Measuring Your Vehicle's Leaf Springs Heavy-duty vehicles like trucks and delivery vans are often weighed down because of transporting large items thus stressing out the vehicle's rear axles. This is where the role of leaf springs comes into play. Leaf springs are specifically designed to keep tyres rounded and the vehicle body horizontal irrespective of the weight being carried or the terrain through which the vehicle is passing. These springs are crucial to the suspension system of any vehicle. They act as a pad between the axle and chassis thus protecting the vehicles and cargoes from any kind of damage. However, with regular use, the leaf springs will eventually wear out, and as you start looking for replacements, it important for you to know how to measure your vehicle's leaf springs so that you can identify what is best suited for your vehicle. To be honest, measuring your vehicle's leaf springs can be tricky. But with the right guidance, a perfect measuring tape and a set of leaf springs to try your hands on, you should be able to take accurate measurements in almost no time! Leaf springs are not just meant to be measured end to end. With that calculation, you will never be able to get the right measurement of the spring surface. The following steps should help you understand how to measure your leaf spring, but then again it will certainly depend upon the sample spring type you have in hand for measuring purpose: Measuring the leaf length: Follow the diagram below and read the instructions carefully for accurate measurement:
Start along the leaf surface and measure right from the center of the front eye (A) through the center of the bolt (C). Repeat the same things on the other side i.e., start from the center of the back eye (B) to the center of the bolt (C). With this done, you will get the accurate measurement of the length of your leaf spring. Measuring the Spring Width: Once you are done with measuring the length, the next step is to measure the width of the leaf spring i.e. the width between A to B. This can be very simply done by measuring along the center of the top leaf. Typically, spring widths range between 2 1/2” or 3”. Number of Leaves in the spring: Finally, it is important to count the number of leaves that are there in your vehicle’s leaf spring. Start counting the leaves from top to bottom. Do not miss out on the rebound leaf at the bottom. If you follow the diagram below, you will see there are 3-green colored leaves and 1 red colored leaf – that is the rebound leaf.