Leaf springs on Tandem axle caravan

All depends on who builds it really

You are probably better off with load sharing leaf spring suspension than non load sharing independent suspension.

PeterD

I have a tandem trailer with leaf springs and rocker arm, with the trailer weight varying from 1.3T to 2.2T and it is amazing how much the rocker arm moves depending on load and angle of trailer in doing its job of spreading the load.

Cheers

Mark

Gooday,
Have a 21 Ft Full Caravan, has Load Sharing suspension. Tare 2320KG Max Load 3000Kg have been accross the Centre, Donghue, Great Central and no problems. At least if something goes wrong you have a chance of getting home with this tried & proven system.
Cheers,
Boroma 604.

Leaf springs are the way to go I reckon but they must be load sharing and no trailer builder would build with leaf springs any other way. The good thing is you only need to carry one spare spring assembly and if any of the four fail you can easily knock out the shackle pins with normal tools and a jack on the side of the road and replace that spring pack. If you load the trailers sensibly, drive at a speed to suit the conditions and have your tyre pressures set to assist the springs in providing some suspension they generally will not fail in any case. Make sure you get rockers and bushes each end of the spring that are fitted with grease nipples. The other benefit of leaf springs is that due to them being mounted on a common axle when cornering or going over uneven ground some load is transferred to the opposite side which assists in keeping that wheel in contact with the ground and therefore is more stable. Independent suspension is just a gimmick used by camper trailer and caravan manufacturers to charge more money for no cost benefit to the customer. If you think about it the whole of outback Australia was explored, prospected and opened up on vehicles using leaf springs. e.g. Landrovers, trucks, trailers, Army vehicles, Holden & Falcon utes & cars, etc, etc. If worst comes to worst you can always use a fence post, guide post, star picket, post cut from bush timber or a block of wood to support the axle in an emergency should a spring leaf fail. Try doing that to effect emergency repairs to a trailing arm on independent suspension.