Trailer axle hub question

[Delawaresace]

I plan on building a foamie this fall/winter, and have been casually looking at trailers on FB to see what's available. So yesterday I went to look at one listed for $400. At first I thought it was a popup trailer stripped down, but now I think the builder did more by welding angle iron onto a preexisting trailer (origins unknown) to make it onto a motorcycle hauler. Not bad, but not exactly what I'm looking for. When I passed on it, she said that I could have it for free, just get rid of it. Apparently her HOA had sent her some letters about it being in front of her house and she now just wanted it gone ASAP. Well, you can't beat free, so I hooked it up and off I went. It's a strange trailer that looks like it was restored/build by someone who one step above armature. Of course I don't know anything about trailers, so my first impressions could be completely wrong. But that's why I'm here, to find out if I have a dud or something worth working with.

My first question, what's the thing I circled above? It looks like its some type of lowering arm. I've never seen this before. I've always seen the axle be straight to the hub. Is this something common? Could I flip the axle 180 and use it as a type of lift?

This leads me into my second question. Can I flip the axle and have the leaf springs on top instead of below?

 

[KCStudly]

That is referred to as a "drop spindle axle", made that way by the OEM. Not advisable to turn upside down. As shown, in the proper orientation gravity makes the axle "self righting" meaning that it more or less tends to want to stay in the orientation that it is in (barring jars from bumps in the road, torsional affect when/if equipped with brakes and what not). Whereas if you were to flip it, the axle will (more) constantly be trying to twist the spring, putting more fatigue cycles into everything in that regard. Like the difference between sitting on a rope swing vs riding a unicycle; the rope swing is effortless and you can just sit on it without swinging, whereas the unicycle you constantly have to work back and forth to stay upright. The purpose for drop spindles is to reduce deck height for a given tire diameter. I would start by figuring out what you want your galley counter height to be; then figure out how much thickness your counter and under counter face frame takes up; then figure out how much room you need under your counter for any ice chest/cooler/slide out you might want under there; then floor thickness; then trailer frame depth; tire diameter (by half... tire radius) to finally figure out what you need for suspension travel versus spindle offset (or not... maybe straight axle). I thought I was going to have to put my axle under my springs, but when I worked everything out it ended going in the more traditional location over the springs. You can fine tune axle to chassis clearance a little bit by changing the length of the rear (swinging) shackle links, but this will also change your counter height. The taller you make your suspension, the less height you will have under the counter for a given desired counter height.

 

[Delawaresace]

KC, thanks for the explanation. That makes sense. I just watched some youtube videos and found out there are kits available; you just can't flip the axle like I had originally thought. I'm definitely going to have to measure twice for the counter height to get it right. I'm not to worried about loosing some storage space though if I decide to put the springs on top. With the trailer being 6' wide, I'm going to be able to fit a full or queen mattress in. I plan on having it on a platform, so there will be plenty of storage underneath.

Next question. Is there any easy way to find out the specs of the axle, e.g., what's it rated for? I didn't see any data plate on it. The leaf springs look beefy though.

 

[Delawaresace]

I have another question about my new (to me) trailer. What is this thing on the underside of my trailer? It seems to be a long square shaped tube that runs from side to side with plastic endcaps. It's made of medal, but doesn't seem to be watertight at all, though it might have been at one time for all I know. I'm most likely going to cut it off because I don't believe it's structural and I'd like to save some weight.

 

[Tony Latham]

What is this thing on the underside of my trailer?

Storage for drain pipes.

Tony

 

[Tom&Shelly]

I have another question about my new (to me) trailer. What is this thing on the underside of my trailer? It seems to be a long square shaped tube that runs from side to side with plastic endcaps. It's made of medal, but doesn't seem to be watertight at all, though it might have been at one time for all I know. I'm most likely going to cut it off because I don't believe it's structural and I'd like to save some weight.

Wonder if it's for holding a side table while in camp? We had a hitch receiver wielded to the side of the trailer for that purpose, but never used it. I'm afraid it wouldn't hold a table stabily enough.

Tom

 

[Delawaresace]

What is this thing on the underside of my trailer?

Storage for drain pipes.

Tony

I think your right. I did a google search on "trailer storage for drain pipes" and came across this add that looks exactly like what I have, down to the same plastic endcaps. https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Camco/CAM40324.html

Well, I don't need this storage tube, so off it goes.

 

[KCStudly]

Next question. Is there any easy way to find out the specs of the axle, e.g., what's it rated for? I didn't see any data plate on it. The leaf springs look beefy though.

Short answer: no, unless you know the specs for the original camper.

Longer answer: You can compare a few things to std Dexter axle stuff and get an idea compared to their ratings. Axle tube diameter; wheel bearing size; and hub bolt pattern are all things that relate to overall load rating. Spring width can be an indicator. Tire load rating also, but this is one of the easier things to change, so not necessarily a reliable indicator.

 

[pchast]

I'd comment that that axle can likely be attached under the springs.
It would need to be in the same orientation as original.(dropped tube)
First you need to inspect the indexing(locating pins) on the axle tube and
determine how it should mate to the spring clamping plates.

Its important to realize that the axle is bent to establish the toe-in of the
wheels. The axle indexing provides alignment to enhance tracking of the
tow vehicle's wheel base. All of which depends somewhat on how and
where the trailer is loaded, tongue weight.

 

[Delawaresace]

I'd comment that that axle can likely be attached under the springs.
It would need to be in the same orientation as original.(dropped tube)
First you need to inspect the indexing(locating pins) on the axle tube and
determine how it should mate to the spring clamping plates.

Its important to realize that the axle is bent to establish the toe-in of the
wheels. The axle indexing provides alignment to enhance tracking of the
tow vehicle's wheel base. All of which depends somewhat on how and
where the trailer is loaded, tongue weight.

Thaks for the reply. I've looked at some of the kits on Amazon and some of the Youtube videos. I might still do it, but I'm leaning twords no. I'll see once I really start zeroing in on my layout and construction plans.