Front leaf spring bushings and pin replacement

[Ricky Beals]

17 hours ago, Onyx610 said:

Good solid piece of wood and how ever long you need to to get between the tire and frame. Once you turn the wheel into it the distance will close. Your just using the power steering to help you move the axle beam which would show a loose spring pack or bushings If worn. It won’t hurt anything as long as the wood isn’t on like a abs modulator valve or something haha. 

Onyx610 I just don’t see where to wedge a block of wood at to turn steer tire into it. Like I said never seen it done so having to visualize it. The brake can in the way on top and nothing to wedge on the bottom 

Edited January 15, 2022 by Ricky Beals

[Mark T]

That's a twelve thousand pound axle and suspension someone seems to have added a extra leaf to. It'll sit up a little better, but everything was engineered for 12000 pounds. So it's bushings probably are shot from being overloaded.  

[Mark T]

You can actually see the bushing out of center in that one picture and the leafs are worn into one another. Time for some new springs and you'll need someone to either find you the heaviest to fit the chassis or add to it like someone already did.  They're only rubber bushings and not very good at taking the pounding  greaseable pins and bushings will .

[R.E.D]

Sir ,what you are describing in my opinion are the bushings as you have suggested.our 2 mack chs have this problem.since they were over the road and since converted to dump truck the rubber bushings don't hold up.. usually we can get a year out of them.they are not greasable ,either in the front or the back at the spring hanger.They noise is most easily heard when turning loaded.see if upgraded polyurethane bushings are available in your area.. polyurethane usually last longer.. picture above from onyx is from an axle that has threaded pins and are greasable...and a later year model to yours ..indicated by the 3 holes on the pin,which I believe is a Volvo design.

Red.

[Ricky Beals]

Thank you guys for your response. I appreciate the time and information you guys have given me. Again I really appreciate your time and patience. 
 

is this something a guy with some mechanical skills perform? I’m talking replacing the springs and bushings and pins. I have replaced a few leaf spring packs on Toyota tacomas but Never have owned a big truck or been around them much. Bought some land and needed to build some roads and move a lot of gravel. So bought this truck and a excavator and just started doing it. The biggest tools I have are 1/2” drive and a Milwaukee 1/2 impact. 

[Ricky Beals]

30 minutes ago, R.E.D said:

Sir ,what you are describing in my opinion are the bushings as you have suggested.our 2 mack chs have this problem.since they were over the road and since converted to dump truck the rubber bushings don't hold up.. usually we can get a year out of them.they are not greasable ,either in the front or the back at the spring hanger.They noise is most easily heard when turning loaded.see if upgraded polyurethane bushings are available in your area.. polyurethane usually last longer.. picture above from onyx is from an axle that has threaded pins and are greasable...and a later year model to yours ..indicated by the 3 holes on the pin,which I believe is a Volvo design.

Red.

What do you guys replace your bushings with? Have you guys upgraded your springs? If so what with or do you still run three leaf that came on truck.

[Ricky Beals]

2 hours ago, Mark T said:

You can actually see the bushing out of center in that one picture and the leafs are worn into one another. Time for some new springs and you'll need someone to either find you the heaviest to fit the chassis or add to it like someone already did.  They're only rubber bushings and not very good at taking the pounding  greaseable pins and bushings will .

Where do you see the springs worn into one another. I can’t see what you see. 

[Mark T]

Leaf springs are supposed to be able to slide over each other as they flex.  Those springs and bushings are just worn out. Sounds like you don't have big enough tools to make that repair. R.E.D. is right

[D-Day]

For a quick check I use a small bottle jack on the spring behind the axle to jack against the frame just a little bit and remove the shackle and you can then check the bushings and pins

[Joey Mack]

I'm thinking you may need to remove the springs and frame hangers and take to a shop with a press.. I have done then on the truck and I had to get creative to get the new ones in. the old ones are usually so bad that the pin will come out and then I cut the rubber and bushing with a sawz all, yes i do nick the boss but I had to do what I had to do.. then I buff the boss with a flapper wheel. then I fight and curse trying to press the pin in the hanger..  in recent years i send them out to get pressed..  I wonder if there is a mobile service in youre area that has a portable hydraulic press..  jojo

[R.E.D]

4 hours ago, Ricky Beals said:

Thank you guys for your response. I appreciate the time and information you guys have given me. Again I really appreciate your time and patience. 
 

is this something a guy with some mechanical skills perform? I’m talking replacing the springs and bushings and pins. I have replaced a few leaf spring packs on Toyota tacomas but Never have owned a big truck or been around them much. Bought some land and needed to build some roads and move a lot of gravel. So bought this truck and a excavator and just started doing it. The biggest tools I have are 1/2” drive and a Milwaukee 1/2 impact. 

I'm afraid that 1/2 drive won't be enough..u bolts are one time use since they stretch and the nuts on them pretty much weld themselves in with rust and road grime over time..we use a torch or cut off whel to cut them.

You can take them to your local springs shop or big truck parts store to be measured..while your there ,pick up a spring center bolt.this is the bolt that keeps the whole spring pack together..it's doweled at the bottom to center springs pack into the axle..we use a one inch drive impact with short anvil to tighten the u bolts.. tighten evenly and don't forget to put back the wedge...that's what sets your caster .let us know.

 

Red 

Ps: there's a channel on YouTube called "semi working"..he does this for a living and has a videos on macks too.good luck.

 

 

 

 

[R.E.D]

4 hours ago, Ricky Beals said:

What do you guys replace your bushings with? Have you guys upgraded your springs? If so what with or do you still run three leaf that came on truck.

We just take spring pack and have the shop press the bushings in..3 spring should be enough for a tandem truck grossing less than 50k pounds I believe.we use 4 springs ,since the trucks are tri axles and run gross around 55k to 57k pounds .

[mrsmackpaul]

Been as the spring is only single wrapped, or at least it appears to be 

What I mean by that is for many many years, like 40 years or more 1 spring makes the eye for the shakle and next leaf makes a bigger eye around that eye but loose encase the end of the spring breaks off you still have control

 

Anyway been that it looks like a single wrap around the shackle pin should be in the center I would think, it doesn't look anywhere near the center to my eyes by that photo

The bushes looked fairly flogged out, might be just the way the photo was taken

 

Paul 

Edited January 16, 2022 by mrsmackpaul

[MACKS]

Forget about doing it yourself,call a spring shop,they will give u a price to re bush with new pins over the phone,if u don’t have the bucks then keep on hauling,it’s not gonna brake anytime soon,when u get the bucks get it fixed…

[Onyx610]

I’d say you could easily tackle the job. Those u bolts don’t get torqued anymore then what your half inch can do. 

[R.E.D]

I agree with macks ,the learning curve is to steep ..this is the front end we are talking about.something comes loose going down the road because of a error on your part and the results could be catastrophic..this is a dump truck we are talking about ,which carries the load , not pulls it..stubby one inch impact is the way to go...but that's just my .02¢...if your not tooled up to do it , just have someone else take care of it... besides the one inch impact , we use some 25 ton jacks , pry bars and engine driven air compressor big enough to provide the cfm for the impact to work like it should.let us know.

Red

 

 

[Mark T]

1 hour ago, R.E.D said:

I agree with macks ,the learning curve is to steep ..this is the front end we are talking about.something comes loose going down the road because of a error on your part and the results could be catastrophic..this is a dump truck we are talking about ,which carries the load , not pulls it..stubby one inch impact is the way to go...but that's just my .02¢...if your not tooled up to do it , just have someone else take care of it... besides the one inch impact , we use some 25 ton jacks , pry bars and engine driven air compressor big enough to provide the cfm for the impact to work like it should.let us know.

Red

 

 

R.E.D. is 100% on this. No offence, but even thinking about try'n this repair armed with a 1/2" impact ???  It's outta your league, and not out of the question someone can end up hurt.  Right now, this problem can still be cured with a blank check. Crushed by the truck, or wrecked ??? not as easy to make go away.

[MACKS]

Just wondering what size dump are you talking about,6/w,10/w,what size is the body?12 to 14000 front end is way to light for a heavy dump truck..

[mechohaulic]

if the picture of the rear spring hanger is the actual truck being discussed, this ole man wasn't that far off in the text of check rear hangers LOL,  picture looks as tho the pin in spring is way worn. i would take HD bottle jack ; 20 ton (over kill)  always worked for me. place jack on top of spring between spring and bottom of frame rail closest to rear  hanger , jack up to see how much play in pin bushing. looks definitely worn in picture. as previously stated; job for spring shop and not a safety hazard just a noise till $$ and time to tie up unit for proper repairs. almost looks like movement on the bolts holding rear hanger to frame -maybe not.

[Falco]

I’m having a problem on my 2006 Mack vision cxn613 that was converted too a dump truck when I’m loaded the truck and trailer start moving sided to side when going more that 50mph and when it’s not loaded the tractor and trailer do fine on the highway. I changed the torque bar and adjusted the gear box but still have the same problem. Mechanical told me it might be my bushings on my rear spring that could be wore out. I told him that just to make sure it is the problem before I need to change the ones on the trailer as well. And put me out of business before I even start working can anyone help me on this issue. I would really appreciate it 

[Joey Mack]

My guess is it has air ride on the tractor.  They are prone to loosen up at the u- bolts.  You may be able to see some shiny metal on the axle housing where it would be shifting.  If you strike the ubilts with a hammer and they don't ring out, and they ''thud'' , they are loose.  This will allow shifting of the axles. 

Edited August 8, 2023 by Joey Mack
Pore cell fone sperring

[mrsmackpaul]

Were is the fifth wheel king pin positioned, as in how far forwards of the centerline of the rear axle or axle ground 

Maybe shift it forward a bolt hole or two to transfer more weight to the steer

 

Paul

[Joey Mack]

He needs to creat a new post with pictures..  

[mrsmackpaul]

Yes it would help a lot to check with some pictures of the results if things checked 

 

Paul