The day the boat trailer died

As some people know (most don't) our boat trailer had hissy-fit and threw it's left rear suspension assembly all over the road. Thankfully we were only backing up the driveway at the time. Photo's of the fix-it day are here. Click "Read More" for all the info about the whole saga.

If you take a close look at the photos, you'll see that the only thing holding the entire spring assembly together were a pair of straps around the sandwiched leaves. You might also notice the amount of rust on the fracture surfaces - this break occurred a while before the front "strap" let go which was when I was backing up the driveway.

Had this happened while I was towing the boat, the result could've been anything from scarey (at best) to fatal at worst. In either case you could probably guarantee the trailer would've flipped when the front half of the leaf hit the road and probably dug in. After that it's anyone's guess. My friends and I have speculated this one over many refreshing ales and not reached a concensus....none of us are physics guru's or road crash investigators either!

So I decided to bite the bullet, lash out and treat the boat trailer to full set of new springs. I was suprised how cheap I got them for too. All up for 4 x 6-leaf springs with all the necessary U-bolts, axle-plates, fish-plates etc, came it a smidge uder $200. Kudos to "Five Islands Marine" in Yallah (NSW) who had them in stock and did a good cash deal for me.

A quick trip down to SuperCheap to pick up an el-cheapo angle grinder (herein named "Little-Angus"), a quartet of axle stands and a few bits and pieces and we are ready to start dismantling the trailer. Almost.....really need a rattle gun and a few air tools to make the job easier. Andrew to the recue!! The date was set, the tools laid out and the work started.

I couldn't write this piece without expressing a full and heartfelt thanks to Andrew who provided the necessary muscle and tools to fit the new suspension. I couldn't have done it without him. Thanks dude; for the help and the compressor and the laughs. It was a long day, but a day I remember and smile about.