Shocker Absorber Maintenance

Replace Shock as part of your established Preventative Maintenance Program

Tires are expensive!.......No duh, right?

Well a very important, but lesser known Preventative Maintenance procedure is the replacement of shock absorbers on a preventative, rather than a corrective maintenance basis. Shock absorbers have become one of the major causes of unnecessary tire wear, as well as the cause of jarring and vibration damage to many other components.The reason for this phenomenal increase in worn shock related damage is the advent of soft air suspensions on trailers coupled with the deteriorating condition of the nation's roadways have made shock replacement an important step in extending tire life. The ATA's TMC Recommended Practice on air suspension maintenance (RP 643) recommends that fleets "Establish a preventative maintenance procedure which changes shocks on a regular basis". This needs to be performed BEFORE a problem arises. Which had you rather replace? Tires that costs over $200 each or a set of $40 shocks?

When a new tire is installed on a trailer, the shock absorber may look fine, but if it has been run over 150,000 miles, it will have stroked over 30 million times. Since the shock's hydraulic fluid does not have the lubrication quality of engine oil, it will have lost much of its dampening capabilities due to internal wear. When a shock loses over 50% of its dampening, it can allow the excessive wheel hop on rough roads that can cause irregular tire wear due to excessive foot print distortion.

Bottom Line – Set an maintain a set schedule for replacing your shock absorbers as part of a quality Preventative Maintenance Program.