OEM TRA Series Leaf Springs for Light Duty Trailer

Leaf springs are an integral suspension part of wheeled vehicles. These support the weight of the vehicle and its cargo. If you were to discuss this topic with mechanics or automotive enthusiasts, then you might encounter the term “parabolic leaf springs”. These are a variation of the leaf spring that provides plenty of benefits for your vehicle, including improving ride quality. As stated earlier, a leaf spring is an important part of a vehicle’s suspension system. This component is made up of layers of steel that vary in size. Most forms of leaf springs are formed into an elliptical shape to allow the component to flex when pressure is added. Leaf springs were widely used as early as medieval times. Back then, they were called carriage of laminated springs. Most old vehicles had them on.

Today, you will find leaf springs in trucks and vans that are required to carry heavy loads. The overall purpose of a leaf spring is to provide support to a vehicle and create a smoother ride by absorbing bumps. It also affects how high the vehicle rides and maintains the tire alignment while on the road. There are several variations to a leaf spring. You’ll find standard leaf springs and also parabolic leaf springs from automotive parts suppliers. A parabolic leaf spring is made up of a leaf or set of leaves that are tapered from the middle to the ends. The middle is thicker compared to the ends. A standard leaf spring is typically made up of multiple leaves, with each leaf longer than the one below. For standard semi-elliptical leaf springs, each leaf is made with a different length but with equal thickness from one end to the other. The more load you require, the thicker the leaves need to be and the more leaves you need. Compared to a standard leaf spring, a parabolic leaf spring is made up of fewer leaves and the ends are tapered. The shape is semi-elliptic, like most leaf springs. Other than that, the parabolic leaf spring’s design is made such that only the center and ends of the spring are touching. This provides an advantage of preventing inter-leaf friction. Since the leaves taper from end to center, it results in an evenly distributed stress across the spring. This leads to a quieter and more comfortable ride. With standard leaf springs, the leaves are clamped together, which means that there could be more friction between the leaves.