# Always check your springs...



## Dog_One (Mar 10, 2018)

Trailer & boat ended up on its side, luckily on a city street. Nobody hurt, no property damage, outside edge of the gunwale has a nice flat scrape about a foot long. I was lucky it didn't happen on the freeway.

Next time I buy a used boat/trailer, I'm crawling *all *the way under with a flashlight to check the springs for cracks.


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## finstr (Jun 23, 2018)

Good advice. Thanks Dog
Hope your boat is an easy fix and glad nobody was hurt.
I’m goin to look at mine as soon as the rain stops.


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## Dog_One (Jun 23, 2018)

Thanks finstr. Replaced the springs and tires, was back on the water a couple weeks later.

I wonder though - even if I had crawled under and inspected, since the crack was at the mounting point, would I have noticed the crack?

Anyway, be safe out there!


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## richg99 (Jun 24, 2018)

Thanks for the warning.


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## LDUBS (Jun 26, 2018)

I wonder if you would have seen it too. Just a first glance at the spring you wouldn't think it looks like a problem. Man oh man, yours is the second post in a short period about a trailer failure while towing the boat. Sorry it happened. Thanks for reminding us a routine inspections are a good idea.


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## Bateman (Jun 26, 2018)

I'm willing to bet you would have never seen that honestly. That looks like it started as a very hairline stress fracture that turned into complete metal fatigue. 

I am surprised to see two mishaps like this on boat trailers. In the offroad world, the leaf spring crowd can break them often, but we are talking about a factory spring that was used and then salvaged to use on a purpose built crawler. Years, maybe decades of use, then used exclusively over an axle that over flexes the springs in both directions for who knows how long before breaking. 

Just makes me curious of what happened to that spring. That looks like nothing I have ever seen as far as leaf spring breakage. Whether it be mfg. defect or what I do not know, but it just doesn't seem normal.


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## Riverdog (Jun 29, 2018)

If the spring broke, I'm guessing it was abused. I have 1996 heavily loaded pontoon trailer. Never had a problem with the springs. I broke two springs on my work trailer. Finally figured out it was speed bumps I was going over too fast.


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## LDUBS (Jun 29, 2018)

I hate speed bumps when I'm pulling the boat. I creep over them at about 2 mph. People behind me probably don't like it, but them's the breaks.


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