Monday, January 14, 2008

Trailer Suspension Safety

Regular maintenance on your trailer should include attention to the suspension components. There are many moving and therefore wearing parts that form the trailers suspension. A typical conventional tandem axle trailer contains hangers, leaf springs, shackle straps, shackle bolts, equalizers, u-bolts, and axle plates to name a few. The leaf springs and equalizers usually contain Teflon bushings to extend the life of the suspension components. These bushings, shackle straps and bolts will eventually wear out and will need to be replaced. This procedure should be regarded as normal operational maintenance. Periodic inspection of these components can avert problems such as premature tire wear. Extreme wear of these components can cause the trailer to wonder behind the towing vehicle resulting in serious instability.