Springs/Suspensions on 16' Shasta AirFlyte

[dennis hooker]

Whew!  I finally decided to holler for HELP!

I have a 1961, 16' Shasta Airflyte.  I'm now at the suspension part of restoring. 

Briefly:  Springs sag!  I've about memorized http://etrailer.com  (super people!!) BUT...they need my specifics.  I don't have any!

I need help from a small Shasta owner about the specifics of what info. I need to know to get the correct spring (the Shasta is, I think, 1500 pounds). 

I will be carrying lots and lots of weight as I move South to Tennessee.

Where I start in my deliberations?

Looking forward to the removal of my brain blocks!

Dennis

[Lakota Wolf]

With spring replacement, measure from eye to eye on the mounts and measure how wide the mounting brackets are (usually 2" ) . There are several spring manufacture companies. I ordered mine online  and went with 1,000 lb over what I originally had. Take into consideration, the AXLE capacity. You can beef up your springs all you want, but the major factor rests on the Axle capacity. You exceed that, and you are in a world of hurt. Wheel bearing failure, hub failure, breaking the axle etc.Then the frame capacity will fall into play.. It is NEVER EVER a wise idea to OVERLOAD a trailer. Manufacturers put a GVW for a reason and thats to let the consumer know what the Maximum capacity of weight the trailer can be loaded and towed safely. You Can go with a heavier duty spring,, but that does NOT mean you can exceed the recommended weight limits...

[Russell E Johnson]

What Lakota said, x2, bigger springs will carry the max load better, but you simply cannot overload the trailer because of bigger springs. Too many other parts will fail and they will fail at the worst possible time.

[dennis hooker]

Thank you already,

You folks have already put me into a better directions re: overload.

I am pretty sure that the Shasta 16' weighs about 1500-1600 pounds. (I think I saw that someplace or another??)  But, I don''t have any idea what the recommended load carrying is.

Is there a way to guess - or to find out for sure what is the recommended load carrying capacity?

Thanks folks!

Dennis

[Lakota Wolf]

If you don't have the specs sticker or plate on the lower right side,front.(drivers side of the trailer), Then you will have to do a guesstimate. I have noticed through out the years, staying within manufactures guidelines,, Under 1000 lbs for a trailer weighing in at the 2000lb mark.

I looked at the neighbors mini trailer, (a 14 footer), and his allowance for *extra cargo is 745 lbs, over Vehicles **Empty weight. This DOES NOT include the weight of the persons occupying while parked. This refers to safe *travel weight.

When loading the camping gear etc, be sure to BALANCE the load from tongue to rear.. You dont want to be TO heavy in front or To heavy in the back. Anti-sway bars are recommended,, even being a short 16 footer.

If you load a trailer so heavy that the springs go level or bow backwards,, its a garrantee, you are going to have serious safety issues.

Hate to be a BUZZ KILL,,, But I would prefer that our RV'ers be SAFE.

[Russell E Johnson]

Well at one time there would have been a plate on the tongue which showed the max gvw for the trailer, you may get lucky andit is still there. On my MH, there was a paper inside the closet that showed alll the information there.

The safest thing I would recommend is to have a shop that works with springs, have then re-arch your set and then add a booster leaf, then you wold be pretty safe in staying in the area where your trailer is rated.

[dennis hooker]

Friends,

I appreciate all the facts and information you've given me.  Alas, I "died" a year ago - and the docs found enough "viable tissue" in my heart to restore me to life - and now I have more life than before.  But, it put my Shasta camping days in my awesome past.  Now I look forward to an awesome future - but camping isn't in my immediate future.

Thanks again - I love this Forum!

[Russell E Johnson]

Dennis, I really appreciate your positive outlook. Life often hands us undesired things, but you seem to have taken this last blow with a great positive attitude. Just because you are not camping, please stay with us. You are a valuable member and there are quite a few on this forum that do not have RVs. Best wishes for you.

Russ

[dennis hooker]

Yes, I love this Forum and miss my Shasta.  I found an awesome teacher who wanted this specific Shasta (16') and now has it on her acreage as a fun get-a-way and place to retreat to.  It found a wonderful home and remains vital and alive (like me!)