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Showerthought: A customer's complaint about a weird vibration made me check something I always ignored.
He said his truck felt 'loose in the back' only when towing his boat. I finally checked the U-bolt torque on the leaf spring shackles, which I used to just eyeball, and they were all way under spec. Now I break out the torque wrench for every suspension job. Anyone have a different method for checking those on a quick inspection?
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margaret_bennett31mo ago
Seriously? You guys act like every bolt needs a NASA spec sheet. John's18 story about the trailer hitch, sure, that's a safety thing. But for a quick look at leaf spring U-bolts on some old farm truck? A good rattle with an impact gun has worked for decades. If it doesn't move, it's tight enough. Seen plenty of trucks where the shackles are rusted solid anyway, torque specs are a dream.
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coleman.jade13d ago
Man, I get where you're coming from, but I learned the hard way too. Had an old Chevy where I just zipped the U-bolts back on. Drove it for a month before the whole axle shifted on a bumpy road. Scared me straight. Now I at least check the manual for that spec and give it a proper crank. It's five extra minutes that saves a world of trouble.
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johns181mo ago
Ever have one of those moments that just makes you feel stupid? I did almost the same thing with a trailer hitch on my old truck. Spent weeks chasing a wobble, turned out the bolts were just barely snug. Now I treat every nut and bolt like it's holding the whole thing together. That torque wrench is your best friend for a reason.
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