trailer spring

[raylisa32@front]

has anyone tried using a trailer spring for their transverse set up. I'm thinking abuot ordering a 26" 3 leave 1000 lb cap spring to run on my suicide perch. Hangers, mount plates, u bolts, and bushings all seem priced reasonably,and it looks like it would work. Any opions?

[Itoldyouso]

I'm sure someone has done it, and logically, it should work fine. A spring really doesn't know if it's supporting a trailer or the front of a rod. But I would question the economics of doing it versus just buying a Speedway spring and shackles. How much difference is there in cost? I also wonder if 3 leaves are enough, even though the capacity shows 1000. Most hot rod springs are 4-5 leaves.

I like making stuff too, and modifying things, but sometimes it just makes sense to buy the parts that are made specifically to do a job and be done with it.

Don

[Bob Parmenter]

I'm sure someone has done it............Don

Or at least something like it; http://stores.ebay.com/BOBS-RAT-ROD-...Q3amesstQQtZkm

[raylisa32@front]

The spring I'm looking at is a 1000lb. cap. spring, 2 mounting plates,u bolts with nyloc nuts ,bushings,and shackles, shipped to Az for 65.00 to 70.00 bucks. I think this is reasonable if it will work. Spring is 26 inch eye to eye, center mount, 4inch unloaded arch. I wounder if I should go to 1500 lb. capacity, or would that be over kill?

[Itoldyouso]

I think trailer springs are rated in pairs, if I am not mistaken, so that 1000# capacity may be actually 500# per each spring. You may want to check that out. The reason I think that is because a guy at our marina upgraded his trailer to 10,000 # capacity, and each of the four springs was rated at 2500# each.

But it looks like the one Bob posted is about the same money, and designed specifically for this purpose, so wouldn't it or a Speedway make more sense?


Don

[C9x]

Is the 26" spring the length needed for your axle?

Problem with only three leafs is there's not much tunability.
Remove one leaf and a lot of capacity is lost.

You're building a T-Bucket?
1500# would probably be overkill.
Speedway's catalog shows a Mr. Roadster three leaf spring, 26" eye to eye for $45.
I'd go for this instead of the trailer spring.


Speedway is an excellent outfit to deal with.
No problems in over 22 years of dealing with them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Kingman, Arizona?
Me too.

Maybe I'll see you at the Saturday morning doughnut run on Stockton Hill or the WhataBurger Saturday night rod run.
I should be there this Saturday if I get my new fuel tank install completed.

I'll be driving this if all goes well - it should, I'm almost finished, just get run out of the garage by the heat . . . 106 at my house now.

[Bob Parmenter]

Is the 26" spring the length needed for your axle?

This is worth answering just in case someone else comes along and reads this without knowing any qualifiers. If someone plans to use perch bolt mounts in stock dimension axle holes then this spring would be too short, the narrowest perch mounts call for a 29" spring (generally the perch mount holes are 5" further apart than the spring dimension), and often wider, depending on the axle. 26" springs are typically used when "batwing", or something comparable, style mounts are welded to an axle, or when the spring is mounted to, say, split wishbones that taper inward somewhat. Either are practices on suicide style mounts.

[C9x]

Excellent point Uncle Bob.

The Speedway catalog shows the 26" spring as being for the Mr. Roadster axle - at least it does the way I interpret it.

Your 29" spring is right on for the Posie's SuperSlide.
(Good spring incidentally)
$129. for the Posie's spring and worth the money.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fwiw - my 462" Buick powered 32 roadster with roll bar, top, T-400 weighs 2400#.
Far as I can figure, the front spring is carrying 1300-# - 1400# of the total weight.

No wonder it lights up the tires so good....

[raylisa32@front]

Thanks for the response. Car is a rat rod, with pumped toyota 4 banger,engine set back midway in frame. Still, I think I'll go with speedway set up.

[Itoldyouso]

I think you are making a wise decision. J Robinson is using some trailer springs for his project track car, but in a different way. He used them to create some quarter eliptical springs, and I understand his logic for doing that. But where you have a product available made just for your application, like the Speedway spring, it is sometimes better to go that route.

Post some pictures when you get your new spring installed.


Don

[Bob Parmenter]

Now that it appears you're not locked into your original idea I would add that if it were me I'd go for a spring with more leaves relative to spring rate (meaning if two springs were each rated at ~1200#, one a 3 leaf, the other a 4, I'd take the 4). My rationale would be that I'd have more "tunability" with more leaves, and likely a more compliant (or more progressive) spring even without any changes.