Outer Limits 4x4 Board

Was going to start upgrading an old trailer i have but thinking i will just build from scratch, looking at using car/ 4x4 springs and wondering what will be suitable for a 7x5 light duty offroad trailer ? Should i just go to the wreckers and get whatever looks right ?

If you look at commercial trailer springs, you will see that they appear considerably lighter than the springs on a 4x4 or light truck. They are shorter and thinner and usually have only about 4 leaves. This is because the trailer springs normally have less travel - they are stiffer - too stiff for a regular road going vehicle. This probably doesn't help you too much, but just because a spring set works on a 4x4 or whatever, it may not work so well on a trailer.

date wrote:If you look at commercial trailer springs, you will see that they appear considerably lighter than the springs on a 4x4 or light truck. They are shorter and thinner and usually have only about 4 leaves. This is because the trailer springs normally have less travel - they are stiffer - too stiff for a regular road going vehicle. This probably doesn't help you too much, but just because a spring set works on a 4x4 or whatever, it may not work so well on a trailer.

Yeah i know, i have read that some people use hilux front springs for a trailer and possibly they remove a leaf or 2 to make them softer.

Have you priced up some trailer mobs for leaf springs. Might be cheaper than some wreckers.

Cris

ludacris wrote:Have you priced up some trailer mobs for leaf springs. Might be cheaper than some wreckers.

Cris

Just been searching and about $50 each which is pretty good plus fittings so looking at about $160 or so for a spring kit.

Try this place for trailer leaf springs http://www.camec.com.au/ . Goto brouche tab, then go to chassis section and page 58 has the leaf springs.

They sell eye to eye springs, the eye to eye springs allready mounted to a length of flat bar set end ready to be welded to your trailer and the also sell the eye to eye springs with hanger and shackle that you can mount yourself.

Camec is nearly a one stop shop for trailer and caravan parts, i dont work for them. They have just helped me alot and im sure if it exisits for trailers they can find it for you and there prices anr reasonable aswell.

Mark.

i went through the same thing a little while ago building a trailer but i used front springs out of an mq and split the packs and reassembled them with 2 leaves just my 2 cents.......

MARKx4 wrote:Try this place for trailer leaf springs http://www.camec.com.au/ . Goto brouche tab, then go to chassis section and page 58 has the leaf springs.

They sell eye to eye springs, the eye to eye springs allready mounted to a length of flat bar set end ready to be welded to your trailer and the also sell the eye to eye springs with hanger and shackle that you can mount yourself.

Camec is nearly a one stop shop for trailer and caravan parts, i dont work for them. They have just helped me alot and im sure if it exisits for trailers they can find it for you and there prices anr reasonable aswell.

Mark.

I know camec, i used to do their customs work for imports, unfortunately they dont use us anymore which means no discounts

MARKx4 wrote:Try this place for trailer leaf springs http://www.camec.com.au/ . Goto brouche tab, then go to chassis section and page 58 has the leaf springs.

They sell eye to eye springs, the eye to eye springs allready mounted to a length of flat bar set end ready to be welded to your trailer and the also sell the eye to eye springs with hanger and shackle that you can mount yourself.

Camec is nearly a one stop shop for trailer and caravan parts, i dont work for them. They have just helped me alot and im sure if it exisits for trailers they can find it for you and there prices anr reasonable aswell.

Mark.

While searching OL i came across old post of yours on trailer building, did you end up making one, any pics or deatils you can share ?

Check out the Alko website. Just about all of the suspension that we use is from Alko via various shops. They do everything from 2 leaf packs which are excetionally soft through to various designs of tandem load sharing setups with capacities up at about 8t.

Most common for boxs like that which are used on road are just the slipper springs and i think the lightest rating is a 3 leaf at about 600kg/pr or shackle springs at about 700kg. 4WD shackle springs start at about 1150kg or something and we did one recently with these - they are stiff!

I would like to use eye to eye springs as although i dont need a heavy duty offroad trailer, being that is tow behind my disco and possibly a defender in the future i would like it to be able to cop a little abuse at least. Doing it on a budget as i have axle/ hubs already so independent is out. My thoughts so far are 7x4 (or 7x5) with 50x 75 side rails and a 50x100 drawbar the rest i'll workout shortly.

I recently replaced all four springs in my car trailer.. They are seven leaf slipper springs and were only $47 each from my local trailer manufacturer/trailer spares place.

go to active fabrication .river rd, beenleigh 38076666 or google them for a catalogue and price list. open saturday mornings

Loanrangie wrote:

MARKx4 wrote:Try this place for trailer leaf springs http://www.camec.com.au/ . Goto brouche tab, then go to chassis section and page 58 has the leaf springs.

While searching OL i came across old post of yours on trailer building, did you end up making one, any pics or deatils you can share ?

Im have the desgn worked out and the weights so far. Still working on suspension at the moment, im looking into using a inderpendent rear suspension out of a fwd car at the moment. Wanting to get a good look at the rear set-up of a magna at the moment.

In saying all that, it is tempting to go and buy a trailer though, which i do have my eye on a particular trailer at the moment.

Mark.

Active fabrications is really cheap for trailer parts, that is were i purchased my braked axle from.

I have a 8x5 box trailer built with 33's and a braked parrallel bearing axle for using at work ( up to 1.5 tonne ) and play - carrying 2 x quads for hunting.
I removed the slipper springs and fitted our fixed mounts, shackle mounts and new vigo springs.
Way to soft, you could push down on the trailer 3 inchs with your body weight and i only weight 80kg.

To fix this i reset the load bearers up to make contact all the time with the main pack.
Fitted bump stops and also fitted a custom air bag setup with D22 shocks.

I can now load it pretty heavy (1-2 tonne) and it handles awesome on and offroad with or without a load.

Trailer springs are so short with so much camber and that is why they handle the weight good, their downfall is they are very narrow springs , 4wd and car springs are longer , flatter and softer.

The trailer with its mods does not bounce like it used too with standard springs , and it is so much quieter offroad due to having shackles and not the slipper setup.

Bit of stuffing around but i am happy with it now.

Put some pics up!

chunks wrote:Put some pics up!

will try for monday as i am too busy right at the moment and it is pissin down rain.

A mate used some old Hilux rear springs that I gave him for an off road trailer. They work fine.

Here is my trailer that I made, it's just made with standard Rodeo springs, handles the weight very well. It has a 8 x 6 Rodeo tray on top.









Loaded with 1200kg granite here.
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I have asked 20 or 30 experienced trailer builders, bushies, trailer parts suppliers and the majority (say 75%) say you should use slippers when building a leaf sprung off roader for the outback.

But without fail 4x4, car or bike people on forums will disagree tell people to install eye to eye.

I am still not 100% convinced either way...but do your own research and speak to people with actual experience and make your own decision.

I used slippers and carry about 1.2t, and only tested in Vic high country...the corrugations up north are the real test.

The Alko springs for offroading are eye to eye and a wider spring. We build heaps of these for HSC projects and the 4WD ones all get shackle springs. Slipper springs will just wear and grind in the dirt, where they seem to be ok on the road.

Slunnie wrote:The Alko springs for offroading are eye to eye and a wider spring. We build heaps of these for HSC projects and the 4WD ones all get shackle springs. Slipper springs will just wear and grind in the dirt, where they seem to be ok on the road.

Slunnie, most of the eye- eye springs i have seen seem to be about 45mm width for about 750kg , would these be ok for a 7x4 trailer that will be lucky to be 750kg fully loaded ? I dont want to make it too stiff but dont want to go too soft either.

Loanrangie wrote:

Slunnie wrote:The Alko springs for offroading are eye to eye and a wider spring. We build heaps of these for HSC projects and the 4WD ones all get shackle springs. Slipper springs will just wear and grind in the dirt, where they seem to be ok on the road.

Slunnie, most of the eye- eye springs i have seen seem to be about 45mm width for about 750kg , would these be ok for a 7x4 trailer that will be lucky to be 750kg fully loaded ? I dont want to make it too stiff but dont want to go too soft either.

For on road we just use 4 leaf slippers which are rated to about 900kg, but ride soft. There are also 3 leaf slippers too which are 600kg which are very soft - normally bike trailers for these. Mind you we're currently doing a log splitter with 1 leaf I think, it might have a very small 2nd. We haven't used the regular 45mm shackle springs though, or at least not that I remember.