Trailers and Spares

Suspension modifications didn't meet my expectations – I had the suspension on my off-road camper trailer modified by this business in March 2019. At the time of the work there appeared to be the owner (who was a diesel fitter or mechanic) and an assistant. From their website today it sounds like there is more staff with broader expertise, so please take this into account when considering this review. I am writing this review now as my camper has done 17,000 km since the repair, and I can now comment on the results of the modifications.

The wheels on my camper, which was about 5 years old at the time, had always worn unevenly and the swing arm bushes were inadequate. Doing a wheel alignment previously required an angle grinder and a welder, and I wanted a suspension design that would enable alignment without having to do this. The business owner told me they could do modifications other businesses couldn’t, and they came up with a plan to make new swing arm bushes with collars that would lock onto the existing suspension hangers. They were upfront with the costs and the work cost me $1391.72.

A few weeks after the modification to the camper suspension, when I had driven up to the Sunshine coast for a weekend away, I noticed a problem; each wheel of the camper was markedly splayed out! On inspection I observed that the 4 suspension arm bolts had moved in their slots. It seemed that the system of using the pivot bolt to compress the machined collar against the suspension hanger was not of sound engineering design. I promptly took the van back to them, and they apologised, re-aligned the suspension, and welded the collars into place. To be honest, I was as embarrassed for them (because it was a giant design fail), as I was disappointed for myself. I still had a van with welded suspension, but at least I had better designed bushes, and I would be happy enough if the van was now going to stop wearing out tyres and give me better durability.

I primed and painted the collar welds, and applied a surface layer of rubber and anti-chip paint. I did this because the welds did not look very substantial, and I didn’t want stones from dirt roads to erode the small amount of weld present. I was conscious that most of the weight of the camper was supported by these welds, and there was frictional force of the collars pushing against the suspension hangers, which had just been demonstrated to be rather weak.

Having now done 17,000 km since the modification, including some outback trips on good dirt roads, I can report there remains a problem with the suspension on my camper. The inside of the tyres wear out, requiring them to frequently be reversed on their rims, and recently the welds of the collars gave way and the collars moved once again.

In retrospect my opinion of the work Trailer and Spares did on my camper was not great because they:

1. Could not deliver what they proposed, which was a properly engineered solution to enable the suspension on my camper to be adjusted without welding. Their solution was certainly unique because most suspension manufacturers use a cam bolt system to deliver adjustable suspension. On reflection, this type of system should have been implemented when they made the new bushes (admittedly if a greater expense for myself). 2. Could not adequately align the wheels of my camper to stop the uneven tyre wear. They did not provide a detailed report or feedback when I picked the camper, so I am not able to comment on alignment process they used. I didn’t notice a wheel alignment machine, however they may have used portable equipment. 3. The welding on the collars was not substantial, and it broke after 17,000 km. The dirt roads on which I have taken my camper were regularly used by regular caravans, and did not include rough corrugations or 4wd tracks. There was no erosion of the welds from stone damage. The welds failed because of poor penetration and an inadequate amount of weld. (The current website states they have staff who are welders; they were not on staff when the modifications were done to my camper).

I have included photos of the bushes they machined (these were an improvement on the original manufacture), and photos of inadequate welds that lead to failure after 17,000 km.

I have recently had the camper’s suspension re-aligned and the collars re-welded by a different company. I am hoping the bushes that Trailer and Spares had made will last, and as I said before, they were certainly better than what was on the camper when I purchased it.