Made in USA leaf springs

[jd1923]

Use the load/pressure chart published for your specific make, model and tire size:

[jd1923]

8 hours ago, hobo said:

I specifically asked Mike about simply swapping out our cheap, Chinese produced Dexter 4 spring set with a quality 4 spring set that they produce.  He highly recommended going with the five spring set. In his opinion, the 3500 springs used by Dexter are inadequate for our trailers.  That's good enough for me.

I had asked about their 4 spring set as by yesterday (Friday) morning (the morning after Mountainman198) had posted the vendor source note, they had already sold out of the last 3 remaining stock of 5 spring sets to other Oliver owners.

I was the first call Friday morning and he advised they were producing more next week (11-15 March) but wouldn't ship until NLT than Friday the 15th.  Well we're departing on the 22nd of March for a six week trip and that schedule was almost a guarantee that at best, I might receive the shipped springs in time  for the trip but wouldn't have time to install them. I of course would order them and have them with me just in case. So I locked in my order at 0700 yesterday morning.

When I talked to Mike later yesterday he said based on my somewhat immediate need, he discussed with his production folks and they said they could have a set produced for me by next Wednesday (vice Friday) and they would be shipped that day.  That's GREAT customer service.

He also mentioned to me to me that in the time between having talked to him in the morning (0700), and when I called back at around 2PM, he had sold five more sets to Oliver trailer owners.  He said "You Oliver trailer owners are a really tight knit group".  He actually was so impressed, he went on line and investigated Oliver Travel Trailers.

I have my RV mechanic on standby to replace my springs once they are received...

Paul & Donna (2 HOBOS) hull 414 (last trailer produced in 2018)

I thought there would be a run on these as soon as ALCAN contact info was posted! Great to hear they are going to rush one for you. Smart to have your mechanic scheduled too!

I'll get a set at some point. I'm fully convinced on the 5-leaf 2000 LB rating now. If mine looked like they were starting to sag, I would have ordered yesterday too. But considering after tax and shipping these would be, what about a $900 outlay? I need to do this later since we can. We're not heading to Alaska anytime soon!

To do this right, it may make sense to buy 5200 LB axles, with the best hub/bearing/brake set possible and mount new axles on these springs, given our hull is now 8 years old. Likely be close to $2K total on this idea. Should not have spent $200 on new Timken bearings just 6 months ago, if I knew then what I know now!

Edited March 9 by jd1923
Added last paragraph

[Geronimo John]

23 hours ago, jd1923 said:

Looking at the cross-section of the steel in the leaf that had failed, it does not look to have been hardened properly.

Yes, I came to that same conclusion earlier as well.   Combine that with being overloaded would make the failures far more commonplace.

GJ

[Geronimo John]

1 hour ago, jd1923 said:

Use the load/pressure chart published for your specific make, model and tire size:

So, if we have a 6,000 pound trailer, with four tires and a 10% tongue weight, each of our tires will be supporting 1,350 pounds. The chart shows a minimum recommended load of 1585 pounds.

So basically it appears that we are not on the chart....  

GJ

Edited March 9 by Geronimo John

[Geronimo John]

On 3/9/2024 at 12:50 PM, Geronimo John said:

each of our tires will be supporting 1,350 pounds

One needs to ask, why would a spring set rated for 2,000 pounds fail with just a 1,350 pound load?  In light of the heat treatment photo, this clearly is a defective product and we have almost a dozen instances where the Dexter provided axles have failed.  This is a life safety issue that OTT would be in the best position to pursue with their supplier.  

Not to mention, as I suggested above, OTT should be warning their customers of this known issue.  Keep in mind that not all OTT owners read every thread.  We all would feel terrible if one of our beloved trailers went off a cliff and took out a family due to this defect.  

MODERATORS:  I am asking that you:

• Make OTT aware of this issue and the frequency for which it appears to have occurred.   
• Strongly suggest that they provide all owners with a Safety Bulletin.  And to specially ask owners that have had failed springs to notify them for documentation and further actions with their supplier.
• Once they have the facts from owners with defective axles, to formally advise Dexter of this issue.   

GJ

Edited March 11 by Geronimo John
typo

[mountainoliver]

I noticed in the photos of the new springs that they have the center bolt installed in the opposite direction as the original springs have. I think that the round bolt head should be at the top side of the spring so that it can fit into the locating hole in the spring perch that’s welded to the axle. The hex nut will not fit in the location hole. It’s not a big deal, you can turn the bolt around but you’ll need two strong C clamps to hold the springs together before you try to loosen the bolt. I’ve done this before while restoring old cars and rebuilding the springs. Probably the manufacturer should be notified when an order is placed to install the bolt for the axle mounted on top of the springs not under the springs. I’m guessing that they are used to axles being mounted under the springs on jeeps etc. for more ground clearance.

[Mountainman198]

8 minutes ago, mountainoliver said:

I noticed in the photos of the new springs that they have the center bolt installed in the opposite direction as the original springs have. I think that the round bolt head should be at the top side of the spring so that it can fit into the locating hole in the spring perch that’s welded to the axle. The hex nut will not fit in the location hole. It’s not a big deal, you can turn the bolt around but you’ll need two strong C clamps to hold the springs together before you try to loosen the bolt. I’ve done this before while restoring old cars and rebuilding the springs. Probably the manufacturer should be notified when an order is placed to install the bolt for the axle mounted on top of the springs not under the springs. I’m guessing that they are used to axles being mounted under the springs on jeeps etc. for more ground clearance.

Good catch.  You are correct that the springs I have appear to be set up for Spring Over Axle rather than Spring Under Axle.  Thanks for alerting us to this.  Agree not a big deal, just another step which could be resolved on their end during assembly via a request at order time.

[Geronimo John]

19 minutes ago, mountainoliver said:

I noticed in the photos of the new springs that they have the center bolt installed in the opposite direction as the original springs have.

Good catch.  A good example of why letting the first install with a few miles take place before opening up the flood gates.

I would prefer to use a bench vice and two strong C-clamps.  Belt and suspenders with one of them (The bench Vice) for sure not going anywhere.... just in case.

GJ

Edited March 9 by Geronimo John

[Geronimo John]

Shifting focus on the topic: 

When the spring fails, does the tire or broken spring get into the wheel well fiberglass?

Would the answer to the above be different if we were on a fire road with big bumps up/down?

GJ

[Mountainman198]

8 minutes ago, Geronimo John said:

Shifting focus on the topic: 

When the spring fails, does the tire or broken spring get into the wheel well fiberglass?

Would the answer to the above be different if we were on a fire road with big bumps up/down?

GJ

not in my situation.  The ubolts rested on the steel carrier which is bolted to the frame.  I could still place my fingers between the tires and the fiberglass flares on both sides.  Note:  it was my LR spring that failed.  Might be different spacing for front failure?

[John Dorrer]

11 hours ago, hobo said:

OK, a little more information provided by "Mike" at ALCAN relative to a four spring setup vs the five spring setup.

I specifically asked Mike about simply swapping out our cheap, Chinese produced Dexter 4 spring set with a quality 4 spring set that they produce.  He highly recommended going with the five spring set. In his opinion, the 3500 springs used by Dexter are inadequate for our trailers.  That's good enough for me.

I had asked about their 4 spring set as by yesterday (Friday) morning (the morning after Mountainman198) had posted the vendor source note, they had already sold out of the last 3 remaining stock of 5 spring sets to other Oliver owners.

I was the first call Friday morning and he advised they were producing more next week (11-15 March) but wouldn't ship until NLT than Friday the 15th.  Well we're departing on the 22nd of March for a six week trip and that schedule was almost a guarantee that at best, I might receive the shipped springs in time  for the trip but wouldn't have time to install them. I of course would order them and have them with me just in case. So I locked in my order at 0700 yesterday morning.

When I talked to Mike later yesterday he said based on my somewhat immediate need, he discussed with his production folks and they said they could have a set produced for me by next Wednesday (vice Friday) and they would be shipped that day.  That's GREAT customer service.

He also mentioned to me to me that in the time between having talked to him in the morning (0700), and when I called back at around 2PM, he had sold five more sets to Oliver trailer owners.  He said "You Oliver trailer owners are a really tight knit group".  He actually was so impressed, he went on line and investigated Oliver Travel Trailers.

I have my RV mechanic on standby to replace my springs once they are received.  He's having me bring in my trailer once I get the "shipped" notice so that it's already there in his shop the moment the springs arrive.  To that end, my new springs should be installed before our departure on Friday, 22 March.

I'll report back my findings once installed.

Thanks again to Mountainman198 for all his efforts.

Paul & Donna (2 HOBOS) hull 414 (last trailer produced in 2018)

 

I must be blind, but I can't find contact info for Alcan. Can you share that?

[rich.dev]

4 minutes ago, John Dorrer said:

I must be blind, but I can't find contact info for Alcan. Can you share that?

 

[Wayfinder]

I guess I'll check my springs tomorrow when it's dry out. I'm not sure how "good" my 2016 #110 springs are.  I still need to install my EZ-Flex suspension kit I have sitting in the box.  Need to pick up a new grease gun too.  Great info on this thread.  Thanks for sharing.

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

So, if we have a 6,000 pound trailer, with four tires and a 10% tongue weight, each of our tires will be supporting 1,350 pounds. The chart shows a minimum recommended load of 1585 pounds.

So basically it appears that we are not on the chart....  

GJ

In the fine print, they always state to run at the minimum when under the min, and of course do not exceed the maximum. Given you actually keep your Oliver at 6000 LBS, you can run 35 PSI. I would not suggest subtracting tongue weight, since when running at highway speeds the hitch is bouncing up and down and half the time ALL weight is on the trailer wheels.

This is why for years, yes YEARS @John E Davies ran his Oliver at 42 PSI, and suggested we all do the same. I've been at 46 PSI last two outings. Those of you still running 50, 60, even 80 PSI, STOP doing that. According to Michelin, 40 PSI is a good number for the Elite II, and when we leave to Casa Grande next week, I'm going with exactly 42 PSI to honor our good friend John E.

I wonder if there is some correlation between spring failure and those running the 80 PSI printed on the tire? Or, have these springs failed mainly on those pushing the GTRW? Perhaps, but again the broken cross-section looked like cr@p and some of these leaf springs were not hardened properly. When not hardened properly, steel will bend. These springs should not bend as in the picture above. They should break if over-stressed (over the GTWR), but not bend.

Edited March 10 by jd1923
Added stuff!

[Stevon]

Just my luck. I had a spring fail so I replaced all four just last month I wish I had known about the US made springs then. Oh well I’ve got all new springs now anyway, and I’ll be keeping an eye them. 

[jd1923]

3 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

One needs to ask, why would a spring set rated for 2,000 pounds fail with just a 1,350 pound load? 

OEM springs only need to be rated at 1750 LBS (7000/4). Most lightweight dual-axle trailers (i.e. not HD non-commercial) are rated for 7000 LBS. I have a 12 FT flatbed trailer on our property. We haul dirt bikes & quads or our side-by-side, used to pull it with our Class-C). It has the same Dexter axles (and the leaf springs still look good too, tG). Leaf springs at 2000 LBS are 14% stiffer. This is a very good number! They appear to be correct in their 5-leaf design. I will buy a set next fallor next year. Thank you.

 

[Geronimo John]

1 hour ago, jd1923 said:

This is why for years, yes YEARS @John E Davies ran his Oliver at 42 PSI, and suggested we all do the same. I've been at 46 PSI last two outings. Those of you still running 50, 60, even 80 PSI, STOP doing that. According to Michelin, 40 PSI is a good number for the Elite II, and when we leave to Casa Grande next week, I'm going with exactly 42 PSI to honor our good friend John E.

thank you for your post.  I will follow the lead and reduce my 50 to 42 PSI.

Mahalo and Aloha,

GJ

[Allen Lee Rohner]

9 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I thought there would be a run on these as soon as ALCAN contact info was posted! Great to hear they are going to rush one for you. Smart to have your mechanic scheduled too!

I'll get a set at some point. I'm fully convinced on the 5-leaf 2000 LB rating now. If mine looked like they were starting to sag, I would have ordered yesterday too. But considering after tax and shipping these would be, what about a $900 outlay? I need to do this later since we can. We're not heading to Alaska anytime soon!

To do this right, it may make sense to buy 5200 LB axles, with the best hub/bearing/brake set possible and mount new axles on these springs, given our hull is now 8 years old. Likely be close to $2K total on this idea. Should not have spent $200 on new Timken bearings just 6 months ago, if I knew then what I know now!

Would be nice to include Disc Brakes with wish list the package.

Edited March 10 by Allen Lee Rohner

[ScubaRx]

10 hours ago, jd1923 said:

I thought there would be a run on these as soon as ALCAN contact info was posted! Great to hear they are going to rush one for you. Smart to have your mechanic scheduled too!

I'll get a set at some point. I'm fully convinced on the 5-leaf 2000 LB rating now. If mine looked like they were starting to sag, I would have ordered yesterday too. But considering after tax and shipping these would be, what about a $900 outlay? I need to do this later since we can. We're not heading to Alaska anytime soon!

To do this right, it may make sense to buy 5200 LB axles, with the best hub/bearing/brake set possible and mount new axles on these springs, given our hull is now 8 years old. Likely be close to $2K total on this idea. Should not have spent $200 on new Timken bearings just 6 months ago, if I knew then what I know now!

I agree about the axles. I don't think I could recommend putting these springs on a 3500 pound axle. Then the weakest link would be the axles rather than the springs!

 

[John Welte]

10 hours ago, rich.dev said:

 

We have #1290.  We're in Australia now, but do you know if the leaf springs that we have are 4 or 5 leaf?  We mostly keep to freeways, but some freeways are dodgy.  I am thinking of I70 in eastern Colorado.  I am just wondering how serious the issue is with mostly freeway driving.

John 

[hobo]

12 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Shifting focus on the topic: 

When the spring fails, does the tire or broken spring get into the wheel well fiberglass?

Would the answer to the above be different if we were on a fire road with big bumps up/down?

GJ

When I spoke to Mike at ALCAN, I asked about what happens when a spring breaks.

He said generally the broken spring won't come in contact with the ground (which was my worst-case fear) but he said the real concern is if the axle with the broken springs moves into the stabilized axle causing the wheels to hit each other.  He said it can l cause severe damage to the wheels, tires and possibly the trailer.

[hobo]

12 hours ago, Geronimo John said:

Good catch.  A good example of why letting the first install with a few miles take place before opening up the flood gates.

I would prefer to use a bench vice and two strong C-clamps.  Belt and suspenders with one of them (The bench Vice) for sure not going anywhere.... just in case.

GJ

Since my springs are going to be produced on Wednesday, I will contact Mike at ALCAN on Monday morning and ask about this.  I'll remind him our springs are "underslung".  I'll provide feedback on Monday.

[John Dorrer]

So when ordering springs from Alcan, we should request bolt under for our replacements, so it matches the current spring install? I'm definitely not a mechanically minded person🙃

[rich.dev]

47 minutes ago, John Dorrer said:

So when ordering springs from Alcan, we should request bolt under for our replacements, so it matches the current spring install?

Yes, HERE's an older post discussing spring over axle lift.

[hobo]

48 minutes ago, John Dorrer said:

So when ordering springs from Alcan, we should request bolt under for our replacements, so it matches the current spring install? I'm definitely not a mechanically minded person🙃

John,

I will be talking to Mike at ALCAN tomorrow (Monday) and ask him about that.  My springs are being produced on Wednesday so I'll get this straightened out before they are built.  I'll report back tomorrow after I talk to him.  The term for our springs is "underslung" (vs overslung).