I've had to work on my dad's boat trailer before and it actually uses the stiff steel leaf springs and no gas/hydraulic shock absorber. I believe it has to do with the weights they carry and the stiffness of the leaf spring compared to that of a car which consists of a coil spring with a shock running through the center (acting as the damper).
Good Post,
-Pat
2 comments:
This was supposed to be in reply to John's Trailer question from a few days ago
The lack of a dampener for the trailer is most likely based on a few things. First, This is a progressive rate spring so it will behave differently than a spring you would pick up at the hardware store. Also, in my experience only the most expensive trailers are designed by a team of engineers. Instead most of them are built by a fab shop and a crew of guys that have fabrication knowledge. (some of the trailers I have seen recently even make me question that. The porosity in the welding makes it clear they are trying to cut costs and time by mig welding dirty metal) Enough on that though. The other thought I have is that a dampener serves a purpose of increasing the drivers control of the car. A trailer which is just tagging along for the ride can bounce around a little and it will tow ok as long as it is loaded well and towed by a capable vehicle. Enough on that rant... Now I'm not sure my reasoning even makes sense... O well
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