Trailer Axles Hubs Bolt-on - good or bad idea?

[Podunkfla]

Maybe you could weld on some brackets like they show here?

That's exactly the welding that would destroy the rubber inside the axle.

Andrew

Good point.

[Muggnz]

Don,

thanks for the offer. US$400 translated in NZ$ is over 500. Which with a retail of around $800 doesn't make it worthwile enough for me.

Especially when http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... ermanent=0
turned up. I've asked for their Part Number & capacity. And if there's any damage to them.

The answer to my question on
http://www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing ... ermanent=0
was "brkt welded on hub end,adjusable on other end,les " . Which doesn't seem viable, given that the weld will destroy the rubber.

[angib]

"brkt welded on hub end,adjusable on other end,les "

It looks like there is a tiny bracket welded on the end - but that's not the sort of bracket that will mount these half-axles to a trailer. I could believe these are some sort of replacement part, just the suspension, that fits inside a housing that remains on a trailer.

Worth asking Trojan if they did something like that, but otherwise I would steer clear of them as they look fishy (to use the technical term....).

Andrew

[brian_bp]

As shown on Trojan's DuraTorque page, the mounting "ears" on the rubber torsion axle arm are for the disk brake caliper. It is interesting how widely available the disk option seems to be.

Hmmm... They look much like the tortion axles available up here.

This is a nice product line, which I had not seen before... thanks! It is interesting that it carries the brand name (DuraTorque) which belongs to GKN/Henschen here North America, but doesn't look like the same product to me at all.

[Muggnz]

Andrew,

I emailed Trojan yesterday & am awaiting a reply. I'd have done it ages ago except I lacked the strength, after finishing all the other stuff I needed to finish.

Hopefully I'll get a look at some second hand ones this weekend. These have proper brackets. They're rated at 1000kg, which is probably to much for me. I'm aiming at 500kg all up. And the studs are supposedly 90mm apart. which seems a bit of an odd size.

[angib]

And the studs are supposedly 90mm apart. which seems a bit of an odd size.

That is weird! 4 x 95.25mm (or 3.75 inch) does exist and was used on some Rovers (Metro/100) and MGs (MGF), and 3 x 98 and 5 x 98 was used on some Citroens, but I've never seen a PCD as low as 90mm.

Andrew

[brian_bp]

And the studs are supposedly 90mm apart. which seems a bit of an odd size.

That is weird! 4 x 95.25mm (or 3.75 inch) does exist and was used on some Rovers (Metro/100) and MGs (MGF), and 3 x 98 and 5 x 98 was used on some Citroens, but I've never seen a PCD as low as 90mm.

Andrew

If someone measured between adjacent studs, instead of between opposite studs, then 90 mm (adjacent) would be 127.3 mm (opposite, or bolt circle diameter), which is 5.01" (or maybe just 5"), which is still quite strange but perhaps a more reasonable size.

On the other hand, in the photos the four-bolt hubs look to have an unusually small (perhaps 90 mm) bolt circle diameter, rather than unusually large.

Trojan has a web page of Non Braked hubs, and one of Electric Drum braked hubs, (and other brake variations) showing a variety of four-bolt diameters, none smaller than 100 mm or larger than 4.5". I think someone is mistaken about the spacing.

[Muggnz]

I got to see the dura-torques earlier today.

When I spoke to him, whilst checking to see if they were worth buying, etc etc. He said that the bolts were 100mm. Which is just what I want. Unfortunately, despite being an ex-mechanic he didn't know how to properly measure the distance between the studs. They turned out to be more like 114, than 100. Still, all said & done. I managed to let the seller talk himself into selling them to me for $150.

This shows what the both looked like, before I started removing the unwanted pieces.

After removing most of the junk.

1,000kg


I'm a bit unsure that a 1,000kg loading capacity, will be OK with my aim for around 500kg. I've read elsewhere, that the potential load the suspension is capable of is ideally 150% of the actual load. 1,000kg will give me 200%. *fingersandeverythingelsecrossed*

Hopefully on the plus side. The part number of the hubs is 94020. Which resembles the Trojan part number 99020 for blank hubs. Which bodes well for an easy replacement of them.

Does anyone know the difference between 4 x 100 x 1/2 & 4 x 100 x 7/16 hubs? As seen on http://www.trojan.co.nz/index.asp?pageID=2145834348

[angib]

Those half-axles look fine.

Does anyone know the difference between 4 x 100 x 1/2 & 4 x 100 x 7/16 hubs?

The 1/2 and 7/16 would be the diameter of the studs - though if they're 100 and not 101.6 (4.0") PCD, I would expect one of them might actually be 12mm.

Andrew

[brian_bp]

I think Andrew has correctly interpreted the size spec.

12 mm and 7/16" are the common passenger-car wheel stud/bolt thread diameters. 14 mm and 1/2" are common on light trucks and all but the lightest trailers. It's a little surprising to me that both would be offered, but a choice is generally a good thing.

I would expect that the original equipment nuts used with automotive wheels with a 4x100 mm bolt circle would be much more likely to be 12 mm than 14 mm or any inch size; however, as long as the wheels use common conical-seat nuts, then nuts will be readily available to fit in both 7/16" and 12 mm threads. An overly large stud (even 1/2") and matching nut may not fit the small stud holes on common car wheels, but trailer wheels may be another matter.

My travel trailer has 5x4.5" hubs with 1/2" thread studs... typical for the size of the trailer.

[brian_bp]

...He said that the bolts were 100mm. Which is just what I want. Unfortunately, despite being an ex-mechanic he didn't know how to properly measure the distance between the studs. They turned out to be more like 114, than 100.

4.5" is exactly 114.3 mm; it is a common traditional 5-bolt pattern diameter, and it survives (now normally quoted in millimetres rather than inches) as a common 5-bolt pattern for mid-sized cars and minivans (including my Toyota Sienna). The new car wheels generally don't fit the old car/truck/trailer hubs (at least without spacers) because the offset is wrong and the wheel centre hole may not be big enough, but the bolt circle diameter (or PCD) is the same.

I suspect that these hubs have a 4.5" bolt circle diameter. 5x4.5" is extremely common here (probably the most common hub/wheel in trailers around the one-ton capacity mark), but those hubs appear to be 4-bolt and I don't know what is common in 4-bolt trailer hardware even here, let alone in other countries.

[brian_bp]

While the current Duratorque products shown on Trojan's web site have nicely shaped arms, these ones have plain flat arms. There's nothing wrong with that, but they do look just like typical Dexter (Torflex) and Henschen (was Dura-Torque, now Dura-Flex) products. That may be good news for parts availability.

The bad news is that these are idler hubs... no brakes, and no provision to add them. At 500 kg that's presumably okay, but at the axle capacity of 1000 kg it would be unsuitable for many vehicles.

As long as brakes are not required, and provided the rubber inside is good, these look to me like a good deal at $150 (in NZ, U.S., or Canadian currency).

[angib]

4x114.3mm or 4x4.5" is fairly popular with mid-size (for Kiwis and Brits - that would be small size in the US) Japanese cars.

Andrew

[Muggnz]

After the old trailer pieces were removed they still weighed 15kg. It was interesting to see that the inner bracket was significantly closer to the duratorque, than the larger outer bracket. Making me wonder how much extra wear & tear was placed on the tyres.

I believe that I can confirm that my car hubs are 4/100. I've tried my 10" mini rims and found that they are a little to large. The bolts are ( if i measured correctly ) 12mm.

And I think I've learned how to fit new hubs. Just follow the instructions as written by Trojan. I did the reverse this afternoon to remove one. It was so easy. Tomorrow I'm going to see if any local place has suitable new 4x100 hubs. And the extra bits I will need.