Taking care of your van or lorry’s leaf springs is crucial to increasing the spring’s lifespan while ensuring your commercial vehicle is safe to drive. Routinely checking your leaf springs ensures any early signs of wear and tear are found quickly and replaced before causing damage to your lorry or van’s suspension system.

Midland Road Springs has some tips for how to check the leaf springs on your commercial vehicle.

Check if the leaf spring nuts and bolts are secure

Loose nuts and bolts on your leaf springs can cause steering or braking issues with your van or lorry. Thoroughly check all bolts, nuts and U-bolts that secure the leaf springs to the suspension system. If you notice a loose U-bolt or nut, you must tighten it to avoid compromising the integrity of your springs and suspension. Tightening the nuts and bolts on your leaf springs reduces the risk of wear and the springs shifting out of position.

Move the leaf spring from side to side

To check if your leaf springs are secure, do the slack test. Before performing the test, place a jack underneath the vehicle’s chassis, not the axle.

Doing this will take the pressure off your light or heavy goods vehicle’s suspension. However, you must ensure all nuts and bolts are securely fastened before moving the leaf springs.

From there, grab the leaf spring at both ends and move it from side to side. If the leaf spring is loose, the bolts and nuts need further tightening. Alternatively, if the spring doesn’t move, the leaf springs are fully secured on your vehicle.

Look for rust or corrosion with the leaf springs

Over time, rust and corrosion can build up on your lorry or van’s leaf springs. Corrosion can weaken the metal leaves on the spring, compromising your vehicle’s performance. To remove minor rust or corrosion, use a wire brush or create a solution of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda and apply it to the affected area before cleaning with warm water.

Inspect the springs for cracks or breaks

Cracks or breaks in your vehicle’s leaf springs can go unnoticed, impacting the driveability of your lorry or van.

You must check the entire spring, from one end to another, for any noticeable damage or cracks. If there are noticeable cracks or breaks in the leaf springs, it can lead to sagging and potentially the spring falling out while driving. If you do notice any damage to your leaf springs, our team of experts can repair and replace your vehicle’s leaf springs quickly, efficiently and for a competitive price.

Replace your leaf springs with Midland Road Springs

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