Anyone using Chrysler mini van axel?

[KIDZAGN]

A salvage Rear axel assembly comes complete, axel, springs, shackles, frame mounts,wheels. In my area the assm can be found for $50.00-200.00, will have standard 5 bolt 14 or 15 " wheels, and my thought is that if for some reason a part was needed on the road, finding any part should be no problem. HELP!!! WHERE AM I WRONG ???? WHAT AM I MISSING ????

[Miriam C.]

Unless it is heavy and if it meets your size go for it. Are you planning on making your trailer frame? $50 would be really good to find with wheels.

[john warren]

no reason in the world it wouldn't work fine.

see if you can find out how heavy it is, and the load rating.

might be a bit stiff for a ight trailer. but if you have more poundage,,,might be perfect.

[eamarquardt]

You'll have to modify a recycled axle to mount it to your frame. That will be a bit of work and will require additional materials/parts to be custom fabricated. The axle may or may not be the exact width you want for your trailer and if you want it narrower/wider additional time, effort, and materials will be required.

If one of these "custom" mounting parts fails while you're on the road, you may or may not be able to get it fixed at a reasonable price depending on the "mercy" of who you meet with the materials and skills to put you back on the road. I don't see any advantage to having a recycled axle versus a standard trailer axle/springs as far as parts availability while on the road.

The brakes on a recycled axle will be hydraulic and will require a hydraulic actuator be installed to couple the trailer to the tow vehicle. These couplers cost a minimum of $120 and go up from there. Are you sure you want hydraulic brakes? Most folks seem to go with electric brakes on their trailers. Retrofitting to electric brakes would take considerable effort and IMHO wouldn't be cost effective.

If you scrounge around you can find used tires and rims for very little. A new axle with brakes, mounting hardware, and springs will set you back about $350. The cost of an electric brake controller is about or perhaps a bit less than the hydraulic coupler so that part of the "equation" is a wash.

So, depending on what value you put on your time, what you will have to realistically spend for a used axle, and the service issues, you may or may not come out ahead. You might be able to save a couple hundred bucks but there will be "compromises" and it will take a fair amount of effort.

However, it's your project, your budget, so you get to decide.

Hope this helps.

Cheers,

Gus

[Noob]

Oh my god, don't use Chrysler parts, how will you source replacment parts ... esp in north america...


If you have a compressor and some air tools and welder ... go for it.

Anything you ( joe-smoe ) can "fab"... any shop can fix down the road. If there is an emergency.

[Gaston]

buy a good torsion axle. 150 to 200 . easy to mount and made for the job. beats recycled auto junk.

[eamarquardt]

Oh my god, don't use Chrysler parts, how will you source replacment parts ... esp in north america...

Do I detect scarcasm?

If you have a compressor and some air tools and welder ... go for it.

Certainly an option!

Anything you ( joe-smoe ) can "fab"... any shop can fix down the road. If there is an emergency.

Correct!!!!! But how much is Good Buddy Joe (sometimes known as Bubba) gonna charge you when he thinks he has you over a barrel and how much do you value your time? Sometimes you "get lucky", sometimes you don't.

Everything in life is a compromise and one should decide on a course of action only after one understands all (or at least a majority) of the issues. I think KIDZAGN was trying to understand why, if it is such a great cost effective idea, no one seems to have done it yet.

Note: I didn't suggest one way or the other, just tried to answer his question. I love "recycling" but it has to pan out as a good compromise.

Cheers,

Gus

[Aaron Coffee]

The idea briefly passed thru my head when I was replacing the rear axle in an 85 Dodge Charger (fancy hotrod Omni), and it had a semi-independant rear axle, meaning it was made to twist. It had one mounting point on each side, and the coil over type shocks served as the suspension. Never got much beyond thinking.
Just my thought but as far as wheels they take a metric pattern and most wheels would be front wheel drive, whereas a trailer axle would either have a Chevy (5 on 4.75, I think)or a Chrysler(5 on 4.5, I think)and would be easier to find wheels with the correct offset. The wheels on the one in my pic are off the front of a car my brother had.
Just my .02 worth, wish you the best of luck and have fun building.

[Yota Bill]

This is one of those things that would only work out for some people, not all. Some people have the skills, tools, and competance to modify a rear axle out of a FWD vehicle into a trailer axle, that will fit thier needs and be built well enough to last as long as a purchased trailer axle (maybe longer, if the bearings are better quality/design) and save some money in the process.
Keep in mind, there is a general rule that applies to most things in life: "Good, Fast (or Easy), Cheap. You can pick any two." This can easily be one of those things. You may be able to do the work yourself, which would save you the money (making it cheap), and you may be able to do it well enough, but its going to cost labor. Buying an axle would be easier, but cost more money.
Honestly, few things would need to be "custom", and those parts are not common to fail. Built correctly, it would not be a concern for failure. As for modifying it to accept electric brakes, if the axle had drum brakes to begin with, its not a big deal. Auto drum brakes also use a 4 bolt mounting flange very similar to trailer electric drum brakes.

I've used those type of automotive axles for a few trailers, with no more problems then any other trailer axle. I've thought of cutting apart a trucks rear axle (3/4 ton or bigger, must be a full floating axle) and using just the hub parts, attached to a piece of heavy tube to make a heavy duty trailer axle, which would then use the same 8 bolt wheels as the truck towing it. I know it would work fine, I just havent had the need to do it yet (happened across a good deal on new axles for my 18' car hauler trailer)...I may still do this in the future, when I decide to build a two place goosneck trailer.

[eamarquardt]

As for modifying it to accept electric brakes, if the axle had drum brakes to begin with, its not a big deal.

Hydraulic brakes and electric brakes are very different. Electric brakes use entirely different backing plates that may or may not bolt onto a "recycled" alxe. The brake drums for electric brakes have a machined surface on the inside of the brake drum opposite the surface where the wheel bolts on. The electro magnet that actuates the brakes mates with/and is pulled along to activate the brakes by this machined surface. I have never seen this feature on a automotive hydraulic brake drum and would have serious reservations about altering/machining/removing material that an automotive engineer put on a brake drum for a reason.

You might be able to replace the drum (which would include new bearings), bolt on an electric backing plate, and get it to work but I think it would be a real longshot and I'd bet a pile of Suzy's money that you couldn't do it cost effectively (if at all) and would also bet a pile of Suzy's money that it has never been done on an automotive axle (but it would be fun and interesting to be wrong).

As buying a complete assembly is nearly always less expensive than purchasing a bunch of unassembled parts and making the completed assembly yourself, I just don't see purchasing a used axle, making extensive modifications, and purchasing a bunch of retrofit parts panning out and being "cost effective".

You can do anything for less if you devote enough time and energy and scrounge hard enough but there is a point where the savings just isn't worth it and you're better off just biting the bullet and buying new.

Cheers,

Gus

[Yota Bill]

trust me, I know very well how brakes work. I did make a mistake there though, I forgot about trailers having the drum incorporated with the hub...oops...although I have used the automotive axles on several trailers, I havn't tried putting brakes on them.

It is still a viable option for some people to save some money, if they have the skills and tools needed, and maybe already have the axle on hand (the main reason I have used them in the past)

[Wimperdink]

E-brake handle mounted to the tounge would be cool in place of wheel chocks.

[eamarquardt]

E-brake handle mounted to the tounge would be cool in place of wheel chocks.

It would be. Military trailers have parking brakes. I used to have a "collection" of "dead" VW rabbits and thought it would be cool to use the stub axles etc. and make a small trailer with hydraulic brakes and a parking brake. Just got overloaded and got rid of em w/o doing so.

Cheers.

Gus

[Dusty82]

It's been done...

http://forum.ih8mud.com/trailer-tech/402458-great-axle-making-your-own-trailer.html

[eamarquardt]

It's been done...

http://forum.ih8mud.com/trailer-tech/402458-great-axle-making-your-own-trailer.html

Yes it has. It appears as though the axle is already set up for leaf springs (unlike my Ford van rear axle). There are no brakes installed on this installation though.

Cheers,

Gus