Made in USA leaf springs

[Teaney Hull 292]

On 9/12/2025 at 12:55 PM, jd1923 said:

We moved back to our AZ home seven years ago after living for 12 years back and forth between two homes, where my tools were spread between the two and my truck. On Craig's I found large stand-up Snap-on toolbox and was lucky to find a huge, well made workbench setup that Adam and I disassembled to move and rebuilt it to fit a custom L-shaped layout around 2 stalls of our 3-car garage, the center stall being my workspace. I also found a used Tuff Shed for storage, so my garage would be solely an auto workshop, not junked up with storage items.

I installed other standing toolboxes and cabinets, enough room for a major 45-year collection of hand tools and spare parts. Then I emptied every hand-carry toolbox into the larger stationery toolboxes. During a winter cold-spell I spent days sorting our every box and package I hade with nuts & bolts, auto parts, electrical and plumbing parts. , etc. I bought a case of blue plastic single-gang electrical boxes (cheap effective storage bins) to hold all the small screws, nuts & bolts, nails, crimp parts..., drawers full of them in mounted file cabinets.

For years now to the present, I know where every tool and most spare parts are located. I return all tools to where they belong daily, unless I'm in the middle of a job I will continue the very next day. Spending considerable time in organizing your tools is well worth it. I get repairs done now in half the time, not having to hunt for parts and tools!

In getting ready to work, climbing under truck or trailer, I think a hard 5-10 minutes and collect part & tools needed in flat plastic trays that I lay on the ground where I'm working. The other thing I bring, since I/we will always forget something is my phone. With Chris' office just inside our home from the garage entrance, she's nearby and often happy to help. 😂 She'll come out to hand me a tool or two, knowing its easier for her to do so vs. what it takes me to get off a hard garage floor, and then climb down again. I do mean the word 'climb' as the downs and ups are not as easy as they used to be! 🤣

We all prefer to work preventive maintenance at home vs. getting stuck on the road. I have enough extras that I've assembled a small dedicated toolbox and a plastic parts box for the Oliver. They sit in the bottom of my large truck toolbox along with a 3/4" breaker bar, cheater bar and other long items. Proud to be keeping our truck and trailer in good maintenance so that these tools just sit ready, and have not been yet needed, 124 overnights in two years with our Oliver!

Hope to never need them, but I have what we need to change tires, bearings, leaf springs or do a truck repair, like replacing an alternator or water pump on the road. Now that we've upgraded to Alcan Leaf Springs, I just removed the spare set of 1750 LB springs from the TV. The Alcans are not going to fail in my lifetime, though I do have tools with to replace wet bolts/bushings or most anything else!

John, would love to know what parts you keep in that tool box. I’m on a 4 week run in our trailer and odds are, I’ll wish I had something that is needed. 

[Geronimo John]

On 9/19/2025 at 3:45 PM, Mike and Carol said:

We were at ALCAN this morning.  They do good work!

When getting the D52's does Alcan run the brake line in or along the outside of the axle?

Do they use "high dollar" water proof connections?

Do they check what wire gauge was used before connecting to the new 12" brakes?

GJ

[Mike and Carol]

9 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

When getting the D52's does Alcan run the brake line in or along the outside of the axle?

Do they use "high dollar" water proof connections?

Do they check what wire gauge was used before connecting to the new 12" brakes?

GJ

My understanding is that the axles come prewired with the brakes.  Like the smaller axles I assume that the brake wires are run inside.  During my torque sessions underneath the trailer with the new springs I didn’t see any wires run along the outside.  Mike

[2008RN]

12 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Do they check what wire gauge was used before connecting to the new 12" brakes?

I was trying to find specs on the brakes.  What I found is the it didn't matter if it was 12"  or 10"  brakes.  Dexter shows 12 gauge to run 2 or 4 brakes from the tongue of the trailer.  I do not think the dexter wires coming out of each of  10" brakes are 12 gauge the look more like 14 or 16 gauge.  Other places such as trailer shows 14 gauge to each brake.  

One 12 gauge from the tongue could easily  be split into 4 separate 14 gauge wires.   I just do not know how and where Oliver did this.  If there are problems I would say it was Oliver design problems and not Alcan upgrade.

Edited 15 hours ago by 2008RN

[John Dorrer]

4 hours ago, 2008RN said:

I was trying to find specs on the brakes.  What I found is the it didn't matter if it was 12"  or 10"  brakes.  Dexter shows 12 gauge to run 2 or 4 brakes from the tongue of the trailer.  I do not think the dexter wires coming out of each of  10" brakes are 12 gauge the look more like 14 or 16 gauge.  Other places such as trailer shows 14 gauge to each brake.  

One 12 gauge from the tongue could easily  be split into 4 separate 14 gauge wires.   I just do not know how and where Oliver did this.  If there are problems I would say it was Oliver design problems and not Alcan upgrade.

Dexter pre-wires the brake wires inside the axel. Oliver only connects their wiring to the Dexter wiring. 

[Geronimo John]

Thanks guys.  I sort of suspected as much.  But was wishing the other way.  

GJ

[Geronimo John]

11 hours ago, 2008RN said:

I was trying to find specs on the brakes.

I recall they are:

• D35 Axles have 10 X 2.5" shoes.
• D52 Axles have 12" X 2" shoe.
• Both magnets sets pull a nominal 3 amps each.
• Wiring per above is the same (Run thru the axle)

GJ