Trying to order our torsion axle.

[55chevy]

Yes, another newbie. I've checked in but I didn't have any pictures to post. I've been lurking a few weeks so maybe I won't ask too many of the same old questions.
viewtopic.php?f=40&t=54322

My neighbor and I plan to build a 5x10 Benroy or modified Benroy soon. I'm trying to get the axle ordered soon so any input would be appreciated. At first I thought I wanted a 3500 lb torsion axle but after doing some research, I've about decided to go with a Dexter #9 unless someone changes my mind. I also thought I wanted a flexiride but after looking at the cost difference, I thought I would go with the Dexter if I can get the ride height right and tuning set for my expected build. Neither axle is available locally that I can find except for Truck-Pro that handles mostly large Dexter axles. They didn't seem to know much about the small torsion axles.

After a whole lot of reading about Dexter and Flexiride axles, here's what our chassis plan looks like:


Our 5x10 chassis plan is a 2x2x1/8" tube frame with a 42" 2x3x1/8" A frame tongue. The (3) crossmembers will be 1 1/2 x 1 1/2 x 1/8". All mild steel with corner gussets.

Automotive Steel Wheels - 5" wheel with 0 offset, 4.5 on 5 bolt pattern, 60 degree conical mounting holes.

Tires - st205/75r15 section width 8", diameter of 27.1"

Below is our list of information that I plan on fine tuning before I call Dexter. Please let me know if you see any clearance issues or other issues I will have going with this setup.

Axle Capacity - Dexter #9 1000-2200 lb tuned to 1800 lb. Expect sprung trailer weight to be 1200-1400 lb and up to 400 lb of cargo.

Short spindles- **Added 2/2 to keep wheels closer to trailer, fender width minimal, and to help with moon hubcap clearance.

Hub Face - 72" [ 58" frame width + 8" (1/2 tire width on each side) +2 (1" fender clearance each side) + 4 (1" wood overhang each side) ] I think this may be an issue with the minimum spindle overhang unless I go with the short spindle. ** Edited 2/2. (Added 2 inches for torsion arm to trailer clearance.)

Outside Bracket - 58" I hope this is the same as our outside frame measurement of 58".

Start Angle Degree - I think 22.5 down ...shooting for a 14- 15" ride height with the 15" wheels and tires listed above.

Bracket Orientation - Standard low profile bolt on side mount to inside of frame rail. **Edit 2/2 Adding option for side mount hanger.

Brakes - Not sure. I'm thinking no brakes but will get the cost. **Edit 2/2 Added option for brake flanges to be installed for future brakes if needed.

Hub Size - Not sure. I think the 15" wheels require the large hub.

Grease - E-Z lube ( I hope these will clear the baby moon or dome smooth hubcaps)

Please let me know if you have any questions, comments, or something out of wack with our suspension plan.

Thanks,
Steve

[droid_ca]

you have a great sounding plan....How was the company to deal with?I'm in the possess of probably getting new axles so I can get longer arms on them as I'm going with bigger tires see my thread about viewtopic.php?f=35&t=54313 and it has been a real challenge trying to get what I want as well

[aggie79]

Hi 55chevy!

Ordering my Dexter axle was the most confusing thing I had to calculate during my teardrop build. Take your time and when you think you have it figured out call Dexter to go over your numbers.

Quickly looking at your specs, I think you'll be right at 15" clearance to the bottom of the frame, so I think the numbers you have are good regarding height. Some other things to consider are:

1. Fenders - consider what you'll be using. If you go with wide fenders you may need to increase the overhang distance to push the tires closer to the outside edge of the fender.

2. Side mount hangar - these are optional when you order the axle. You have to ask (and pay) for them. With these, you weld them to the frame rail and use horizontal bolts to mount your axle. Without these, you either weld your axle brackets to the frame and or bolt the axle vertically through the frame.

3. Brakes - this will stir up a hornet's nest, but I pull our teardrop with a truck and don't see the need for brakes. If you're on the fence, you can order the axle with brake flanges and can add brakes later. (If you order an axle without breaks and don't specify the brake flanges, the axle won't come with them.)

4. Spindles - if it were me I would not get the E-Z lube spindles. They work by having holes drilled in the spindle. To me, this creates a potential area for fatigue. The standard bearings they supply are high quality and don't require much maintenance. On my non-E-Z lube spindles, the moon hubcaps barely cleared the the standard spindle and bearing cap.

5. Torsion arm clearance - with the 22.5 degree down you probably don't have to worry about this. For my teardrop, the sidewalls extended down to the bottom of the frame rail. I have a #9 Dexter with a 10 degree up axle. With the wider tires I was using, the axle overhang was minimal and my torsion arms were snug - about 1/2" to the outside of the frame rails. I had to "notch" the sidewalls at the torsion arms so that they wouldn't hit the bottom of the sidewall during suspension travel. Below is a pic of what I'm talking about.



Hope I didn't confuse things too much.

Take care,
Tom

[alaska teardrop]

Steve, I think your axle dimensions look fine, except for the 70" hub face dimension. From the hub face to the inside surface of the swing arm is 6.5" on that axle. 74" will give you 1/2" clearance on each side between the body & swing arm.

I'd sure recommend brakes on a trailer that heavy. If you order without brakes & think you might add them later, make sure that the axle comes with the brake mounting flange.

Fred

Edit: Guess Tom & I said the thing at the same time

[55chevy]

you have a great sounding plan....How was the company to deal with?I'm in the possess of probably getting new axles so I can get longer arms on them as I'm going with bigger tires see my thread about viewtopic.php?f=35&t=54313 and it has been a real challenge trying to get what I want as well

Droid, I called the Dexter folks and they put me in touch with an engineer and he was very helpful. He put my specs into their ProSpec computer application and emailed me the results. I was very satisfied with the quick response. I would suggest getting all of your measurements together and giving them a call.
Thanks,
Steve

[55chevy]

Hi 55chevy!

Ordering my Dexter axle was the most confusing thing I had to calculate during my teardrop build. Take your time and when you think you have it figured out call Dexter to go over your numbers.

Quickly looking at your specs, I think you'll be right at 15" clearance to the bottom of the frame, so I think the numbers you have are good regarding height. Some other things to consider are:

1. Fenders - consider what you'll be using. If you go with wide fenders you may need to increase the overhang distance to push the tires closer to the outside edge of the fender.

2. Side mount hangar - these are optional when you order the axle. You have to ask (and pay) for them. With these, you weld them to the frame rail and use horizontal bolts to mount your axle. Without these, you either weld your axle brackets to the frame and or bolt the axle vertically through the frame.

3. Brakes - this will stir up a hornet's nest, but I pull our teardrop with a truck and don't see the need for brakes. If you're on the fence, you can order the axle with brake flanges and can add brakes later. (If you order an axle without breaks and don't specify the brake flanges, the axle won't come with them.)

4. Spindles - if it were me I would not get the E-Z lube spindles. They work by having holes drilled in the spindle. To me, this creates a potential area for fatigue. The standard bearings they supply are high quality and don't require much maintenance. On my non-E-Z lube spindles, the moon hubcaps barely cleared the the standard spindle and bearing cap.

5. Torsion arm clearance - with the 22.5 degree down you probably don't have to worry about this. For my teardrop, the sidewalls extended down to the bottom of the frame rail. I have a #9 Dexter with a 10 degree up axle. With the wider tires I was using, the axle overhang was minimal and my torsion arms were snug - about 1/2" to the outside of the frame rails. I had to "notch" the sidewalls at the torsion arms so that they wouldn't hit the bottom of the sidewall during suspension travel. Below is a pic of what I'm talking about.



Hope I didn't confuse things too much.

Take care,
Tom

Tom, Thanks for all of the information and the picture. As I just reported above, I spoke to a Dexter engineer and he was very helpful. He put my specs into their ProSpec computer application and emailed me the results. I saw immediately that I may have a clearance issue with the arm and the side of the trailer. The drawing they sent didn't show the arm clearance from the frame but it shows I have 2" of tire clearance vertically with the frame. So, I have the fender 1" space and the 1" siding space I wanted but if the arm comes up above the lower part of the frame, it looks like it would hit the bottom of the wood overhang. I will be calling them back Monday or Tuesday to see if I need to add another inch or 2 to the hub to hub measurement. Not that your's looks bad or anything, but I really don't want to notch around the arm if I don't have to.

The ride height looks perfect. At 1/2 load (900 lbs) I have 15.2 inches and at full load (1800 lbs), I have 14.3.

For fenders, I'm thinking we will need 9 to 10 inch fenders. I won't buy them until I get them axle mounted.

The engineer told me about the side mount hangers, so I will get them. I'm going to try and c-clamp them on until I get the trailer balanced.

Thanks for the info on the brake flanges. I will include them but probably won't get the brakes yet. I can't remember if it was the Flexiride or the Dexter that pushes the wheel out further with the brakes. This may alter my wheel and fender plans if the Dexter does.

It does look like the drilling of the spindle would weaken the spindle somewhat. The standard spindle was too long to get my 70" hub to hub request so I ask about the short spindle and that worked. So that should help me fit the baby moon hubcaps. I'll try to find out if the ez-lube drilling weakens the spindle enough to worry about. I still think I would like the ease of greasing the wheels with them.

Thanks again for all of your input. It's really helps.
Steve

[55chevy]

Steve, I think your axle dimensions look fine, except for the 70" hub face dimension. From the hub face to the inside surface of the swing arm is 6.5" on that axle. 74" will give you 1/2" clearance on each side between the body & swing arm.

I'd sure recommend brakes on a trailer that heavy. If you order without brakes & think you might add them later, make sure that the axle comes with the brake mounting flange.

Fred

Edit: Guess Tom & I said the thing at the same time

Fred, Thanks for the response. I am pretty sure I will be adding at least 2" to make it a 72" hub to hub. And with keeping the short spindles, I believe that will give me the arm clearance I need. I am going to double check with Dexter engineer. As you can see, I'm try to keep the wheels and fenders close to the body. Hopefully, not too close.

Edit: I forgot to mention the brakes. You are probably right. I'm re-thinking them.

Thanks again.
Steve

[55chevy]

Thanks for all of the input so far. You've been very helpful.

Here is a quick list of changes I have so far:

Short spindles- **Added 2/2 to keep wheels closer to trailer, fender width minimal, and to help with moon hubcap clearance.

Hub Face - 72" [ 58" frame width + 8" (1/2 tire width on each side) +2 (1" fender clearance each side) + 4 (1" wood overhang each side) ] I think this may be an issue with the minimum spindle overhang unless I go with the short spindle. ** Edited 2/2. (Added 2 inches for torsion arm to trailer clearance.)

Bracket Orientation - Standard low profile bolt on side mount to inside of frame rail. **Edit 2/2 Adding option for side mount hanger.

Brakes - Not sure. I'm thinking no brakes but will get the cost. **Edit 2/2 Added option for brake flanges to be installed for future brakes if needed.

Grease - E-Z lube ( I hope these will clear the baby moon or dome smooth hubcaps) **Need more input. Tom pointed out that drilling of the spindle for the E-Z lube has to weaken spindle. Good point.

Thanks again,
Steve

[55chevy]

I spoke to Dexter again today and added the brakes for the engineering. If I don't get the brakes, I will at least get the brake flanges installed. We had to increase the hub face measurement to 73" to add the brakes and also get 3/4" arm to sidewall clearance. Also changed wheel width to 6".

This is what it looks like now and I've requested a quote.

Axle Capacity - Dexter #9 1000-2200 lb tuned to 1800 lb.

Short spindles- Helps with overall width. Outside of tires at top now 81".

Hub Face - 73" Required to incorporate brake flanges and torsion arm to sidewall clearance now 3/4".

Outside Bracket - 58"

Start Angle Degree - 22.5 down gives ride height 15.2 @ half load and 14.1 @ full load

Bracket Orientation - Standard low profile bolt on side mount to inside of frame rail and added side mount hanger.

Brakes - Requesting brake flanges to be installed for future brakes if needed.

Hub Size - HD

Grease - E-Z lube

Please let me know if you have any more suggestions or see any issues with these specs.
Thanks
Steve

[55chevy]

Thanks everyone.

I'm going with the above configuration.