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Slipper Springs vs Shackle

ChiScouter

Red Skull Member
Joined
Jun 1, 2020
Member Number
1753
Messages
378
I have a 4x8 trailer that I built about 20 years ago using the axle and springs from an old camping trailer from the boneyard IIRC it was a lightweight popup. It has been one of my best homebrewed projects, I probably have over 30k miles , and as much as 2200lbs on it. The poor spring pack finally had enough and the main leaf snapped. It was a conventional compression shackle. I have a set of slipper springs which are longer and although same amount of leafs they are thicker and since they are free they seem like the perfect replacement except that I have never liked the idea of the end of the spring bouncing around. For tire clearance and reasonable travel I will have to switch from SUA to SOA which is no big deal. I know that slipper springs have probably billions of proven miles on them but other than being a few dollars cheaper is there some other virtue to them that I am not aware of?
 
Trailer shackles and equilizers are ghetto shit that either egg out or are too tight to work properly. I'd take a slipper any day.
 
my little trailer has slippers and it's been fine.
it bounces around a lot empty because it's a 4x4 trailer that weighs nothing and I've never seen the frame come far away from the axle or anything strange. The spring rides in it's own piece of channel and IIRC there's a bolt on the bottom corner that keeps the spring from falling out.
 
they both suck

shackles will wear through the bolt and slippers will wear through the pad the leaf lands on

ive repaired more than one of both
 
Shackles lasted 20 years….

Why over think it now?
 
either or, doesn't make a lick of difference
slippers seem to be a little more durable because they don't got the rolled eye to snap off at one of the ends
plate whatever they're riding on because they will wear right through 1/4" plate eventually, don't want that to be one leg of the channel you're using as your frame
usually they use angle iron as the "slider" pad, but I always see it worn through and collapsed so I'd just do a chunk of 3/8" or so flat stock welded on as a pad, hell use a piece of the broken leaf you got.

ETA: oh and the trailer shackles allow just as much movement once all the holes are wallowed out
 
slipper springs are what I'd go with, less wear points, etc. especially since they're free.
 
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