Unfortunately, most travel trailers are not exactly build for constant use, and living in full time. These trailers are also built with components with very slim weight margins. Our trailer technically has a pretty high Cargo Carrying Capacity at just over 1000 lbs, but every little thing adds to the weight (including people). We typically drive with a full fresh water tank because we’re not sure what the water will be like sometimes where we’re going, and we also need fresh water to use the toilet while driving. (We have been avoiding all public bathrooms during the pandemic when possible.)
These lighter weight components, particularly the axle, brakes, leaf springs, and wheels/tires, are the limiting factor for our trailer. Last year we broke both leaf springs in Texas. At the time, we upgrade the weight capacity of the springs to 5000 lbs with our axle rated to 4000 lbs. When we finally weighed the trailer at a truck stop, however, we found our axle weight was overweight at 4700 lbs. This also means when we have people inside the trailer (like stopped at a truck stop to pee), without the stabilizers down, the added people weight is way overloading the axle. Combined with the overweight status of the trailer and cargo as-is, and all the potholes in Michigan, we broke our leaf spring AGAIN. Ever since the first time they broke I had started researching different suspensions. Leaf springs just aren’t new technology. They’re simple, and old. But when you break one, you also end up bending your axle a lot of times, and end up chewing up tires really fast.
TL;DR – We broke our leaf springs twice, and decided enough was enough and upgraded the suspension.
I found these Timbren axle-less rubber springs about a year ago but they didn’t have any in the weight range I wanted or needed. After the second break, I researched again and found they now carried them in the exact size I needed!
Step 1 was to remove the wheels, old axle, leaf springs, and brakes. While I was off running a Home Depot errand (run 1 of 5), my friend Bryce removed the old equipment. He left everything assembled together, and then removed the leaf spring hardware from the trailer itself and dropped everything on the ground. He then ground off the front hangar mounts.
Step 2 was to figure out where the heck to mount the new springs. There is a steel frame support on both sides of the wheel well somewhat limiting our placement, but the real kicker was when we cut open the belly, and found a steel angle spanning the width of the trailer, right where the middle bolt was positioned. We ended up moving the assembly farther back, and off center. This resulted in the wheels not being centered in the wheel wells but they still clear even at full travel. We got one spring entirely bolted on before matching it on the other side.
Step 3 involved drilling the mounting holes through our aluminum space plate with the drill press, and clamping everything in place on the trailer to match drill through the spring through the trailer frame itself. Finally we bolted the springs onto the trailer.
Step 4 we cut to length the steel cross beam, and inserted it through both springs. Then we match drilled through the springs into the steel cross beam using the provided holes on the springs and bolted the springs and steel cross beam together. The cross beam is necessary for my installation to add rigidity to the trailer frame. We finished the spring install by checking camber and toe and correcting where necessary with shims.
Step 5 was probably the hardest part. The new spring and cross member were right in the way of the black pipe propane gas line that runs the length of the trailer underneath. I had to figure out the right combination of angles and straight pieces of pipe (and tighten it all properly) to get around the new springs and cross member. After struggling for about half a day (and 3 more trips to Home Depot) I finally got it all figured out and tightened up and had zero leaks on the first try!
Step 6 was installing the new electric brakes and bearings and wiring up the new brakes. Unfortunately the vendor I purchased the brake kit from sent me mismatched hubs and outer bearings. Learn my lesson and double check the bearings in the hub BEFORE you pack the bearings with grease. I ended up finishing up the install anyway with the too small bearings (or too big hub race, however you want to feel about it), since we needed to get on the road the next day. After a lot of back and forth with Timbren, I zeroed in on the culprit, and was able to acquire the correct size bearings locally. The brake kit vendor gave me a refund for the incorrect bearings. So thankfully the brakes and bearings all got worked out in the end but it was kind of stressful figuring out what exactly was wrong in the first place (I couldn’t get the hub to tighten all the way. The castle nut was bottoming out on the threads before the hub was getting tight).
Step 7 was picking up the newly mounted tires and wheels, and spare tire, and putting them on the trailer.
Driving with the trailer now is a much different experience. It rides a lot smoother than it was on the leaf springs. We’ve had a couple instances with one cabinet flying open and dumping everything on the ground, but it’s the same cabinet both times. We moved some things around in the cabinet now and I don’t think it will happen again.
Before this change, we were seeing all sorts of screws vibrating loose. I found the power distribution center hanging on by 1 screw. The whole trailer just seemed beaten up after every drive. Not so much anymore! And bonus, our weight capacity on all components is now 5200 lbs. So plenty of margin for people or whatever.
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