How to Check Leaf Springs

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Albert Hedgepeth with Expert Village. Today we're going to talk a little bit about trailer maintenance. Let's talk about leaf springs. Leaf springs are pretty much the shock absorbers for a trailer and there's a couple different things that you visually want to check about them just to make sure that your trailer is operating properly. There's really no definite way to check to see if a leaf spring is broken other than visually inspecting it and feeling the way it rides down the highway. As you can see, there's some bolts that connect the leaf springs to the axle itself. Without those leaf springs, the axle would literally just walk away and the trailer would really probably flip over. So visually inspecting them, you want to make sure that they have a nice arc to them and that they aren't rusted. as you can see, that one over there is fairly rusted, which means it probably needs to be replaced, especially if you're doing any long distance traveling with it. Its a good idea to go ahead and feel the way that the trailer is riding behind the truck while you're riding down the road. That's going to give you a good idea of how the leaf springs are operating and if they're in good condition. That is definitely a component of the trailer that you should make sure that you wash especially whenever pulling it out of salt water. That will increase the lifespan of the leaf springs and continue to give you a smooth ride while riding down the highway."