creaking Camper Trailer leaves
Submitted: Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 12:42
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John from River City 4WD Club Inc.
Since returning from a trip out West in August, my camper trailer has springs that creak horrendously. The trailer was new when I left and has non greasable shackles on the rear (not slipper springs). I have used my jack to try and open them a bit while spraying heaps of Inox on them. Still squeaking real bad. Any ideas what to do other than taking it back to where I bought it for them to say it's just all the dirt in between the leaves.
Reply By: ExplorOz Team - David - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 13:23
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 13:23
I have had this happen on our trailers. I remove
the springs and then seperate the leaves, cleaned out dirt and apply a very light coat of grease between each of the leaves and rebuild the spring pack. Not sure if this is 100% correct thing to do but the system has been perfect every since, no noise and good movement.
BTW: Not too much grease as this will then become a dirt attractor. Very light coating only and clean off the edges when you put it all back together.Regards
ExplorOz Team - David
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Always working, not enough travelling ;-)
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Follow Up By: John from River City 4WD Club Inc. - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 16:28
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 16:28
Thanks David. It has been suggested by someone else to do that also. Sounds like a great job. Hope I don't have to do it after every trip. At least I've got 10mths up my sleeve.
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Follow Up By: Ed - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 19:33
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 19:33
Grease + dust = Highly Abrasive!!
20+ yrs. employed in agriculture has taught me that if the two can't be kept separate (with seals), then it's best to leave the components "dry", unless you want to spend a lot of time re-greasing/ oiling...
"Greasable" components of course get greased at least daily, sometimes several times a day...
In situations such as you describe, I use powdered graphite (readily available at any hardware store)...
The graphite does not attract dust, & actually works itself into the "pores" of the metal... Very effective, & seems to last quite a while.
Regards,
Ed C.
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Follow Up By: ExplorOz Team - David - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 19:37
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 19:37
Must say I completely agree about the dust & grease I was not 100% sure it was the best idea however it has worked for me. Not that I have burried the trailer in bull dust since doing the job. I will use the graphite the next time I have to do the job - great suggestion - thanks.Regards
ExplorOz Team - David
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Always working, not enough travelling ;-)
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Follow Up By: Mickl - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 22:08
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 22:08
Ed is right, grease is ok in tail shafts and shackles where at service time any dust/contamination is pushed out by the fresh grease. But I don't think anyone is taking their springs apart too often??? In this case think of the dirt/grease mixture as something along the lines of grinding paste!! Powdered graphite is a great idea, it's also the best thing to use on door hinges, locks, latches etc...As an alternative Dry Moly Lube is available in an aerosol pack and I find it more convenient to use( you can use a little tube to get in tight spots) The brand I use is "Chemsearch" but I don't think they sell to the general public (the can says industrial use only) but I'm sure other brands are available. Just make sure it's "Dry" not some tacky mess.....
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Reply By: Brett - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 18:38
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 18:38
There was a couple in Karatha last year who had squeaky springs and thay kept half the caravan park awake all night every night.
The old boy next to us got fed up and emptied 2 cans of wd40 onto
the springs when they went out and that seemed to fix the problem. I think this would have been short term fix. I think the grease is a good Idea.
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Reply By: Geoff - Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 21:39
Friday, Oct 24, 2003 at 21:39
John,
The dust is the problem; go to one of the car wash
places that has a high pressure spray gun or borrow one if a friend has one; you will need a jack that can lift the camper high enough to completely unload one spring at a time and then give the leaves a good blast out with high pressure water; do both sides........in a few days when they have dried out unload them again by jacking up and give them a good spray with WD40 or similar product. Do not grease the leaves up for use in the bush!
cheers Geoff
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