by Martinjmpr » Mon Mar 11, 2013 9:48 am
Slo: Yes, I've actually been running a raised hitch to make the trailer a little more level but there are other reasons I want to lower the trailer. I guess the guy who built it had the idea of giving it some "off road" capability and that's why he went with such a high suspension, but Liz and I only plan on taking it on very mild dirt roads (like the ones at the New Fork Lake campground) and so the additional height confers no benefit on us.
Furthermore, the height of the trailer means that the galley is chest-high, which makes it hard to use. So that's another reason for a lower suspension. And finally, my thought is that by lowering the trailer overall I'll reduce the wind resistance which should improve both handling and MPG.
Of course, the reason for replacing the axle is not just to lower the trailer - although that's an important reason - the real reason is to get rid of excessive weight (the Dayton mobile home axle is way too much axle for our 1100lb trailer) and to allow us to run conventional wheels and tires vs. the oddbal 14.5 hubless wheels used by the Dayton.
As for Walk the Winds, we probably won't make it this year, though we will be going to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone in June/July. August is the best time for us to be in the High country of Colorado so that's probably where we'll go then.