Leaf springs

[Rick tiedeman]

I have a 2017 38' Solitude. I have had the leaf springs break on two different occasions. The rig was only loaded with the typical gear (clothes food). I haul it with a 3500 Ram Dually. The trailer pulls level. The only thing that has been done was a disk brake conversion. Is there an upgraded spring that the dealer would recommend ?

[TucsonJim]

Rick - Welcome to the forum. Your broken springs are not a unique experience. It has been reported often on the different forums and Facebook groups. Since you have a 2017, I'm going to assume you have a Lippert suspension? The majority of broken springs that I've seen are Lippert branded.

People have used different approaches to try and resolve this issue. Some have changed to the next size spring. For example, on your Solitude, it probably has 7,000 pound axles with two 3,500# springs. Some owners have replaced the 3,500# springs with 4,000# versions and achieved some success. But doing so can create a harsher ride for all the components in the RV. Others have tried different brand springs, and that may also be successful.

There is an indicator of potential spring failure. If your springs aren't one continuous arch, they may be in trouble. If you look at the spring from the side and it looks like a "W", it's likely destined to fail.

Jim

[Hawgwild]

Hi Jim,
We've upgraded to the Moryde SRE 4000 and disc brakes at a few of the So Cal rally. I've always been worried about a leaf spring breaking so the info in this post is good to know. Our leaf springs look to be in good condition after 80+ nights camping and 15K miles. Have you heard if independent spring shops have better quality springs or ??

Thanks as always!
Rick