So you are out for a nice day in the woods and the worst happens, you snap a spring…. Now what. Actually it may not be as bad as you think, at least not if you have a few things in your rig. Don’t forget that neccesity is the mother of invention.
Why this comes up is that I had the joy of fixing just this thing on the McGrew Trail. One of the 60’s on the run snapped the two main springs that provide the main support and attach the axle to the rig. It was broken just forward of the spring perch.
After noticing that something wasn’t right, Chris, the driver stopped the rig and got out to look. After safely jacking up the rig and removing the tire to get a better look this is what we found. No the c-clamp came a little later… You can clearly see that the two main leaves are completely broken.
When we first looked at it the leaves were much further seperated we just didn’t get a pic. The c-clamp just kept the leaves pulled together as we used straps to pull the axle forward and back into place.
Once we got the axle pulled back forward, a d-ring shackle was put around the spring pack and pounded into place. This squeezed the spring pack back together and loosened up the c-clamp. But unfortunately the shackle was too far forward on the spring pack to keep it together once the weight was put back on the axle.
Next we wrapped webbing salvaged from a ratchet strap around the spring pack as close to the break as possible. But even this would not be enough to keep the springs together. What now? How about a spare spring mount shackle that I had in my rig. While this was not why I carried it, it definitely fit the bill for something that would hold the springs together and not interfere with the tire or the frame once the weight of the rig was supported by the spring.
After removing the shock for clearance I clamped the shackle around the webbing that was around the spring pack. I tighted it down pretty good but not so much that it crushed the webbing. And just for a little insurance, duct tape capped things off.
But we were not out of the woods yet. Even though the spring was temporarily repaired there was nothing to keep the axle from moving backwards and seperating the two halves of the springs. Fortunately Chris’s rig was equipped with a winch so this was simpler than it might appear.
To keep the axle from moving backwards I just ran the cable under the front axle and hooked around the rear axle housing and tensioned the cable, snug but not overly tight. If the break was behind the spring perch it would have required a different approach with the winch cable.
This set up took us about a mile along the trail where we met up with a fire road that would take Chris and his damaged rig back to the trailhead. And while I recommended a tow truck I believe Chris may have driven the 50 miles back to town. Still have to ask him how he got back to town but he did make it safely home.
