Build or Buy Chassis Frame

[halfdome, Danny]

John, these 2 photos should explain what happens in the tongue area.
Danny

[gudmund]

Still am "impressed" as I have 'always' been when I was able to look at Danny's trailer build when at some of the trailer get-together's I have seen them at = am even 'more' impressed now after getting to see the frame underneath....... Two years ago (Mar18) I bought my 'new' tear only to find Danny's last build being sold in Calif. a month or so later on Craig's list - hindsight being 20-20 = still kind-of wishing I could have seen it first, remembering how nice of a build it was when I first saw it in '13 at the Shasta Dam Gathering.... (But, the one I got today is/and has been a good one = no complaint's)

[swoody126]

OOPS...

i meant to type Danny

was looking at his frame pics

sw

[Capebuild]

I've been looking at Dexter Axles getting acquainted with both their Toflex light duty torsion axle (#9) and trying to compare it to the light duty sprung axles they carry.
This is the first I've seen these torsion axles, I'm not familiar with them. It seems, from what I can tell, many members use them. What are their advantages over using
a traditional leaf spring axle? One thing I've read is if you're doing a lot of "off-roading", the leaf spring axles might offer more protection against the changing terrain....
whereas the torsion axle might offer a smoother ride if all your travel is highway or paved road. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Also.... I'll look this up and try and find out... but does anyone know if Dexter offers CAD of their axle products?

Thank you!

John

[halfdome, Danny]

We never go off road, so Dexter is the choice.
When we would go to the IRG in the Redwoods we always knew which teardrops had leaf springs as their pots and pans would bounce around over the rough field we would camp on.
You could hear them banging around.
What I like is the smooth ride, you hardly know it's behind you with the independent torsion axle.
If you order electric brakes it dosen't raise the price much but add them later like I did on TD #1 and it will be in the hundreds of dollars.
You'll need to figure out from your anticipated total weight what's your starting point, mine is 22 degrees down.
The people at Dexter are very helpful
Danny

[tony.latham]

I like torsion axles because they give a smoother ride on rough roads.

One thing I've read is if you're doing a lot of "off-roading", the leaf spring axles might offer more protection against the changing terrain....

I think that's just Internet chatter from folks that have never had a torsion axle.

Tony

[gudmund]

I second what Tony/Danny have both just said here - have had both. Had had the Dexter torsion on first one, with this second one having now come with the leaf's. The leaf's are OK -but- if to do over again = I would go with the Torsion Bar setup - it road and tracked so much better and as Danny said, leaf's are noisy and most are so cheaply put together with the nylon bushings with no way to grease them - you end up with a lot metal-to-metal wear/tear having to constantly check for shackel wear/mounting bolt wear. The up-grading of these parts/pieces' can be done -but- if the money$$ is going to be spent trying to improve this setup = my plan eventually will be to buy the new Dexter Torsion axle to replace it all one of these days instead.....

[swoody126]

i've used both styles of Dexters and since the torsions were on a tandem boat trailer i don't think my experiences compair to what tnttt builders experience

their leaf spring units have dunn a really nice job of caring for my wooden skiff and have caused no issues under my 6x12 enclosed utility

what i really like about all the Dexters i have used is the way they can be serviced ... thru the dust cap

at the beginning of each "season" and prior to any long/extended adventures i jack each wheel off the ground and spin it listening for any growling or even light ruffness and check for looseness of the bearings

when i hear no noises i simply remove the rubber plug in the end of the dust cap and add fresh grease until it oozes clean grease around the spindle nut

if i hear any "off" noises i pull the hub and address the whole assembly

i use blue-green "marine/agricultural" grease i get from Tractor Supply in all my grease guns(agricutural marine and utility) and have had zero bearing issues on the road

the Dexter spindles have the zerk fittings on the outer tip w/ a passageway thru them to a point between the inner seal and inner bearing

when new grease is introduced into the zerk it goes to the inner most point in the sealed hub and forces the older grease outward THRU the inner bearings > thru the hub cavity > thru the outer bearings > then out around the spindle nut and clearly visible to the nekkid eye

here are pics of this process on a new boat trailer axle(repacing an axle that was used to begin with and had been on that boat trailer for 26 years)

the axle was shipped w/ red grease(not marine)

stock grease coming out.jpg (140.31 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

red grease going away w/ new blue grease taking over

green grease coming thru.jpg (131.61 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

no more red

clean green grease coming out.jpg (130.9 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

hit my 3-pic max

be right back

sw

[swoody126]

the rubber plug dust caps don't always get shipped on the axles so i buy them at the local auto parts store and install them so future servicing can be done by simply pulling the plug providing access to the zerk

th.jpeg (9.51 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

here is a chart of how it works

EZ_Lube_Grease_6-2011.jpg (129.59 KiB) Viewed 1663 times

i hope your Dexters use this system

if you are still in the buying stages try your best to insure this system is included in your new purchase

it makes trailer life/maintenance so much easier

sw

[Capebuild]

Thanks all for your comments. Yesterday I read a good bit on the Dexter axles and from what you have commented on, I feel good about the torsion Toflex axle set up. I think the #9 makes sense for my build. I need to get better educated on the "start angle" and what my set up will require, but once I get more into designing the actual trailer, that part will become evident. And thanks SWoody for pointing out the dust cap feature. I use Solidworks and am planning on creating / designing the layout in CAD so I can incorporate all the elements and structural members.

This forum is proving to be so invaluable. The problem is there's so much information on it I could spend the next 6 months just going over and sucking up all the info members have to offer. Every time I go on the site I explore new categories under the "Board Index" and find a wealth of information. Last night I found the category titled "Build Journals". I just went through all 29 pages of Tony Latham's build. Incredible.

It reminds me of a project I started this past August, building a brick wood fired pizza oven. I knew nothing about that other than building a cob oven I had built a few years ago which collapsed due to our moist environment. Next oven I build I vowed would be from brick. The reason I bring this up is I was glued to a forum similar to this on building brick ovens (http://www.fornobravo.com). I could not have done that project without the help and education from the other members on that site. Like this TNTTT site, everyone is very giving of their experiences and knowledge and passing it on.

So thank you all again for the great help. Once I do start my build I'll create a build journal. I also have a google photo album for my brick oven and I'll create a separate album for my trailer build.

Until next time....
John

[Capebuild]

Is there a rule of thumb how far the distance should be between hitch receiver and the first cross member on the chassis?

[swoody126]

Capebuild, the longitudinal dimension you indicated IMHO is knot as important as the diagonal distance between the to points

i design my trailer tongues so i can not crash into the cargo body w/ the corner of the bumper of the widest tow vehicle intended for pulling that trailer

this means the distance would be different for a trailer being designed for towing behind the Jeep than for one being designed to follow the F-350

this issue can involve both TV and tnttt body damage when towing w/ the Jeep

this issue would result in destruction of the tnttt if the reinforced steel RanchHand bumper on the F-350 hit the little trailer

this question brings up one more important measurement...

the distance from the ball hitch to the tongue jack stand AND the style of jack being employed

if the jack is one that is to be welded/bolted in a vertical manner to the tongue it needs to be far enuff back from the ball hitch for the tailgate on the TV to function as designed

i have seen too many pick-up tailgates w/ a dimple in them where the gate fell on top of the jack

i have seen many SUV's that couldn't open the tailgate for accessing the cargo area while hooked up/traveling because the tongue jack was too close

swing up jacks resolve this issue most of the time

if this presents a problem in storage in your garage do the slide in tongue trick using a hitch receiver for the tongue frame that accepts a stinger which can be removed for storage a/o security while being left unattended

KEEP ASKING

better to knot to reinvent any wheels in the process when you have such a wealth of "ex-spurts" to question ;-)

sw

[gudmund]

something to remember is - it is easier to back-up a longer tongued trailer than a shorter one (along with just having more room on a longer tongue set-up for more stuff to be mounted+++) My first trailer was a 4x8 tear with a 4.5ft long tongue - the one I have now is a 5x8 with a 4ft tongue = didn't think 6 inches length difference would make much of a difference -BUT- oh yes it did!!! When backing them, the "longer" one backed up "so much easier!! The shorter one is ok, "but" I find I just have to back-up 'just a bit slower' - watching 'just s bit more!!' than before................ go longer if you can....

[Capebuild]

Thank you both for your thoughts on the distances. This is a big help. I hadn't even thought about the jack and its location..... and that I should be aware of that being a contact point with the TV.

And yet one other question.... I'm looking at /reviewing other's chassis designs. I notice some incorporate a middle member from the receiver to the frame. Other frames do not have this member, just having the 2 angled members. Other than saving on weight, is there an advantage /disadvantage to not having the middle member. I'd think it would offer more support and strengthen the frame having it.

thanks

John

[halfdome, Danny]

To me the advantage of a center draw bar/ tube is the less likelyhood of twisting of the tongue when maneuvering to park and traveling.
My center bar is an actual 48" hitch receiver where my removable tongue is inserted.
It's very stout and adds some weight which is not a problem for my setup.
The removable piece is a 2" x 2" x 24" steel tube that could be slightly adjusted to accommodate a tow vehicles turning radius.
I bolt ( grade 8 ) and weld the coupler and chain mounts on to that tube.
Danny