suspension really is.  

Of course, this is just one person's opinion, worth exactly nothing... 

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, katanapilot said:

I'm going to go against the grain here and say that I think you are oversprung with the 5 leaf springs and it sounds like the ride in the Oliver is pretty punishing.

“Punishing” might be overstated, but somewhat over-sprung, I’d agree. We had other interior items go astray with the lame OEM under-sprung suspension.

Much better now without the porpoising and waddling, the dozens of broken leaf springs reported by others fixed on roadside, one recent $1800 tow, etc.

Personally, I’ll take better towing/handling on the road vs. worry about bounce in the trailer. But I’m A-typical in that my feeling is the Oliver is a trailer, a tool with a purpose, not a baby to care for in that way. By maintenance time next summer, I’ll report if there are any tru resulting issues.

A slightly lighter gauge 5-leaf spring rated at 2200 vs. 2750 lbs would be great l, but not available! 4-leaf springs, not going there again, IMHO a failed design.

[katanapilot]

11 hours ago, jd1923 said:

A slightly lighter gauge 5-leaf spring rated at 2200 vs. 2750 lbs would be great l, but not available! 4-leaf springs, not going there again, IMHO a failed design.

I think that's exactly what the Alcan 4-leaf springs are rated at...

[DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI]

14 hours ago, jd1923 said:

A slightly lighter gauge 5-leaf spring rated at 2200 vs. 2750 lbs would be great l, but not available! 4-leaf springs, not going there again, IMHO a failed design.

We plan to do this upgrade with Alcan in early 2026 when we head southwest from Michigan. I know a small percentage of those upgrading have gone with the 4 leaf option. I am on the fence and appreciate hearing real-world experience with the 5 leaf option.

[jd1923]

22 minutes ago, DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI said:

We plan to do this upgrade with Alcan in early 2026 when we head southwest from Michigan. I know a small percentage of those upgrading have gone with the 4 leaf option. I am on the fence and appreciate hearing real-world experience with the 5 leaf option.

I just posted my feedback and going back on this 33-page thread, there are a dozen others. What we have not heard, unless I missed one, is any feedback from those who have purchased an Alcan 4-leaf set.

[jd1923]

19 hours ago, TimD said:

Thanks to everyone for sharing their experiences, we are hopeful.  We run the tires at 60 psi but will try lower pressures in the future. Thanks Tim

This has been discussed and posted many times (and 3rd time I posted this picture).

Everybody should download a table like this for your tire make/model/load range (E) and size, however the numbers are basically the same across manufacturers, but vary greatly by tire Load Range (# tire ply) and SIZE.

This table is for the tires we have on our Oliver, but should be good for any Load Range E size 225/75R16 tire. Running 4 tires at 60 PSI will safely support a trailer up to 9,740 lbs. Running as low as 40 PSI is enough for a 7K trailer (7,180 lbs).

Before travel, I'll check pressure on all 4 trailer tires (the truck too of course). If the Oliver tires are all within 42-46 PSI, I'll level them off to the lowest common denominator (easier to let out air than to fill). Less than 42, more than 46, I'll make them all very close to 45 PSI, providing a 10% margin over the required PSI for the GTWR (more margin for reaction time to TPMS, not a good idea).

The tandem-axle trailer design with the center equalizer of the EZ Flex system, allows the leaf springs, one axle at a time, to have a longer span length to absorb bumps, or shorter to absorb dips. Better to hit a speed bump, bridge seam, pothole with stiffer springs vs. higher PSI tires! The years that OTT recommended 80 PSI (65 or 55), I promise you "punished" the Oliver build much more than Alcan HD springs! 🤣 

[John and Debbie]

1 hour ago, DaveAndBecky_NorthernMI said:

We plan to do this upgrade with Alcan in early 2026 when we head southwest from Michigan. I know a small percentage of those upgrading have gone with the 4 leaf option. I am on the fence and appreciate hearing real-world experience with the 5 leaf option.

We had the five leaf Alcan springs installed in Grand Junction last May.  They're a bit stiff for the first 1000 miles or so judging by what fell onto the floor of the trailer, but after that, they work great.  Lew at Alcan can maybe assure you of what to expect with them.  We kept the tire pressure the same at about 50 psi before and after.  He said the four leaf springs are designed to fail at the shear point about three inches from the eye.  We now have about 2500 miles on these springs and it tows like it's on rails and is very stable.  I have no regrets.

John

[Galway Girl]

Just learned from Lew that Oliver is testing 4 spring 2250lb rated springs for 2026 model year. 
 

 

Edited October 8 by Galway Girl

[katanapilot]

1 hour ago, Galway Girl said:

Just learned from Lew that Oliver is testing 4 spring 2250lb rated springs for 2026 model year. 

Not surprised, really. 

As to feedback from one of us that have the 4 leaf Alcan springs - did a two thousand mile trek to Oshkosh and back in late July plus a recent trip to South Carolina and back last week (about 300 miles round trip).  No issues and really no difference noted in handling from the previous Dexter OEM springs. Tire pressure reduced from 50 psi to 45 psi. Single data point doesn't prove or disprove anything. 

[jd1923]

5 hours ago, katanapilot said:

… really no difference noted in handling from the previous Dexter OEM springs.

Maybe you didn’t mean this exactly as written!

Thank goodness $3500 invested into D52 axles, Alcan Springs and all new HD suspension parts plus my labor, that I did not come away with, “no difference noted in handling!” 🤣

Drove an hour today from Delores to Durango CO, on the beautiful mountain roads through Mancos CO, so nice!

On purpose at highway speeds, I would quickly cock the steering, while looking in the sideview mirror. I could see the Oliver slightly tilt one direction and smoothly return. On the Dexter springs, the same action would cause a full foot of sway left to right, starting a pendulum effect! Now I can descend a mountain road and where it has a 45 MPH turn warning sign, I can drive the speed limit and the Oliver stays level to the truck. OEM suspension, I would take the turn at 35 or the Oliver would be leaning too far outwards!

Glad to read some Alcan 4-leaf feedback! I’m sure they’re a reliable upgrade. Glad to read OTT is working with Alcan! 😎

And like you wrote, my friend, just one data point. I mean it too!

Edited October 9 by jd1923

[Galway Girl]

Just had Alcan redo our Hull 505 with new springs.

Here's a video showing how they make the springs...starting at 1:14 mark for about 2 minutes.

 

 

[Mountainman198]

22 minutes ago, Galway Girl said:

Just had Alcan redo our Hull 505 with new springs.

Here's a video showing how they make the springs...starting at 1:14 mark for about 2 minutes.

 

 

Thanks for posting. One thing Lew mentions in the video which we have not yet touched on in this thread is that mass-produced springs often have gaps between leafs which can lead to failure. Attached is a pic I took of a nearly-new Dexter PR4 (2,400 lb) spring which I installed (in a pair) on my rear axle to limp home a year ago after experiencing a broken stock spring. This PR4 only has 125 miles on it so I consider it to be like new. Notice the daylight showing between the leafs. Not good testament to Dexter build quality and a potential for failure down the road. Something to check during annual inspection. 

[Galway Girl]

I've also written a BLOG post for the Alcan Experience:

The Alcan Experience

Craig 

[jd1923]

Want to try out, test those new springs? Just tow your Oliver through New Mexico! As soon as you cross the state line you see the difference in poor road maintenance!

We hit DOZENs of heaves on the state highways, heading south to Gallup. Twice it was so bad, I could hear my front tires chirp as they got air while I’m on the brakes! And I was being careful, driving 10 under the limit!

Everything in the Oliver was just fine! The Oliver on Alcan Springs traversed the heaves better than my HD truck! Maybe upgrading to Alcan Springs is like trading in your 1/2-ton for a 3/4-ton truck! 🤣

Edited October 10 by jd1923

[taylor.coyote]

As prior mentioned, we had a broken spring. we replaced with same version as the old springs at the time. Our Alcan springs should arrive in the next day or two. We accounted the axles size (don't recall for sure but i think they are (3"??)  and u bolts size (1/2") when ordering the parts. 

I was reviewing the thread about springs and came across some trailers were made with the smaller trailer 5,200 lbs running gear in 2015. Our trailer was made in 2016 (hull #124). I believe we have 3,500 lb axles.  How can I confirm we have 3,500 lb axles? 

[jd1923]

1 hour ago, taylor.coyote said:

How can I confirm we have 3,500 lb axles?

Simple answer is to get under your trailer and take a picture of your axle label. If it states D35 then 3500 lbs or D52 for 5200.

If no label, look at the back of the braking plates for the drums/wheels. If you see the heads of a 4-bolt pattern, you have 3500 lb axles and if it's a 5-bolt pattern then 5200 lb axles.

I purchased and self-installed Alcan HD springs (including their HD shackles and wet-bolts), Dexter D52 axles and new Dexter EZ Flex equalizers. Given your considering this important investment you may want to read through my thread, even if you plan to have the installation done by Alcan or others. Also read through the first few pages of this long thread (but after a few pages it gets repetitive)! 🤣

 

[taylor.coyote]

thank you this is great information..

[jd1923]

15 minutes ago, taylor.coyote said:

thank you this is great information..

You’re welcome! Why many of us are here.

You know with your hull #124, you’re in a good group of fine ol’ 2016 hulls, soon reaching our 10-year anniversaries! Our #113 was being built this time of year in 2015 (can tell from the dates I’ve seen on parts in the basement).

It was Bill, @topgun2 hull #117, who wrote me 2+ years ago, just after our purchase, that our hulls are “cousins!” And there’s @Mike and Carol with #135, and I’m sure I’m missing others.

Literally TONS of experience in this group! These older hulls have nicely matured, and are reliable in their lifelong experiences! 😎

Good to hear from you cousin! Good to know you’re fixing up the old girl!