axle safety question. Part 2

[bronco]

i have the harbor freight trailer that was rated at around 1450(or75)
i flipped the axle and notched the spring mount for travel to lower the deck heigth. i only have my deck, walls and spars installed right now.
with my measurements from hitch to wheels im good and also my side to side measurements. but when looking from the front and back location my wheels have a slight negative camber (leaning in at the top) but its even on both sides. is it better to have this or should i reverse it and put the axle back under my springs? i dont know if i would ever put enough weight on it to increse the spread any more than i have and i do like the lower riding heigth, it seems safer. thanks for any info on camber.

[IndyTom]

I have a Dexter Torflex axle and it has the same camber. I think it is supposed to be that way.

[bronco]

the only reason i was concerned is im sure the manufacture intended the axle to be hung under the springs. which would have given me tires with more distance between them at the top. im new to all of this and ive seen some earlier posts before on tracking abilities and tire wear. but didnt see any actual recomendations on the tires being spaced farther on the top or bottom.

[Nitetimes]

You can't flip the axle over when you do that. You need to either get a new set of spring seats or grind the old ones off and put them under the axle. The bow in the center of the axle should always be at the top.

[madjack]

...what Rich said...the bottom of the wheels should "camber" in, not the top.......................

[bronco]

madjack, i have a welder here at home could i just weld a piece of steel in the u-shape void and drill the correct spaced holes so i would be able to flip it back over and get the correct camber back and still be above the springs?

[Nitetimes]

I would recomend carefully grinding off the old ones and using them, that will keep your axle spaced right from front to back. Those seats are not expensive tho, it would be much easier to get another set and just leave the old ones on it.
By the way don't weld on the springs!

[madjack]

madjack, i have a welder here at home could i just weld a piece of steel in the u-shape void and drill the correct spaced holes so i would be able to flip it back over and get the correct camber back and still be above the springs?

...quite possibly but having never looked closely at a HF axle I can't say with any certainty...how about it Rich or maybe others familiar with the HF axle...
madjack

[Nitetimes]

MJ We must have been typin at the same time. I think he's gettin into more work than it's worth. Seats are cheap and easy.

[bronco]

right now my deck heigth is 16" from the ground if i put the axle back under the springs itll be about 19" deck heigth from the ground.is that a bad thing to have, or is it just a matter of preference?

[bronco]

rich when you say spring seat are you talking about the actual u-shape bracket the spring itself is bolted to that is welded to the underside?

[Miriam C.]

I would recomend carefully grinding off the old ones and using them, that will keep your axle spaced right from front to back. Those seats are not expensive tho, it would be much easier to get another set and just leave the old ones on it.
By the way don't weld on the springs!

Bronco,
Jim Marshal was going to weld new seats on and leave the old on using the u bolts to keep everything straight. You might PM him and see how he did.

Here is a url to seats
http://www.easternmarine.com/em_store/leafsprings/
Aunti M

[bronco]

why do i need new seats im not trying to be difficult here im just trying to learn. to be able to flip the axle over the way i either could sacrifice the low ride heigth(and that also will change because i would like to upgrade to car tires if i can) so it would wind up being any where from 19-22"?
im a strong welder im just not sure why i couldnt weld steel pieces in the axle itself with properly spaced holes drilled into them so i could fit the spring pin intov as long as the spacing is exact.

[Miriam C.]

Just for practice, lets see how my memory is working. You want to put the springs under the axle. If you add seats you don't have to flip the axle you can leave the arch where it is and the new seats will be there for you to use. You get the lower height and keep your tires where they belong.

Meanwhile I will look up the thread where it was discussed.
Aunti M

[Miriam C.]

Here ya go. Perhaps this will help.

http://www.tnttt.com/viewtopic.php?t=8566

There are probably others but this is the one I remember.

Aunti M