Rear Springs In Australia

[AustHaflinger]

Ever since I have has my haffie the bottoms of the rear wheels point in substantially all the time and in 2wd I have reduced traction. I suspect that when it was a gold miners vehicle in the desert they put heavy duty springs in the rear (still some slack in the straps) to carry all the gold they found.

So if anyone in Australia has some "normal springs" to sell please let me know or even if you want to swap some of your normal springs for my heavy duty springs let me know.





Cheers

Garry

[Markus]

I'm sure you can source them from the European Haflinger part suppliers.

M

[AustHaflinger]

Yes thanks - I agree - just easier locally as shipping from Europe often makes things expensive.

Cheers

Garry

[AustHaflinger]

I managed to get some standard springs and installed them today.

Here is the old heavy duty spring compared to the new standard spring. The new one is just under an inch shorter than the heavy duty one and the coils in the old are just under 15.5mm thick and the new ones are just over 14.5mm.



The wheels still point in just a tad with the new springs but as the springs settle all should come right.

Cheers

Garry

[heinkeljb]

Looking good then, I wonder if the "claimed" payload for your Haflinger was changed due to the thicker, longer springs? The standard Haflinger is claim to have a payload of 500KG. I wonder the Kommunal variation had a different Spec and if your "old" springs are actually the same as those fitted to the Kommunal? Could quite easily be "specials" made for the gold miners!

John

[Julian B]

Garry, thanks for posting that picture; my Haf has a severe case of cambered in rear wheels, so when I take them off tomorrow I will check which springs I have.

[AustHaflinger]

Looking good then, I wonder if the "claimed" payload for your Haflinger was changed due to the thicker, longer springs? The standard Haflinger is claim to have a payload of 500KG. I wonder the Kommunal variation had a different Spec and if your "old" springs are actually the same as those fitted to the Kommunal? Could quite easily be "specials" made for the gold miners!

John

John while the payload may or may not have been increased but the ability to carry heavy loads continuously would be increased. I assume that when at max load on normal springs the rear would be on the bump stops where with heavy duty springs there would still be wheel travel left.

Cheers

Garry

[heinkeljb]

Out of interest, did you replace all 4 springs or only the two rear ones? Obviously, payload would be mostly on the back two wheels, but a fair increase on the front two if the load was place close to the cab as you would expect.
On another point, Julian's platform looks like it suffered from overload at some point in it's past with the side rails looking a bit bent if you look down the length of them. Do yours suffer from the same issue?

John

[AustHaflinger]

No - I just did the rear springs as they were the problem. The front springs are standard and the wheels sit as they should.

Garry

[Julian B]

On another point, Julian's platform looks like it suffered from overload at some point in it's past with the side rails looking a bit bent if you look down the length of them. Do yours suffer from the same issue?

Yes, looking along the length of the side members (from the front), the side members droop ~5mm in the centre compared to the two ends. Not sure how this might have happened, as the low point is at the mid point and it would be difficult to put a huge weight in that area.

[heinkeljb]

Putting weight on the platform will cause it to bend at the weakest point even if that is not directly under the weight. Any chance you can pin point the bend and mark it on one of the photo you have showing the underneath of the platform. That might show up the as a weak line between the boxes or something.

Admittedly, this is speculation on my part, but I can't think of any other reason for the bend in the bed. unless it is because it was strapped down when being transported and the straps were just over tightened?

John

[Julian B]

Admittedly, this is speculation on my part, but I can't think of any other reason for the bend in the bed. unless it is because it was strapped down when being transported and the straps were just over tightened?

Posible - but to do so would require the removal of the sideboards (otherwise they would collapse under the pressure), and there won't be many occasions when a Haf is trailered away _without_ the sideboards installed.

The low point on my SWB Haf are pretty much where the (lightweight, Pre-Series) "roll bar"/ hood hoop fixes to the body, immediately behind the front seats.

[Julian B]

I managed to get some standard springs and installed them today.

Here is the old heavy duty spring compared to the new standard spring. The new one is just under an inch shorter than the heavy duty one and the coils in the old are just under 15.5mm thick and the new ones are just over 14.5mm.

Hi Garry,

I have just removed my rear springs, and they are 23cm tall when out of the vehicle, and ~14,.35mm cross section. It is very likely therefore that, based on cross section they are the lighter duty springs, but could you tell us how tall yours were?

Whilst on the subject - and being slightly concerned about my arguably excessive camber on the rear wheels, I now see that there are a series of washers / spacers between road spring support cones (#21) and the hub casting; they have a total thickness of 10.6mm and 12.4mm on each rear axle, but none are shown in the Parts Manual. I can't quite get my head around whether these spacers are helping or hindering, and whether I should re-fit them when I re-build the suspension ... ???

Julian

[heinkeljb]

I'll have a look at mine tomorrow in daylight Julian, but looking at my parts book, it doesn't show any washers between the bottom peg and the swing arm. From what I an remember off the top of my head, mine do NOT have any washers fitted there - at least not something 10mm thick!
There is washer fitted at the top of the spring, but again I think it is just a washer not a spacer. The Kommunal variation has what the parts book calls a "special cap" (13-c) which "might" be thicker than the standard one, but I doubt it would have the same affect as your "10/12mm" spacers.

Have you tried just putting the system back together with out those spacers in just to see if the spring fits with out being "too loose"?

John

[walderse]

Julian,
Can you post photos of these washers in place?
I have not seen such washers on any trucks with which I am familiar.
Take care.

Jim Molloy
Waldersee Farm
http://www.northwestmogfest.com

[AustHaflinger]

I have just removed my rear springs, and they are 23cm tall when out of the vehicle, and ~14,.35mm cross section. It is very likely therefore that, based on cross section they are the lighter duty springs, but could you tell us how tall yours were?

Whilst on the subject - and being slightly concerned about my arguably excessive camber on the rear wheels, I now see that there are a series of washers / spacers between road spring support cones (#21) and the hub casting; they have a total thickness of 10.6mm and 12.4mm on each rear axle, but none are shown in the Parts Manual. I can't quite get my head around whether these spacers are helping or hindering, and whether I should re-fit them when I re-build the suspension ... ???

Julian

Hi Julian - my heavy duty springs are 26cm tall so your 23cm is about right for standard springs - I cannot help with the washers etc as I did not take note of these. After about 60km on the new springs the rear wheels still point in a little but no where near what it did before and should settle further with use.

Garry

[Julian B]

Julian, Can you post photos of these washers in place? I have not seen such washers on any trucks with which I am familiar.

Jim, The washers go between the rear swing axle and the supporting cone that attaches to the lower end of the road springs. It is either to overcome an excess space between the upper cross member and the swing axle, or it is a mistake by a previous owner. I'd like to leave them out when I re-build this area, but if the springs rattle around in their seatings I will presumably have to put them back?

(I have not yet stripped down the front springs to compare.)

[heinkeljb]

Julian,

Those are definitely not an original fitment. For one thing they are different from each other so are just what someone had available at the time of fitment. They don't look like they were chosen as proper "shims", just as washers that would fit!

I would try fitting the springs with out them, even with out the weight of the platform the springs should not be so loose they they are in danger of jumping off the pegs.
My springs can be rotated even with all four wheels on the ground. Those washers would also explain why your limit straps are always tight - assuming of course that they are the same length as the original ones!
I would rebuild without them - see what the fit of the springs is like then, it is easy enough to remove the springs and re-fit the equivalent of those washers in a one piece spacer, or several washers which are all the same.

John

[AustHaflinger]

I have now driven a couple of hundred km on my new rear springs and they seem to have now settled to their correct height. The rear now has a very slight bum down attitude but is Ok. Certainly a lot better than the wheels in attitude I had before.

The front springs seem normal so next time I play around with the suspension I will moved the fronts to the back and vice versa.

But very happy with them as is.

Garry

[heinkeljb]

Gary,

If you have non-directional tyres fitted, you could take to swapping them for side to side to even out the wear. That way you would not end up with tyres which were completely worn out on the outside edge, but still had plenty of thread on the inside edge.
The other way round the issue would be to have some foladable water carriers full of water on the back. If you had to carry anything, you can always pour out the water.

John