Anyone thought about their leaf springs lately???

[tom b. c-22]

Well I have.. Oh boy, what fun..I bought a 74 catalina with trailer that hasprobably seen better days. The leaf springs are totally wasted and I'm in the process of replacing them now. It took me part of Sat. and all of Sunday to get one side off. I used a grinder,sawzall,small(or big,depending on how long u have to use it laying on your back)five lb. hammer,and lots of WD-40 to get the one side off. And yes i'm goin to play with the wheel bearings. Now the bolts on the springs I'm glad to say were in excellent shape,(believe methey were not going to fail)but the leaf springs,,,geez I don't know how I made it home after buying the boat.After getting the rear bolt off, I let the spring hangand the top leaf just broke in half.  So, I guess what I'm trying to say is... CHECK THAT TRAILER...others on the road will be grateful...have a safe trip wherever you might be going...

 

[Edward Steenstra III]

Old oil

Talked to an old Florida cracker/trailer builder the other day and asked him what is the best way to keep trailer springs, lug nuts,etc, from rusting.He said used motor oil is the best thing to use, it gets down between the leaves of the springs like nothing else can.Many 25 year old trailers around that go in and out of saltwater for their whole lives.Made a believer out of me! ED.

 

[Bob]

The hardest stuff to check

can be the most critical - for example, the shackle bolts. You have to take them out of the spring bushings to get a look at them, but I have heard of ones rusted down to the size of pencil leads. If one of them lets go it's worse than a tire blowout or a wheel bearing seizure. It's probably good to have a checklist of trailer stuff to survey and maintain every year and keep track of the age the components.

 

[Brian]

C-22

I had a 1974 C-22 for many years. I recently sold it to a friend when I bought a much bigger boat. It was a great boat, very forgiving, easy to handle, and they look great. I taught my kids to sail on that boat. Enjoy!!!