newby axle question

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newby axle question

Postby TerryB89 » Wed Sep 25, 2019 4:53 pm

I was just under this trailer I bought and I noticed the "axle" is only about a foot long at each wheel, inside of a U shaped channel, with nothing but empty channel between the wheels. Is that the norm for cheap trailers?
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Re: newby axle question

Postby Tyrtill » Wed Sep 25, 2019 6:56 pm

Yes. In fact the guy who did the inspection on mine warned me that it probably wouldn’t do the rated load of my trailer without bending.
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Re: newby axle question

Postby dmdc411 » Fri Sep 27, 2019 12:39 pm

Not saying it's bad in any way. I would stick with the 2/3rd's rule. When building/designing, have the total weight be no more than 2/3rds the capacity of the frame rating.

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Re: newby axle question

Postby dangerranger » Fri Sep 27, 2019 4:16 pm

My neighbor had a trailer with that kind of axle. It worked fine for years to haul his Golf cart around. It worked till one day he backed over a curb and parking block and bent it. Most of the stress is pulling , like you are pulling the bottoms of the wheels outward. The U or V channel can take this just fine. what it cant take is an impact in the middle. It takes very little to bend one. I took his and cut off the U channel and slipped the ends into a tube and re-welded them. After he used it a couple times I checked the tires for any unusual wear, and found none. He used it for a couple more years . It was an easy repair.
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