Torsion Spring Systems vs Leaf springs for Salt Water Application

Updated 01/07/2020 | Published 01/06/2020

Question:

I purchased a set of leaf springs from you all for my boat trailer about 3 years ago. it is a twin axle trailer for a 23ft carolina skiff boat. They have corroded significantly and are in need of replacing again. hear are my questions: 1 do you have different grades of steel? seems like the ones i put on 3 years ago corroded much faster than the previous ones. 2 would a torsion spring system hold up better under the rust than leaf springs? by the way, i clean my boat everytime i take it out of the water and attempt to rinse salt off springs. Thanks

asked by: Tom P

Expert Reply:

I checked your order notes and you went with the # e84SR three years ago. Salt water is really hard on boat trailers. Even when you rinse everything off the corrosion starts in pretty quickly. If I were you I would stick with leaf springs though as that's going to be much less expensive to replace in the future than a corroded torsion axle. There isn't a version of these springs that has more resistance to corrosion either.

What I would recommend you do is coat the springs with a flexible spray paint before you install them and then again after which would help slightly to keep out the salt water for a longer period of time.

expert reply by: Jameson C