Dock Springs Info Page
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Dock springs are not a new idea. They have been around for quite a while. The idea is simple. They are effective at helping your dock's anchor system live in a stormy environment. The pair I have on my dock were made about 30 years ago by a dock repair guy on my lake who is no longer in the business. I recognized the value in what they did and being handy in the shop, cobbled together a few sets for neighbors who were having problems and needed them.
What makes dock springs necessary? I like to think about it like this... Your anchor pole is set in a couple hundred pounds of concrete on the shore by your dock. Feels pretty dang solid. If you apply pressure to the pole gradually up to the load limits of your winch, cable, and mounting hardware it will be just fine. Now if you were to take a huge hammer and swing it hard enough to generate the same level of force as the max pull described earlier, the pole is going to get loose in the ground and perhaps pull out, the winch mounting bolts can shear, the gears and spool locking pawl can strip, the winch frame can distend until the gears no longer line up and release all the cable on the spool, the cable clamps can slip and release the cable, the cable can break, or welds gluing things together can break. Your dock is the big hammer here. Every time it takes up the slack in your cable it hits all the anchoring parts with the energy created by its momentum over a very short time creating a shock load on your cable and impact load on your hardware.
A spring mounted on your cable will absorb that load and spread its application to your hardware over the span of greater time. Watching my dock springs work in a storm, seeing the spring compress solid, opened my eyes to how much energy the wind and current really has on my dock. I observed that the spring took more than 10 seconds to reach a state of solid compression. At solid compression, it was up to the rest of my hardware to hang in there. The dock springs gave my dock a fighting chance of surviving high winds.
They are not available anywhere else on the planet that I could find. You either made them yourself if you were handy and had some metalworking skills/equipment or you paid someone with metalworking skills/equipment to make them for you.
That being said, I want to be your dock spring fabricator. I have made several sets for neighbors who were having problems with dock survival. Upon deciding to enter into this business, I spent months searching for components needed. I found 4 types of truck springs that will work as intended.
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Light Duty Dock Springs. 600 pounds per inch compression rate
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Progressive Rate Dock Springs. They start at 800 pounds per inch of compression and the rate goes up to over 4000 pounds per inch as the spring is compressed.
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Heavy Duty Dock Springs. 1800 pounds per inch compression rate.
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Overkill Dock Springs. 2100 pounds per inch compression rate but with 1 inch diameter compression rods instead of 3/4 inch because overkill is underrated. This is the strongest set of dampeners I make. I also refer to this set as the "Ozark Heavy Duty Dock Springs". I began making these after dock owners on Lake of the Ozarks told me stories about what they were having to deal with there.
To determine the strength of an automotive spring I searched manufacturer's web sites for spring specifications. None list a compression rate. I use the data from the automotive coil spring manufacturers, plugged the numbers into a custom coil spring manufacturer's calculator and shazam!... I had real world numbers based on them making a duplicate spring for me. However, they wanted about $450 per custom made spring so the automotive parts suppliers will be the better source.
The difference is the thickness of the wire used for the spring, the number of coils, how tight the coils are arranged, and the outside diameter of the spring. I learned that .74 wire diameter has about 800 lbs./in compression strength, .93 has over 1800 lbs./inch, and 1.03 has 2100 lbs./inch.. The progressive rate spring in a vehicle gives a softer ride but resists bottoming out with its tighter coil structure on one end. Constant rate springs are just that, have a constant compression rate.
The example chart below has the info the spring I use for the Heavy Duty Dock Springs.
New springs are not cheap but will ensure long, consistent, and reliable performance. I could use junk yard springs but most will have fatigued from use under a heavy truck and have an inconsistent spring rate. I looked at having springs made just for this application but found that would be cost prohibitive at several hundred per spring. Auto manufactures ordered hundreds of thousands of each spring produced and OEM quality replacements are pretty reasonable.
$500 each pair is also pretty reasonable when you compare it to having a dock repair company come out and fix your broken walkway and anchor hardware. If your dock breaks loose and takes out your neighbor's dock, you are responsible for fixing their dock too. Installing a pair of Dock Springs is something most dock owners are capable of doing themselves. I have included installation instructions on this site with tips on making it easier.
You can pick them up here at my shop or I can ship them to you for actual shipping cost.
They are not available from any other source I can find. Your choices are to make them yourself or have them made for you at a fabrication shop. I want to be your dock spring fab shop. Every time I go fishing, I see a few more docks that broke in recent storms. Most have anchor system failures. There is a need. There is no better solution for helping your dock live through a bad storm.
Light Duty
Progressive
Heavy Duty
Overkill HD
Each pair will ship with new 3/4" anchor shackles so you won't have to hunt down a set for your installation.
I hope that I have given you enough information for you to make an informed decision about this method of enhancing your dock's anchoring system. I am available at 205-966-2137 if you have questions. If you want a set, they are available through the store on this site or through stopping by my shop and picking them up in person. Shipping anywhere in the country is going to eat $100 easily as they are pretty heavy. I did some research and found the UPS Ground has the best rates. You can choose your shipping method at checkout.
They are ready and waiting for a new home..
Get yours today!