Leaf springs play a crucial role in your vehicle’s suspension system. Regular maintenance is essential to prevent potential leaf spring failures, allowing your van or lorry to carry heavy loads while driving. Our helpful article explains how to reduce the likelihood of your leaf springs failing on your light or heavy goods commercial vehicle. 

Avoid overloading your vehicle 

Overloading your van is a common mistake that can damage your van over time, leading to the vehicle’s leaf springs bending or distorting. If your leaf springs are damaged, your suspension system won’t be able to carry heavy loads, which left unaddressed could lead to potential accidents. Using an overloading kit or carrying less weight in your van can take the load off your leaf springs while reducing the risk of overloading your leaf springs.  

Clean your suspension system 

Not cleaning your suspension system can lead to corrosion in your leaf springs. Typically, leaf springs are made from thin springs of steel that rub together when used. You can prevent the leaf springs from wearing out or breaking by thoroughly cleaning the suspension system. This can increase the lifespan of the suspension and protect your van from potential damage on bumpy or pothole-stricken roads.  

Buy your leaf springs from a reliable supplier 

We cannot stress how crucial it is to buy or upgrade your leaf springs from a reliable supplier. Our professionally trained specialists have many years of experience fitting and replacing leaf springs on light and heavy commercial vehicles. When you buy from us, we will ensure that the springs on your van are fitted correctly onto your vehicle’s suspension system, thus reducing the risk of potential failure on your leaf springs. 

Get the U-bolts on your leaf springs inspected 

The U-bolt forms part of the leaf spring, securing the vehicle’s differential to the axles and tyres. If the U-bolt becomes loose, the suspension system cannot support the van while driving on various surfaces. This makes driving your van dangerous as you’ll find it difficult to steer on tight bends. Ideally, the U-bolts should be professionally inspected every 24,000 miles or you can check the vehicle’s handbook to find out when to replace the bolts. A loose U-bolt on your suspension system must be examined and tightened to avoid potential suspension damage. 

Inspect the leaf springs for weld splatter 

Typically, weld spatter is found in commercial vehicles that come off the production line. This is caused by welding the body or accessories to the leaf springs of your van or lorry. A small amount of weld spatter can affect the lifespan of your leaf springs. Having your leaf springs inspected is essential to finding traces of molten weld fillers, which could make the springs vulnerable to wear and tear over time. 

Replace your leaf springs with Midland Road Springs 

Have you noticed that your leaf springs need replacing? At Midland Road Springs, we inspect, replace and fit leaf springs. With almost four decades of experience, our specialists have replaced and upgraded leaf springs for hundreds and thousands of vehicles. Discover our leaf spring collection online, alongside our light commercial and heavy-duty leaf springs. For any information about our leaf springs, contact our expert team today.