List of Suspension Issues in a Crusader Caravan (Expert Guide)

In this brief article we are going to discuss the different Crusader Caravan Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.

What are the most common  Crusader Caravan suspension issues? 

The most common  Crusader Caravan suspension issues are:

• Leaf Spring Breakage
• Equalizer Breakage
• Tyre Scrubbing

Crusader Caravan Suspension Set-up

Crusader Caravans are among the prominent manufacturers in Australia of caravans that are capable of Off-roading. The  Crusader Caravan’s Suspension is of mainly tandem axle type in the case of 2-axle caravans. The 2 axle suspensions are  connected by a load equalizer hinge mechanism.

Leaf Spring Breakage

• Steel suspension Leaf Springs are always prone to breakage
• In a suspension that is Off-road oriented, it is expected to see several leaf spring breakages
• Leaf springs used in Crusader Caravan are generally the Semi-elliptic type
• The Semi-elliptic type of leaf springs undergo interleaf frictional wear and fatigue over long-term usage. This wearout is accelerated in an Off-road situation.
• One more reason for leaf spring breakage is seizure of the spring hinge at the equalizer bracket hanger due to a lack of lubrication.
• When the equalizer bracket gets seized, the suspension load does not get balanced between the 2 axles. This seizure then leads to overload on one of the axle leaf springs, leading to premature leaf spring failure.

Equalizer Breakage

• Some tandem axles have a Load-Balancer Bracket or Equalizer, which transfers the weight between the two axles
• In salty and moist conditions, this is prone to rusting and, in some extreme cases, disintegration

• In most branded axle products, the spares would be available for a replacement
• As is the case with the leaf springs, Equalizer Bracket failures also happen at the spring hinge at the equalizer bracket hanger due to a lack of lubrication at the three hinges of the Equalizer.

Tyre Scrubbing

• Uneven Tyre wear on the wheels
• The reason this happens is due to the tires missing their alignment 
• The best way to deal with  it is to get the alignment done at a place that does alignment for Trucks. Car and Van alignment shops might not be able to do a good job.
• If an alignment did not solve the issue, then it might be the case that the axles have bent. 
• In order to check axle bened, you can use a straight edge plank or a sheet-metal channel of roughly 1-2 mtr and place it over the edges of both the tyres on the sidewall.
• Ideally, there must be no gap between the tires and the plank. If there is a gap, then it means that there is an issue with either of the axles
• Also check the center distance between the axles on both sides. Use the in-built adjustment to align the axles back to the manufacturer recommendations.

Conclusion

In this brief article we have discussed the different Crusader Caravan Suspension problems, what the causes are, and Troubleshooting Tips.