Boat Trailers - Any downside or benefit to Torsion Arm suspension over typical Leaf Springs?

-Jim-

-Jim-

Member
Hi Gents,

Quick Question looking for answers:

Any downside or benefit to Torsion Arm suspension over typical Leaf Springs?

I was recruited to help a Buddy look at a used Galvanized EZ Load Trailer to replace his painted (read RUSTY) one that came with his boat he bought used 3 or 4 years ago. I advised him when he bought the boat the paint wouldn't stand up to the salt water, but he got a deal.

Anyway, I advised him I have zero experience on a trailer with Torsion Arm suspension on a EZ Load Boat Trailer Model EZB 17-20 3100 (2800) => 22 foot trailer / 3100 pound capacity, but I'm certain some of the Gents here certainly will.

Please advise any pros or cons you know of. A timely response would be appreciated.

Thanks for the assist.
 
Yes there is a definite plus. Mabel lake water level is so low people are having trouble launching with leaf spring trailers. I roll in and shoot my boat off with a combination of torsion axles and rollers. It’s enough of a difference in height I’ve been approached more than once about where I got my trailer. Not sure what type as no manufacturer and it’s registered as a home built. A minus would be it’s a squeaky setup.
 
I have a 2014 single axle EZ Loader Trailer. The sticker shows 5000lb GVWR with a capacity of 3700. The torsion axle is rated for 5500lbs according to the manufacturer. Fully loaded with boat and gear, fuel water etc I'm just a few hundred pounds under trailer capacity. I trailer the boat on average twice a week over the year but only short runs of 50 Kms round trip so in and out of salt water fairly often. So far I have had no issues with the torsion axle but I have no idea where it sits in it's estimated life cycle based on it's visual condition. I've read on other threads that when they fail they just fail. Two years ago I measured how the torsion bar sits when fully loaded in relation to the trailer frame so that I can monitor sag or deterioration of the rubber cords over time. Wish I had done this when it was new. No real sag increase in the last two years. I find the torsion axle quieter with a smoother ride but I've only had two trailers, one with spring so not a lot for comparison. The pic below is typical of the rubber cord arrangement on a torsion axle and shows different loading conditions. The closer the arm sits to the heavy load image below the rougher the ride will be. If your buddy gets the trailer I would suggest that he look at the position of the torsion arm with no load and then compare and record it's position with it fully loaded so that he has a reference to use over time to monitor if the rubber cord is deteriorating.

torsion-axle-works.gif
 
Clint r said:
Yes there is a definite plus. Mabel lake water level is so low people are having trouble launching with leaf spring trailers. I roll in and shoot my boat off with a combination of torsion axles and rollers. It’s enough of a difference in height I’ve been approached more than once about where I got my trailer. Not sure what type as no manufacturer and it’s registered as a home built. A minus would be it’s a squeaky setup.
Click to expand...
Newf said:
I have a 2014 single axle EZ Loader Trailer. The sticker shows 5000lb GVWR with a capacity of 3700. The torsion axle is rated for 5500lbs according to the manufacturer. Fully loaded with boat and gear, fuel water etc I'm just a few hundred pounds under trailer capacity. I trailer the boat on average twice a week over the year but only short runs of 50 Kms round trip so in and out of salt water fairly often. So far I have had no issues with the torsion axle but I have no idea where it sits in it's estimated life cycle based on it's visual condition. I've read on other threads that when they fail they just fail. Two years ago I measured how the torsion bar sits when fully loaded in relation to the trailer frame so that I can monitor sag or deterioration of the rubber cords over time. Wish I had done this when it was new. No real sag increase in the last two years. I find the torsion axle quieter with a smoother ride but I've only had two trailers, one with spring so not a lot for comparison. The pic below is typical of the rubber cord arrangement on a torsion axle and shows different loading conditions. The closer the arm sits to the heavy load image below the rougher the ride will be. If your buddy gets the trailer I would suggest that he look at the position of the torsion arm with no load and then compare and record it's position with it fully loaded so that he has a reference to use over time to monitor if the rubber cord is deteriorating.

View attachment 98473
Click to expand...
Thanks for your input Gents. The trailer in question is from 2011 so it's a bit older.

I wonder how long the rubber cords last before failure if dipped into the Chuck multiple times a season? I see no means to flush them out. They are 12 years old now if original I suspect.
 
-Jim- said:
Thanks for your input Gents. The trailer in question is from 2011 so it's a bit older.

I wonder how long the rubber cords last before failure if dipped into the Chuck multiple times a season? I see no means to flush them out. They are 12 years old now if original I suspect.
Click to expand...
Not sure about salt water but I read an article somewhere that suggested about 10 years before you’d start looking at replacing. Maybe why mine squeaks lol
 
I've heard 10-15 yrs as well but also have read about trailer 20-25yrs old. I'm sure it has lots to do with usage and loading. The link below gives a bit of info on rubber and salt. (Mostly tire related info) Overall it seems like not a big issue. I've been in and out of the chuck 80-100 times a years for the last 8 years. Hardening of the rubber with age more of a factor it seems.

www.qnaexperts.com

Does Salt Water Affect Rubber? - QNA Experts

The material stiffness of rubber has been proven to increase after long term exposure to seawater [72], [73]. Does water affect rubber? The strength of a rubber dried after being kept in water is anomalously high. This effect is explained in terms of the proposed polymer-nonsolvent interaction...
www.qnaexperts.com www.qnaexperts.com
 
A buddy has had nothing but trou le keeping bearings in his torsion axles. Right from new
 
Smoother ride with torsion axles but if you damage one or have to replace it its way more costly that leaf springs.
 
I wouldn't ever get another torsion axle myself. Yes they are lower for launching and a bit smoother, but the leaf springs are stronger.

My last trailer had torsion axle and when the trailer was heavily loaded it blew bearings. Never had that on any of my leaf trailers. I will take a bit of rougher ride then having a tire side of road.
 
Last edited:
Gents, just thought I should tidy this up and advise my Buddy got an opinion from the Trailer Mechanic he's been using that he had no issues with torsion axle trailers.

So he ended up buying the trailer a couple days ago.
 
Capt_Ed said:
A buddy has had nothing but trou le keeping bearings in his torsion axles. Right from new
Click to expand...
SpringVelocity said:
I wouldn't ever get another torsion axle myself. Yes they are lower for launching and a bit smoother, but the leaf springs are stronger.

My last trailer had torsion axle and when the trailer was heavily loaded it blew bearings. Never had that on any of my leaf trailers. I will take a bit of rougher ride then having a tire side of road.
Click to expand...
Was going to ask the question when I first saw your posts but didn't. Again, curiosity always gets the best of me so here is my question.

Were the trailers in question single axle trailers? I'm far from an expert but with the little bit of knowledge that I do have, my opinion is that having a leaf spring axle or a torsion axle would have no effect that I know of on bearing life, provided you are comparing apple to apples. By that I mean if you have a 5000lb rated axle for example (torsion or leafspring) with equal quality bearing/seals etc carrying the same identical loads under the same operating conditions I see no reason why you would have bearing issues on one over the other. Throw in a few oranges like different axle ratings, different bearings/seals, different loads or operating conditions etc and you are no longer comparing apples to apples.

For clarity, as mentioned above in my previous post, I currently have a torsion axle trailer but only because that's what came with the boat when I bought it. I have no preference of one over the other. Mine has a 5500lb axle and with the boat fully loaded and the weight of the trailer, the axle is "heavily" loaded. I fear losing an axle without warning due to failed rubber cords because there is very little info on the life of them and the cost is probably double or more compared to a standard axle but after 9 years so far so good. I have had zero issue with bearings. I replace them every 3 years as preventative maintenance only. In the sets I've removed, I always clean them up and look for issues on the rollers, cages and races and have found nothing that has concerned me to date.
Again, I'm just curious as to what you saw.
 
Newf said:
Was going to ask the question when I first saw your posts but didn't. Again, curiosity always gets the best of me so here is my question.

Were the trailers in question single axle trailers? I'm far from an expert but with the little bit of knowledge that I do have, my opinion is that having a leaf spring axle or a torsion axle would have no effect that I know of on bearing life, provided you are comparing apple to apples. By that I mean if you have a 5000lb rated axle for example (torsion or leafspring) with equal quality bearing/seals etc carrying the same identical loads under the same operating conditions I see no reason why you would have bearing issues on one over the other. Throw in a few oranges like different axle ratings, different bearings/seals, different loads or operating conditions etc and you are no longer comparing apples to apples.

For clarity, as mentioned above in my previous post, I currently have a torsion axle trailer but only because that's what came with the boat when I bought it. I have no preference of one over the other. Mine has a 5500lb axle and with the boat fully loaded and the weight of the trailer, the axle is "heavily" loaded. I fear losing an axle without warning due to failed rubber cords because there is very little info on the life of them and the cost is probably double or more compared to a standard axle but after 9 years so far so good. I have had zero issue with bearings. I replace them every 3 years as preventative maintenance only. In the sets I've removed, I always clean them up and look for issues on the rollers, cages and races and have found nothing that has concerned me to date.
Again, I'm just curious as to what you saw.
Click to expand...
My buddy's trailer is a 2 axle trailer
 
Torsion and oil bath all the way!!! no more cracked leaf springs and snapped ends . there is a reason why **** breaks and most of the time its un balance trailers or WAY to heavy, IF bearing are toasting and bearing buddys are poping out ummm there is a reason. EVERY trailer has issues but always go bigger then just the right poundage. if your boat is 7000 lbs get the 10,000 trailer not rocket science .
Also most torsion axles have sealed end so water cant inrtude mine does.
 
Leaf springs distribute the weight more evenly and ultimately seem better for large boats. Downside is they can be stiffer and much more prone to corrosion.

That's why you really need to go overkill on the torsion axles for dual and triple axle setups.
 
Ive always had leaf spring trailers after leafs breaking and getting replaced at Vic spring $$$$. then a support snap. ,speedy sleeve repairs. and another set of leafs and the noise of metal on metal which is scary. I was so done got a newer/used trailer with oil bath, discs, alumn trailer 12,000 lb.
id never go back to leaf again.

But lets face it the price of trailers is completly out of hand along with many other things no matter what you pick go bigger then just the min. it makes for easier towing and strength.
 
Wolf, absolutely things are expensive. Biggest downsides to torsions in heavy double and triple axle setups is torsion axles carry load independently of other axles. You hit a bump, all of the load is on one axle. You store you boat on the trailer and the axles aren't level, most of the weight is on one axle. With leaf springs, the loads are always equalized and spread out... but .... if the leafs are broken it doesn't really matter.

I just redid all new 6k torsion on a triple axle king trailer. In a perfect world one could say it should handle 18k lbs. But in reality, I would say 10-12k should be real world the limit. Personally.
 
There are designs out there for load sharing on tandem torsion axles. Would add to overall costs but they are out there.

1697734904536.png
 
I still don't see an advantage of a torsion axle yet then what has been posted. Also my trailers I put real miles on. I am not driving it few times yearly to dump my boat in a marina. Many spots to ramp locations can be many kms. Not down the road lolol.

I just found over time they get thrashed on. I had three single axle trailers. First one was straight axle. That one was pretty cheap to change leaf springs etc. Minor issues.

The last EZ loader torsion axles were a complete pain. Bearing issues etc. After the last bearing failure I went back to a straight axle 4200.
 
Torsion axles are basically independent suspension. That's the reason they were invented.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

-Jim-
"New" Boat Trailer is a bit big?
Replies
13
Views
1K
noluck
noluck
-Jim-
130 HP Honda Propeller Replacement
Replies
15
Views
1K
-Jim-
-Jim-
Back
Top