Broken Leaf Spring Pack Locating Bolt

[ajg617]

I've got the same exact/size tire and find using a cats paw really helps.

Try the H rated 17 inchers. Took my son and I to lift one into the bed of the truck. Used a pitchfork to lift it into place on the hub.

 

[Hoopy Frood]

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Hyper-To...wl13=1784&selectedSellerId=0&wmlspartner=wlpa

Thank you. I had envisioned something to help with installing tires.

 

[geotex1]

Well got the new sailun tires $749.65 for 4 from Simple Tire mounted yesterday, cost was $40 each. Had to use a semi truck shop to change the tires, most car tire shops don't have big enough equipment to change 14 ply tires.

Completed replacing the left side (broken spring side) MorRyde CREs wet bolts and shackles. The CRE was bad, when I took it out it rattled around like an old tin can with rocks in it. It was only 2 years old but I guess the failure of the leaf spring was too much for it. The new ones are nice and tight.
Everything went smoothly replacing the parts. Retorqued the Ubolts to 70 ft lbs. The brand new Ubolts we just put on a few days ago to fix the broken leaf spring, the flanged nuts were already loose, the Ubolts had stretched just from setting for a few days. The right side is up next.

Boy I'm telling you lifting up these 235x80xR16 14 ply tires is a real back pain!

Once I was finished I had Tami hit the truck brakes while I was spinning the tires, the brakes worked fine on the left side so no issues there from the broken leaf spring and yanking the wires.

From another thread on the forum were owners are discussing doing work yourself for RV maintenance and such, yes it can get real expensive if you have to hire it done by a service shop or remote tech. If you have the tools and knowhow it can be much cheaper but you also have to have the the physical ability to do the job. A lot of people in their late 60s, 70s-80s physically can't do it anymore. !

Due to the bad discs in my back, I do everything I can to lift smarter...now. Wish I was smarter about the abuse on my body as a young man. Anyway, at the sticks and bricks, I use a tire dolly. Super simple to lift and align heavy wheels/tires. For the road, I made my own version of the TRAC Tire Jack after seeing these being used in my local tire shop. It was way less expensive to make my own because I only needed to buy the rollers (off the shelf conveyor product) as I had plenty of scrap steel. I've only used mine once when the inner valve stem on the dually failed, buy it worked great on pavement. I do carry a 2'x4'x1" piece of plywood in the bed in case of gravel.

 

[ajg617]

[MENTION=19847]dryfly[/MENTION] Sure will, The one I have is a 10,000# 3000 # working load strap 2 inch width. the same kind I used to use to tie down my 66 Dodge Charger to my car trailer back in the day. Pull the strap out of the ratchet and Wrap the strap around both axle tubes, run the strap back through the ratchet and interconnect the strap end hooks like in the pic, this will make sure the strap ends will not come apart. Work the ratchet to pull the axle back in line then Wrap the strap excess around the axle tubes for added support and tie off.

Keep in mind when pulling one side of an axle, backwards or forwards, the other side of the axle has to pivot on the tire.

If the rear axle is the one with the problem, As you limp pull away forward the rear axle will naturally try to pull back away, separate from the front axle but the ratchet strap will keep it from moving backwards.

Now keep in mind if you try to back up the rig the rear axle will try to move toward the front axle. I actually tried to do this on the interstate, back up the rig to get the rear axle closer to the front axle, but the way it was, what was left of the leaf spring was jammed up on the axle spring perch so it wouldn't move far enough forward to be in actual alignment, but it was closer to get the rig off the road.

The only way you can prevent the axles from trying to separate is to put a 2x4 or big piece of 4x4 wood or heavy metal brace between the axle tubes and strap them together tight, brace cupped on both ends to fit the axle 3 inch round tube to help keep the support from falling out.

The small green ratchet strap you see in the pic with the 2x4 I use to keep the axles from moving when i am changing equalizers or installing new wet bolts, keeps the spring eyes lined up. It isn't near strong enough to use when trying to pull your trailer off the interstate when broke down. Only the most heavy duty strap will work for this.

One other thing you can try to keep an axle separator 2x4 or metal separator brace in place, get it right next to the leaf springs, tie the axles together with the strap, then use some of those huge 2-3 foot plastic tie straps you can get from harbor freight and use about 10 of them to strap the axle separator brace to the leaf springs to keep the brace from falling out.

Now when I got the rig off the interstate I was probably moving @ 2-3 miles an hour, basically letting the truck a little higher than idle forward.

Just re-read my #22 post here https://www.mygrandrv.com/forum/sho...l-with-Curt-axles/page3?highlight=curt+recall - Good reason to carry the straps. I thought his problem was a one-off but you are the second person now that used straps to keep an axle in line.

 

[Steven@147]

Well you will be happy to know that on our first trip after our broken leaf spring came apart on I70 in Indiana, we traveled down south to the Escapee's Raccoon Valley RV Park in Heiskell near Knoxville in fine shape, No problems. We'll be here for 3 weeks. I checked the torque on the U bolts before we left our last site. The tires tracked fine and no signs of the suspension being out of alignment.

Gotta tell you though I was nervous pulling the rig for the first time after our incident. Seems like I could feel every bump, hear every sound, and just kept looking in the mirrors for any sign of trouble. Just kept telling myself, what will be, will be. We'll deal with it whatever happens. At our fuel stop looked at the rigs suspension and everything was where it should be. I finally settled into a comfortable drive. I'm going to check the U bolt torque again before we leave for the Escapee's Rainbow Plantation in Summerdale AL.

Just after we got into TN on I75 there was a short section of terrible worn, pot holed, grooved road, slow lane south bound through some mountains. We came upon a Solitude broke down off to the side with a repair truck and they were underneath working on the axles. My heart goes out to them, been there done that! Don't want to do it again!

 

[huntindog]

Well it's happen to us. We were on our trip from Tx to IN to visit the kids/grand. After 1200 miles got within 3 miles of our Indiana campground on Interstate 70 @ 3PM in Richmond Indiana and BAM! broken left rear leaf spring pack bolt/locating pin at 60 mph. OMG! Cocked the whole rear axle sideways. Smoke pouring off the back of the RV flying rubber!.

Interstate 70 from Indianapolis to the Ohio state line has got to be the most horrific stretch of road in the whole country!!! bone jarring Potholes, repaired potholes with huge bumps, bridge expansion gaps. Terrible just absolutely terrible!!

I won't go into the whole horrific story, but it was a very traumatic event. At the time of our broken axle leaf spring also an auto crash on I 70 eastbound 100 yards from our setting RV off on the right shoulder, because of rubber necking, speeding, tailgating, drivers hitting the brakes, people not paying attention. That crash blocked the eastbound lanes and stopped traffic on I70 eastbound for some time.

OMG! the Indiana State Trooper was awesome helping us with traffic. after the crash was cleared up and traffic flowing again he gave us some time to try and get it repaired enough to get it to the next exit. Even the Trooper agreed this is the worst stretch of Interstate.

I was able to use the electric leveling system to get the RV left rear up enough to remove the left rear tire, after prying out the left rear fender J skirting just to get the tire off. Using a ratchet strap between the left side axles we got the left side rear axle at least back in line a little which allowed the right side rear tire to clear away from its equalizer. Just getting this done took @ 45 minutes. We did this to get the RV to stop crabbing sideways, the RV would not pull straight. Finally with the left rear tire removed I limped the rig very , very slowly to the next exit about 1 mile with only the left side front tire and spring supporting all the weight on the left side. That lone Sailun tire was squatting terribly, I did not think it would make it but it was the only thing I could do. It made it!

Got the rig off the interstate at the next exit and limped it into a Bob Evans parking lot way at the back, right at the exit. A big Thank You to Bob Evans Restaurants for allowing us to use their parking lot way at the back. They even brought out ice water for us while we were working on it.

It is about 4pm now. Tami got on the phone to our Son and SIL and both were on their way to help. I was assessing the initial damage and then how to get the rig mobile again just to get it to the campground 2 miles away. Three of the tires were damaged, skinned, flat spotted from being dragged sideways but none of the Sailun tires blew out!.

I had just installed all new leaf springs and U bolts this spring because the original springs were flat after 5 years and @ 26,000 miles. I wanted to save one of the old springs just in case as a spare or buy a fifth spring to have just in case - I didn't. Thanks goodness for the HD U bolts I installed, they were bent on the spring that broke, but they didn't break. I don't know where 3 of the spring leafs went to, somewhere out on the highway. As far as I know at least they didn't end up through somebody's windshield. To my knowledge the leafs in the spring didn't break. The bolt holding the springs together is what broke. What was left of the broken spring bolt was still stuck in the axle perch hole.

Everything was jammed up on the left rear. While the boys were on their way I got it freed up, what was left of the spring was all jammed up on the axle spring perch. There were only 3 spring leafs there out of 6! What was left of the spring pack bolt/pin was still in the hole of the spring perch. The boys got to us and we started looking for a new leaf spring. Found one back in Indy at a trailer repair shop, Paul's Trailer Service that had the correct leaf springs, and were open till real late so SIL and Tami took off for Indy to get two new leaf springs and new Ubolts. Once they got back we were able to get the mangled left spring out and get the new spring in and damaged tires back on just to get the rig to the campground. Now it's near midnight, but we got it to the campground.

Now to get 4 new Sailun tires, figure out what suspension parts are damaged or made marginal by all the stress, and check the Leaf Spring perches as well! The MorRyde CRE equalizers held up well and looked still good, even after the right rear tire was up against it, and the left one pulled back, but I have to get a real good look at them. Got to do a whole suspension inspection. I'm going to send the bill to the State of Indiana!

I hate to tell you this.... The spring pack bolts only job is to keep the springs together and to to locate it on the axle spring perch during installation. That little bolt will not keep the springs in place when on the road. The much larger u bolts is what keeps the springs in place. That little bolt could actually be removed if it was possible to do so, with no problem.
Your u bolts were not installed properly. They loosened up, putting pressure on that little bolt, which then broke.