Made in USA leaf springs

[jd1923]

15 minutes ago, DanielBoondock said:

I have D52s rated 3500, the guy at Alcan claimed these were somewhat different than D52s rated 5200 - the brakes when I questioned him. Not sure I believe it.

Not, something miscommunicated! Your D52 axles are labeled 3500 only due to the OEM installation of 1750 LB springs. They are the same D52 axles. With an Alcan upgrade you’ll have a 10K LB suspension, but 3500 axle labels and 7,000 GVWR legally per the DOT sticker on the body.

[jd1923]

Awesome, now 37 pages in a dead heat with “Where’s Ollie!” 🤣

[DanielBoondock]

10 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Not, something miscommunicated! Your D52 axles are labeled 3500 only due to the OEM installation of 1750 LB springs. They are the same D52 axles. With an Alcan upgrade you’ll have a 10K LB suspension, but 3500 axle labels and 7,000 GVWR legally per the DOT sticker on the body.

He seemed unsure about it when I pushed on the point. I think he was thinking about the difference between a true D35 and D52. It would be very unusual for Dexter to gimp the brakes specially I think as it would complicate inventory. Easier/cheaper to take a stock D52, ship it with the stock 1750’s and just print a new label. 

OK so with this new 2026 axels I’ve got, I’m having them just upgrade the springs, and I’m bringing Bulldogs with me to replace the stock shocks. They mentioned D rings, those will get replaced it sounds like, but the EZ flex and the rest of it will get reused as-is

[Tideline77]

On 6/3/2026 at 6:21 PM, jd1923 said:

Wow, all day long and no replies here on our 36-page Alcan thread! 🤣

Robert, you have a newer hull, so I assume you have D52 axles. Those with D35 axles should upgrade at the same time (my build thread below). You want to install everything NEW; D52 axles, Alcan 5-pack leaf springs, a new EZ Flex kit and new shocks.

I had installed new shocks the year before, so after they tested good, I reinstalled them. I wish somebody would come up with a HD replacement shock (I've looked)! The Bulldog shocks are likely better than the OEM Monroe 555001 shocks, but they are both light duty shocks designed for 1750 LB springs. I wonder if the Oliver would tow any different without these shocks, given the HD Alcan springs. I'd like new HD shocks with similar min/max length specs but heavier, larger diameter shaft, piston and casing.

Do differently? I would purchase the full Dexter EZ-Flex kit with HD shackles and wet bolts. I purchased the wet bolts from Alcan and new EZ-Flex center links only. I do love Alcan Springs, but their shackles and wet bolts are not splined so do slip, so not as good as the Dexter wet-bolts that come with the EZ Flex kit. Another route would be to look at a MORryde substitute for the entire EZ Flex kit. That's all I see, more info here =>

 

Thank you for this detailed information 

we are roaming around Colorado and I was thinking about contacting Alcan to check on appointment availability for the upgrade.

Maybe we will just pick up the springs and haul them home to complete the job after we gather all the other parts , shocks, EZ Flex, Shackle U Bolts and wet bolts 

 

Thanks a million

 

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Tideline77 said:

Thank you for this detailed information 

we are roaming around Colorado and I was thinking about contacting Alcan to check on appointment availability for the upgrade.

Maybe we will just pick up the springs and haul them home to complete the job after we gather all the other parts , shocks, EZ Flex, Shackle U Bolts and wet bolts 

Thanks a million

You're welcome, Robert. That's great that you are in Colorado! You should definitely visit Alcan like I did on our trip, purchase parts at a minimum, get the Alcan Leaf Springs and get their U-bolts also to mount the springs.

Your Oliver is a 2022, mine a 2016 needed everything. I'm assuming you have the HD EZ Flex kit installed from new. For example, if you have towed 50K miles in 4 years, your EZ Flex equalizers are likely shot. There is a section in my post about the equalizers. They wear cock-eyed inherent to their design. If your mileage in 4 years is much lower say 20K miles, they may be OK to be reused.

Shocks don't matter much. If you had Alcan work the spring install, you could ask them to test the shocks. If bad they could replace them if available, or just reinstall them as-is and you could DIY new shocks at anytime, a simple task.

Many on this forum and elsewhere are adamant about the wet-bolts installed in a certain 3 or 9 o'clock position. I'm not sure that matters, I worry less about some things. Since the Alcan wet-bolts were not splined, I just mounted ours in random positions. When I grease, I usually get one Zerk per side that will not take grease (yes wheels and load OFF). I just loosen that bolt, give it a 1/4 turn, apply grease and retorque.

To date, only one Oliver owner had issue with the Alcan shackles, where they got buggered with use. The same owner went with an extremely light torque setting, hence the damage. No other complaints from what, 200 Oliver owners with Alcan Springs!

If you believe in the 3-9 positioning get a HD splined set instead. I also thought afterwards, I could have bought the full HD EZ Flex set saving money. If needed when there, purchasing Alcan wet-bolts would be fine. One thing I can tell you is they will reuse everything good and are not the kind of outfit to upsell their customers.

Another thing I would have done differently? If Alcan had in stock the axles I needed, in hindsight, I would have had them do the whole job when I was there. They charged others a very reasonable $600 for labor, and got the job done in a half day. I enjoy DIY on my vehicles, always pay for parts only, dislike paying for contract labor! But to install axles and springs was a long hard job for one old guy at home (my son helped when asked), pacing myself I spent a few days!

They certainly would have fit me in vs. allowing me to drive off that day! They measured our Oliver and spent so much time with me. Our Oliver is one of the few with the 50" axles, while Alcan had a whole pallet of 50.50" axles for their Oliver customers. My axles had to be custom ordered, so having them do the work while we were in CO was not in the cards.

You have a lot to consider. I suggest you keep the installation option open. Call them and talk to Lew or Tim. Let us know how it turns out for you! 

Edited Sunday at 04:40 PM by jd1923

[DanielBoondock]

On the Bulldog shocks Alcan didn’t want to order them (I got the feeling like they’re just about the leaf springs and didn’t want to be bothered), so I did so from advice on this thread from 4trucks. Note they don’t carry them in stock but have to come from a warehouse which adds delay, it was maybe a month all told to get them. 

[jd1923]

22 hours ago, DanielBoondock said:

On the Bulldog shocks Alcan didn’t want to order them (I got the feeling like they’re just about the leaf springs and didn’t want to be bothered), so I did so from advice on this thread from 4trucks. Note they don’t carry them in stock but have to come from a warehouse which adds delay, it was maybe a month all told to get them. 

Alcan is a Dexter authorized reseller which is mainstream in the trailer business. It's a lot of work to become a reseller, just to sell a few parts. They might have accounts with mainstream shock companies, Monroe, KYB, Bilstein, and whatever the 4x4 Jeep guys use in Colorado!

Why install new shocks on your Oliver? You only have a few months and maybe 2K miles on the Monroes. I purchased new Monroe 555001 shocks in 2023 when I first serviced my suspension. They were bad, 3 of 4 shock were blown. I would have tried Bulldogs, but we had not heard of them back then. I replaced axles and leaf springs two years later and all 4 Monroe shocks tested good, so I remounted them. IMO, they're not mission critical anyway.

Edited 18 hours ago by jd1923

[DanielBoondock]

2 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Why install new shocks on your Oliver? You only have a few months and maybe 2K miles on the Monroes.

4k and soon to be 6k. But why? Why not? They’re redoing the suspension so it’s certainly the right time for it. Plus those Bulldogs look so much more coooooooollllllll 🙂

The bigger thing is I largely went with Oliver because I just don’t want to deal with problems. I’m a retiring engineer dammit, I don’t need to keep fixing bad designs and issues! 😅I could get some more milage out of this suspension but if I believe that it is undersized then there’s no reason to wait …

FWIW here’s what Google thinks about the two, but granted we (or at least I) don’t know what if any differences there are with Bulldogs HD and these light duty trailer shocks

Quote

Bulldog shocks (typically Bulldog HD) are engineered as an ultra-premium, heavy-duty upgrade over standard aftermarket replacements like Monroe. They are designed to withstand the extreme demands of commercial trucking fleets and heavy-duty vehicles, outperforming standard options in durability, internal sealing, and structural integrity. [1, 2]

Key advantages of Bulldog shocks over standard Monroe models include:

Superior Durability: Backed by an impressive 2-year, 200,000 to 250,000-mile warranty, whereas standard light-duty Monroes may fade or require replacement sooner in heavy-duty applications. [1, 2, 3]

Enhanced Sealing: Bulldog utilizes a double-lip Viton OE-style seal that drastically reduces oil misting and internal leaks compared to standard seals. [1, 2]

Rugged Construction: They feature 40% thicker inner cylinder walls, hardened polished chrome piston rods, and cold-forged steel eye-rings with 360-degree robotic welds to eliminate cracking and splitting.[1, 2]

Proprietary Bushings: Built with a specialized rubber formulation using less filler, preventing premature cracking and failure seen in standard aftermarket options. [1, 2]

Advanced Oil & Nitrogen: The internal oil can withstand extreme temperature ranges (-$30°F to well over 200°F), and the shocks are nitrogen-charged to completely eliminate performance fade. [1]

Bulldog focuses explicitly on addressing the common points of failure that commercial operators experience with general-purpose shocks

 

Edited 15 hours ago by DanielBoondock

[ScubaRx]

On 6/3/2026 at 9:04 PM, DanielBoondock said:

I have D52s rated 3500, the guy at Alcan claimed these were somewhat different than D52s rated 5200 - the brakes when I questioned him. Not sure I believe it.

It's true. The Dexter axles supplied to Oliver are D52's that are derated to 3500 pounds because they are supplied with the same ole 4 leaf spring pack as always. I.E. the ones that fail. I believe you are correct that the axle itself is the same in both. Did your D52 axles come with 12-inch brake drums?

[jd1923]

2 hours ago, DanielBoondock said:

Why not? They’re redoing the suspension so it’s certainly the right time for it. Plus those Bulldogs look so much more coooooooollllllll 🙂

Yeah, reason enough. They certainly do look better, and the Google search assistant sure found all the good marketing copy.

I'd like to know how shocks are rated technically. If I had one of each brand new, I'd push them on a scale and see the force in LBS it takes to compress the shock! Not sure that is a valid test but could see relative difference.

What I found on our hull, same Monroe shocks before and after the Alcan Springs upgrade is the hull used to waddle like a duck and would porpoise (without the WDH) on the 1750 springs. Switch to Alcan 2750 LB leaf springs, same Monroe shocks, and there is barely any movement in any direction. I'd bet I can take the shocks off and it wouldn't matter, because the leaf springs have much less movement. I also believe the top-heavy E2 sways so much with the 1750s, t causes the shock failures (and spring failures for that matter).

I have a 7K dual-axle flatbed trailer at home. It was designed with no shocks. I load a SxS and dirt bikes on it. It doesn't move around at all since it has a low center of gravity. It has 1750s but loaded weight is only about +/- 4K LBS.

These came off our Oliver after we got it in 2023, yeah UGLY! 🤣 They used to be yellow years ago. At least they were MADE IN U.S.A. I'll order Bulldogs when the Monroes fail, unless there's something better when needed.

[DanielBoondock]

9 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Yeah, reason enough. They certainly do look better, and the Google search assistant sure found all the good marketing copy.

Agree, not sure how much I believe the hype. Shocks have a simple job, have been around forever, hard to believe it can be improved that much. Anyhow at $40 each its a cheap upgrade

Quote

What I found on our hull, same Monroe shocks before and after the Alcan Springs upgrade is the hull used to waddle like a duck and would porpoise (without the WDH) on the 1750 springs. Switch to Alcan 2750 LB leaf springs, same Monroe shocks, and there is barely any movement in any direction. I'd bet I can take the shocks off and it wouldn't matter, because the leaf springs have much less movement. I also believe the top-heavy E2 sways so much with the 1750s, t causes the shock failures (and spring failures for that matter).

Good to hear. I get a little (non problematic) side waddle. It’s the porpoising thats annoying, if that goes away I’ll be happy. 

[DanielBoondock]

10 hours ago, ScubaRx said:

It's true. The Dexter axles supplied to Oliver are D52's that are derated to 3500 pounds because they are supplied with the same ole 4 leaf spring pack as always. I.E. the ones that fail. I believe you are correct that the axle itself is the same in both. Did your D52 axles come with 12-inch brake drums?

Dunno, what do you think? 

 

[jd1923]

49 minutes ago, DanielBoondock said:

Good to hear. I get a little (non problematic) side waddle. It’s the porpoising thats annoying, if that goes away I’ll be happy. 

The waddling will occur with the 1750s every time you hit uneven pavement, like driving up the apron to a service station or taking a bridge seam or RR tracks on an angle.

43 minutes ago, DanielBoondock said:

Dunno, what do you think?

I've heard all 2026 have D52s and if the label states such it should be so. To be sure, you cannot tell from the front picture, since OTT used a 6-stud bolt pattern on all (5-stud is standard for 3500 axles). You must get under the trailer, look at the back of the brake backing plate. If you see on the back 5 studs in a pentagon shape, they're 5200 LB axles. The 3500s with 10" brakes have 4 mounting studs in a square pattern.