We got a Starcraft popup for a $200, and we're turning it into a teardrop chassis. Tore off the top, cut the wings off the frame as well as the back 18" or so, and planning to move the axle forward 5 inches (currently at 30% of body length).
My question is, for a 5x9' moderately equipped teardrop, is the #2200 dexter torsion axle going to work okay, or will it be too stiff? I've seen folks saying that with torsion axles, loading 50% of capacity and up gives a decent ride, and it looks like a reasonable weight for something this size is about #1500, so I figure this should be pretty good. Can folks confirm that, or set me straight?
Also, I'm inclined to move the axle now, before we start building the camper. Seems that I can get it reasonably close to the right spot, and it'll be a lot easier to run this frame to the welder now, and then paint it up, instead of doing that stuff with the teardrop already on it (or removing the teardrop, which seems like a risky proposition).
The way the frame members are laid out, it'll be simplest to weld on new dexter axle mounts at 35% from the back (the box of the frame is 111", new spindle center at 39").
Thanks for the advice!
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