How Important is a Rebond Clip on a Leaf Spring

Published 10/04/2018

Question:

2003 Tandem axle boat trailer, missing rebound clips on both springs on one side. Is that ok? The leaf springs are original 2003.

asked by: Tom

Helpful Expert Reply:

The rebound clip is a pretty important piece on the leaf spring stack so I wouldn't really say it is okay to use your trailer without them. The rebound clips are designed to hold the leaf spring stack together so that when you hit a bump in the road, your leaf spring stack does not separate which can cause additional stress on the main leaf. If too much stress is put on the main leaf then it could break free from the stack. If the main leaf breaks then you are going to have some serious problems and damage to deal with, especially if your boat is on the trailer.

Since the leaf springs have not yet been changed and they are 15 years old, I highly recommend replacement. In order to offer my recommendation I would need to know your axle capacity, width of the leaf springs, length of the leaf springs, and type of leaf springs. If you can provide me with this info then I would be glad to help but if not I have attached our selection for you. Please note that leaf springs will lengthen over time so the new ones will likely be shorter than the ones you have now.

expert reply by: Conner L