Converting slipper springs to <span class="highlight">shackles</span> ?

G'day Lionel,

I'm not exactly an "engineering type", just a common garden variety mechanic but FWIW I think you would need springs with the top one or two leaves formed into an eye to take your rubber or urethane (spelling??) bushes in a similar way that your Nissan has (assuming it has leaf and not coil). I don't think welding to the leaves directly would be a good idea as this would affect the heat treatment of the spring steel and may cause it to fail.

Just my very humble opinion

Cheers
Pop

Why would you weld to the springs unless you are reuseing them? Do yourself a flavour and go to trailer parts and they will supply you with the entire kit.
the only welding you should have to do is to install new brackets for the rear spring hanger (shackle ?)

Hi Lionel, Buy new springs.
To answer your question - you will affect the high tensile metal spring if you weld it. Murphy would be laughing and the chance of a catastrophic failure when you least expect it would be very high :-))

KK

Thanks gentlemen,

Have a vague knowledge about working with tempered steel.
Being an avid DIY'er always enjoy modifying stuff, then watching it break...lol.

Off to Martins Trailers on the weekend.


Cheers.....Lionel.