Friday, Jul 12, 2002 at 00:00
They can. Al-ko's have a very narrow window of optimum weight ratings, but then again so do leaf springs.
The biggest disadvantage with coils is that running shockers is a must and can therefore be a bit on the pricey side when comes time
to replace them. They are also bulky. Not many trailers, campers or vans have huge wheel arches to accomodate the length of
a coil and shock absorber. Don't get me wrong, coils are probably the softest riding
suspension with the longest travel,
but other than multi-axle, I don't know of many trailers that need wheel travel. Having worked in the industry for a number of years,
including Al-ko, everyone has their own opinion as to what's "the best". In my opinion, the best
suspension set-up for a single axle trailer
is the "knee-suspension" produced by
Melbourne Trailer and Caravan Supplies. A simple leaf spring set-up that does not use
the springs to
hold the stub axle captive, so if you break a spring, it won't tear the axle from under the trailer. And there is no axle as such,
it uses a wish bone type that pivots from the middle of the chassis, so your ground clearance is the maximum available.
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