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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Triangle Spring Announcement
Repairing vs. replacing has been, and will remain, a judgement call on the
part of the operator. However, over the years some general "common
sense" guidelines have developed which can help guide the decision making
process. These include:
- How many leaves are broken?
- Multi-leaf springs in which 3 or more leaves are broken are generally
replaced.
- Where are the leaves broken?
- If breakage occurs between the u-bolts, breakage was probably a by-product
of loose u-bolts and the spring is a candidate for rebuild. However, if
breakage occurs between a u-bolt and an end of the spring, breakage was
probably caused by fatigue. Depending on the mileage experienced,
replacement should be considered in this instance.
- How many miles have the springs been in operation?
- All steel leaf springs have a finite life and will eventually suffer
fatigue. When fatigue failure will happen depends upon the type of
operational service they experience. Springs in over the-road applications
will generally outlive springs which see off-road, or other severe service
applications by a wide margin.
If, based on the operating history, "normal" spring life was
experienced for the application, then replacement would be the best option.
Note: Due to the unavoidable frequency of breakage in severe service
applications, the rebuild-to-replace ratio is generally higher in these
applications.
- Is it a front spring, rear spring or trailer spring?
Long taper, multi-leaf or single leaf?
- Medium duty multi-leaf and heavy duty long taper front springs are
generally replaced. Rear springs are often rebuilt. Three-leaf trailer
springs are commonly replaced. Single leaf trailer and tractor "z"
springs are replaced.
- Has the spring ever been rebuilt before?
- If the spring has been rebuilt once, common practice is to replace it the
second time around.
- How important is "downtime" to the
operation?
- Avoiding downtime is usually important to most operations. If normal
spring service life has been experienced, then replacement of the broken
spring is usually the best choice. Further, a through examination of the
remaining spring on the opposite side of the axle should be made as it too
has experienced fatigue. To keep downtime to a minimum, replacement should
be a serious consideration.
10/31/05
For More Information Contact:
Keystone Spring Servce
112 35th Street
Tel: 412-621-4800
FAX: 412-621-7827
email: JValant720@aol.com
Internet: support@macrosolutionsinc.net
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Keystone Spring
Service 
