Help me determine which axle length to buy for my trailer

[lacofdfireman]

Getting ready to start a build on another trailer and to me the hardest part is figuring out my axle length to order. I’m a little gun shy this time because last time I was told to build the trailer frame first then order the axle. Well somehow I screwed it up and my axle was to short so I had to order another one. About a $200 mistake. This time I want to order my axle first and build the trailer frame around my axle. So here is what my needs are.

My trailer frame width will be 5ft (60”)to outsides of frame rails
I want a 3500lb spring axle with brakes
I will be using my stock Jeep Wheels so will also need to order 2” spacers so I can run stock wheel caps

My wheel offset from hub face to top of tire is 8”. But remember I will be adding a 2” spacers to this hub face which will bring it down to 6”.



I believe my spring perch centers should be 60” because I want a 60” wide trailer frame but not sure how much I’d need to add for Hubface with electric brakes. I wish there was a axle calculator out there where you could just put in the type of axle you want and the trailer frame width and it would figure it out for ya.


Also where is the best place to order a 2” spacer for my jeep Wheels? I know my jeeps wheel center hole is to small to fit over the axle

So with those parameters what size do you think I’d need?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[working on it]

• Here is where you can custom order your wheel spacers http://adaptitusa.com/5-x-4.50-to-5-x-5.00-wheel-adapter.aspx I think it's where my friend ordered mine, for my old axle, but not sure. I no longer have spacers, because my wheels are std 14" trailer wheels, and my custom-ordered Dexter 3500 lb axle (w/EZ-Lube and brakes) doesn't need spacing. I ordered a new, heavier-duty axle from Nuera in Dallas, who in turn had Dexter make it. I gave my proposed axle measurements, but was called by Dexter to inform me that my "overhang" was insufficient to add the brakes, so they added more to the hubface measurement.

• 

  axle overhang info, for ordering an axle.JPG (143.42 KiB) Viewed 382 times

• from an earlier thread

  I sent an inquiry via e-mail last Saturday, giving my specs (based on the Dexter ordering measurements, found on the Redneck site). A rep responded Monday, saying that Dexter could not build/weld one to my specs, and that I would have to extend my hub face from 61.25" to 63.75" before they would weld the spring seats on. After responding to that, by asking what spring center measurement would match the 61.25" hub face, he answered 47", on Tuesday. I am stuck with a 48.75" spring seat distance, having already built to that spec, so I dragged the wife out to the garage when I got home from work, to help me accurately measure wheel and hub face expansion alternatives. I had her hold a wheel vertically (using a square, for accuracy) with the tire at the maximum distance outward (while still under/inside the fender), while I measured the hub face gained from moving the wheel to that maxed-out position. Luckily, the Dexter-quoted 63.75" is exactly that!

• 

  my axle data.JPG (40.27 KiB) Viewed 382 times

  the decimals are wrong; actually .70 is .75
• My original measurements were my attempt to duplicate what my first axle set-up was, but that was without brakes. Dexter needed extra overhang in order to add them. It only added a little to the width, and still had my tires sitting under the fenders (when I bought larger, wider LT tires later, I had to add fender flares).

• 

  tire clearance, old vs new, due to more overhang.JPG (58.93 KiB) Viewed 382 times

  some added width, with extra clearance