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Trailer leaf spring adjustment


Wile E. Coyote

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Hi all,

I bought a small used trailer for my Spindrift 11, it's almost the smallest load trailer that Karavan makes, but the max load is still 1000 lbs. My boat hull only weighs about 100 lbs, plus a little more for some rigging and so on. So it's a bit of a bumpy ride. Has anyone tried taking out leaf springs, or is there some other way to adjust the trailer suspension for a lighter boat?

Thanks,

Matt

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You can try lower tyre pressures- on a lightly loaded trailer like this you don't need much pressure. It can soften the ride quite a bit.

I use a standard box trailer to transport a small dinghy but also use it for heavier loads so I just adjust the pressures accordingly.

Cheers

Peter HK

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Well I looked at my trailer and the springs have three leaves. There is one long spring that is attached to the trailer at each end, under that there are two shorter springs that are fastened to the longer one by some kind of clip. It looks like I will be able to take out the two shorter springs and just leave the single long one. I don't have time right now, but I'll try that some time in the winter.

Matt

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On a stacked spring set, you only have one choice, the leaf with the eyes on it is the only one you can attach, so the shorter leaves have to come out. Typically they'll have a locating pin in the center and a sheet metal leaf alignment clip on the outer ends. Pull the U bolts, remove the spring and everything will be apparent. Running much lower tire pressures, will just eat up the thread (commonly cupping it), dramatically lowering its lifespan.

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